In the much neglected little book of Obadiah there is a remarkable expression concerning Israel in the 17th verse, to which I desire to draw my reader's attention. "Upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions." It is this last clause that strikes one at first as rather singular. But is it not true of most of us in the present dispensation of grace, as of Israel generally in a previous age, that we do not possess in a practical way, those things which God has made our own ?

When Israel were about to enter the land of Canaan, after their long wilderness wanderings, God declared He had given them all the land as their possession. Then, through Joshua, He afterward said:' 'Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses" (Joshua i:3). All was theirs in title. It was the free gift of God's grace, not because they were stronger or better than the nations, but because of His loving unmerited favor.

To hold title to the land, however, was one thing; to possess it was quite another. The latter required spiritual and physical energy, confidence in God, and obedience to His word. Only thus could they drive out the seven nations of Canaan-enter upon and enjoy their inheritance. Indeed, they never did fully "possess their possessions." Not even in the palmiest days of Solomon did they have undisputed possession of all that God had given them title to enjoy. For though Solomon extended his sway to the utmost limits of the territory promised to Abraham, the people did not possess themselves of the whole land. Solomon himself was misled by the heathen women he had married, building "high places" for the worship of their gods, thus incurring God's anger (i Kings 11:7-9), and forfeiting much he might otherwise have enjoyed.

But according to Obadiah, and the testimony of the prophets in general, a day is yet to dawn for Israel when "there shall be neither adversary nor evil occurrent," and they shall come into full possession of all that God hath spoken concerning the land and the people. "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the nations which are called by my name, saith Jehovah that doeth this. . . And I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them. . . And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God" (Amos 9:11-15, R- Ver.).

It is interesting indeed to connect this with the four closing verses in Obadiah:"And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall burn among them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for Jehovah hath spoken it. And they of the South shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the lowland, the Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria; and
Benjamin shall possess Gilead. And the captives of this host of the children of Israel, that are among the Canaanites, shall possess even unto Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem that are in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the South. And saviors shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be Jehovah’s" (Obadiah 18-21, R. V.).

Note the various peoples whose lands the house of Jacob shall possess in the day of Jehovah's power. The house of Edom (type of the flesh) will be completely subdued, and Israel shall possess their ancient fortresses. The plain of the Philistines, typifying, as the late F. W. Grant so strikingly put it, "the intrusion of natural men in spiritual things," will be added to Israel's unmolested portion, for all spiritual blessings will then be enjoyed unhinderedly by them. The field of Ephraim ("fruit-fulness ") will yield rich fruitage for Israel's enjoyment; the field of Samaria, where an imitation of Jehovah's worship was once set up, shall become the possession of those who worship in spirit and in truth. Benjamin shall possess Gilead, the rich pasture land on the east of Jordan, picturing for us God's natural gifts in earthly things, which we are called upon to use but not abuse, for all things are ours (i Cor. 3:22, 23). Looked at spiritually, it is a striking picture of the believer's present portion as one with Christ.

The extent of our possessions, in contrast to those of Israel, is set forth in three notable passages in the Epistles. In Ephesians i:3-14 we read:" Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ; according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved:in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself; that, in the dispensation of the fulness of times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth; even in Him. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation:in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."

In Col. 2:10-12, we are told:"And ye are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power:in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; buried with Him in baptism, wherein
also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead."

Finally, our possessions are summarized in a marvelous manner in i Cor. 3:21-23:"For all things are yours:whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come-all are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's."

What a wonderful vista is here presented to the eye of faith. Like Moses on Pisgah, we can view the wondrous inheritance that is covenanted to us in Christ, but in how feeble a measure we have possessed our possessions ! Israel only possessed what they trod upon in triumphant faith. We only possess what is ours in Christ as we appropriate what God has already declared to be ours.

In other words, all spiritual blessings have been made over to us by God; but only as we feed upon His word, as we receive it in the obedience of faith, do we actually " possess our possessions." To every Christian is given, for instance, eternal life, forgiveness of sins, justification from all things, as present possessions, but how many of God's beloved people go on for years doubting and questioning, simply because they have never, in the energy of faith, laid hold of these truths. And what liberty, joy, and blessing, come into the lives of such, when, for the first time, they turn away from self-occupation, and rest implicitly on the unchangeable word of the living God.

All believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but how few have ever learned to give Him his rightful place in their hearts and lives, and so are continually being defeated in their conflict with sin, and overpowered by the flesh, when they might live joyous, triumphant lives, did faith but lay hold of the blessed fact that the Holy Spirit dwells within, not merely to give assurance of salvation and comfort in the hour of trial, but to control us for God, and to give us practical deliverance from the enemy within, of which Edom of old was a type, according as it is written, "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh."

To all believers God has given His holy Word. It is as much the inheritance of the simplest Christian as of the most learned doctor. Indeed, human learning, unless subjected to divine guidance, may prove a hindrance in understanding the Holy Scriptures. But alas, alas, how little have most of us ever entered upon this portion of our possession! Whole books of the Bible might as well have been left unwritten so far as many of God's beloved children are concerned. Precious unfoldings of the divine purpose and counsels many are as ignorant of as if they had never been revealed. It is as though one possessed a magnificent library and was content with looking at the bindings while leaving the leaves uncut. Here in the Word of God are "all things that pertain to life and godliness," everything needed to " thoroughly furnish the man of God unto all good works," but feebly we "possess our possessions " as set forth in this Holy Book. In this connection it is of the greatest importance to remember that we never really know any truth that we are not walking in. The Scriptures must be translated into lives of practical holiness if we would, in any proper sense, possess them. We are called to manifest the truth in love, and again we read of "holiness of truth." This is in accordance with the prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ," Sanctify them through thy truth; thy Word is truth."

It is well to bear in mind that this is no merely negative thing. It must be distinctly positive. Testifying against evils is very different from walking in the truth. Fault-finding and denouncing others does not by any means show that one is himself living in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our testimony must be positive; it must consist in maintaining the truth committed to us, rather than in merely fighting error, if we would truly "possess our possessions." May it be ours thus to appropriate and enjoy all that the Holy Spirit, through the Word, waits to make good to the willing and obedient. H. A. I.