THE
NEED OF REALITY (Zechariah 7)

 

Royal
permission had been given for the completion of the temple, and the work went
on with some degree of energy. See Ezra, 5th chapter. Already there had been
some effort made to revive the ancient feasts and likewise to keep the more
modern fasts. Concerning one of the latter, a deputation of Jews came to
consult Zechariah and the elders, both of the priest and prophets. Their
Chaldean names tell that they had been born in captivity. As representatives of
the people, "Sherezer and Regem-melech, and their men," came "to
pray before the Lord, and to speak unto the priests which were in the
house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the
fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?"
(Zech. 7:2, 3).

 

There
seems to have been propriety in the question. For the fast of the fifth month,
as also for the fasts of the fourth, seventh and tenth months (Zech. 8:19),
there was no direct authority in the word of God, and the returned remnant had
been learning to inquire, "What saith the Scriptures?" as to both
command and teaching.

 

During
their Babylonian sojourn they had kept the four fasts mentioned commemorating
various events in their past sad history, all connected with their punishment
for their sins. None need doubt the piety that prompted the observance of these
special seasons of humiliation before God.

 

The
only trouble was that formality so readily took the place of reality and
genuine self-humbling in the presence of the Lord. On the tenth day of the fifth
month, Nebuzaradan burnt the temple and the city of Jerusalem. On the yearly
anniversary of that solemn event they fasted  and  wept, beseeching the Lord to
have mercy and restore the house and the city.

 

Naturally,
now that they were again in the midst of Jerusalem’s ruins, and their prayer
seemed answered in measure before their eyes as the house of God neared
completion, the question of the righteousness of continuing the self-appointed
fast of the fifth month came before them.

 

The
word of the Lord of hosts came through Zechariah in reply. But there was no
legislation regarding the fast at all:He neither forbade nor enjoined it. In
itself, such a fast was without positive scriptural authority. On the other
hand, it was in full keeping with the general tenor of the Word. It was
extra-scriptural, rather than un-scriptural. If the people met in true
self-judgment and brokenness of spirit before God on that day or any day, it
would have been acceptable. If they met simply as legally observing a fast which,
after all, He had never appointed, it was a weariness of the flesh and
worthless in His sight. Therefore Zechariah presses home the need of reality.
What had been their object and condition of soul as they kept the fasts in the
past? When they commemorated the burning of the temple in the fifth month (2
Kings 25:8; Jer. 41:1,2)* did they at all fast unto Jehovah all the years of
the captivity?

 

(* I
have thought that possibly commentators in general are wrong in applying
"the fast of the seventh month" to the lesser fast commemorating the
murder of Gedaliah, and that it really refers to the great fast of the day of
atonement. In that case the prophet would be showing that whether directly
appointed by God In His Word, or added by pious consent, no observance was
acceptable apart from reality. But as the Jews themselves apply the passage as
in the text, I have left it at that.)

 

When,
on the other hand, they kept the appointed feasts in place of the fasts,
was it His glory they sought? Or did they simply come together for social
enjoyment, eating and drinking without one thought of honoring Him whose power
and grace they were supposed to be remembering? (vers. 6, 7).

 

Surely,
if all before had been unreal and hollow, now, with such marked evidences both
of divine grace and government before them, they should turn to God with all
their hearts, remembering the words which He had cried by the former prophets,
who had testified to their fathers before Jerusalem was destroyed and when they
dwelt therein in peace, and prosperity was in the land (ver. 7).

 

This
is all the answer that was given for the moment. It was left to them to decide
whether they should keep the fast or not. And this is most significant and has
a voice for us whose lot is cast in a similar day, if we will hear it,
emphasizing the fact that mere formality will never do for God. He must see a
true turning to Himself if He would find delight in the gathering together of
His people. There may not always be chapter and verse for every practice, but God
will graciously accept all that springs from true self-judgment and that is not
opposed to the plain letter of His Word. It has become the fashion in some
places to ask, "Where is the scripture for a Bible-reading, or where the
direct verse for gathering the young together to teach them the knowledge of
the Bible and thus to lead them to Christ?" We need not be troubled by
such cold-hearted queries as these. Rather let the Sunday school worker ask
himself or herself, "Why do I thus labor among the children? Is it with me
but a weariness of the flesh and a matter of form? Has it become simply legal
drudgery which I carry on because such work is now customary? Or do I seek thus
to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ? Is my purpose so to minister Him to those young
in years that their tender hearts may be drawn to Himself ere they become
hardened by the deceitfulness of sin?" If this be the case, let there be
no further question but go on joyfully with your service, doing it heartily as
unto the Lord.

 

The
same principle applies to the meeting appointed for the study of the Word among
believers. There is no scripture directly saying that such meetings are to be
held at stated intervals; but there is plenty in the way of scripture warrant
and example to make it clear that when such meetings are convened by earnest,
loyal-hearted saints, who come together hungering for the precious truth of God
and ever letting it sit in judgment on them and on their ways, it is truly
pleasing in His sight. Otherwise it is but a work of the flesh — religious
flesh, no doubt, but flesh still for all that.

 

What
has been said is equally true of the assembly meeting of 1 Corinthians 14 and
the meeting for the breaking of bread of 1 Corinthians 11 and Acts 20:7. It is
quite possible to sit down at the Lord’s table, where the bread and wine speak
of His body given and blood shed for us, and yet not eat the Lord’s Supper at
all, because the mind is so fully occupied with other things that there is no
true remembrance of Christ. One may go from the meeting-room eased in
conscience because he has not neglected the table of the Lord and
superciliously regarding himself as superior Christians whose light and
privileges seem of a lower order, when all the time there has been nothing for
God in it all, but the whole thing was a perfunctory and empty ceremony,
detestable in His eyes, if indeed there has not been an actual eating and
drinking of judgment to oneself.

 

But if
there is to be reality when saints are gathered together, there must be righteousness
in their daily lives. So Zechariah again speaks the word of the Lord, saying,
"Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassions every man to his
brother:and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the
poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart"
(vers. 9, 10). Solemn words are these! Would that they had been oftener called
to mind by the people of God in all ages! He has said, "Woe unto them that
decree unrighteous decrees!" (Isa. 10:1), yet how frequently has
ecclesiastical authority been invoked to enforce the most palpably cruel and
unholy decisions! Oh, the crimes that have been committed in the name of the
Lord and His truth! The cruelties of those who have vaunted the exclusive mind
of the Lord will make a terrible and a humiliating record at the judgment seat
of Christ. When will saints learn that nothing is of God which is unholy; that
nothing is right which is not righteous; that nothing is bound, or ratified, by
the Just One which in itself is unjust! Neither is anything to be owned as
having divine sanction which outrages the mercy and compassions of Christ.

 

Because
Israel forgot all this and "made their hearts as an adamant stone,"
the former prophets had been sent to warn them, and they would not hear;
therefore great wrath came upon them. As they were indifferent to the cry of
the distressed and calloused as to the sorrows of the needy, God gave them over
to learn in bitterness of soul what distress and need really meant. In the day
of their anguished cry, He refused to hearken even as they had refused to hear
His voice of entreaty and warning. So they had been scattered with a whirlwind
among all the nations (vers. 11-14). Would their children learn from the sad
experiences of the past, or must they too be broken and driven forth because of
indifference to the claims of the Holy and the True?

 

To
Christians of the present day the same questions may well be put. May God give
us grace to profit by the failures of the past and to walk softly and in
charity, according to truth, in the little while ere the Lord Jesus comes
again!

 

"WE
KNOW THAT ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THEM THAT LOVE GOD"         (Romans
8:28)

 

Paul
knew this. A great many believers do not know it for they have never learned
it. "We know." What a blessed knowledge to know and realize that all
things work together for good to them that love God. God includes all things —
not some things, not the good things — but all things without exception.
In this the wonderful power of God is shown. He does not take His people out of
the world, does not take them away from the evil, does not even keep the evil
away from them; but He makes all things, both good and evil, work together for
good to them that love Him. He brings good to His people out of the evil. The
trouble is that while God’s people may see the evil very plainly, they have not
the knowledge of God to realize His power over the evil to make it work for
their good. It needs a strong faith to realize the wonderful power of God. We
are so inclined to think God cannot do this or that, that we do not trust Him
fully as Caleb did. God’s people of old "limited the Holy One of Israel."
God’s people today limit Him in the same way.

 

Not
long ago one said  to the writer, "God does not work miracles now,"
and only three days ago a letter came from a dear Christian friend which said
that the age of miracles is past. In one sense these statements may be true.
But the Lord God keeps His promise today just as much as He did in the days of
Elisha or Paul. God does not change; His ways of dealing with men do, but we
must not limit the power and faithfulness of our God. If we do so, we do it to
our great and infinite loss.

 

How
often it is true of us that we look at the evils, at circumstances, at things
which are taking place around us, and base our hopes and fears on them instead
of upon our God, the eternal and unchangeable One. The things we fear are the
unreal; our worst fears are very often imaginary, and the evils we look for may
never come. But God is the real One; all here is vanity and of the fallen
creation; "the world passeth away and the lust thereof." We need to
remember that all things are in His hands; He is good; He does only that which
is good; He makes all the things which take place about us work together for
our good, if we love Him. "All things." How much ground that
covers:all the bad things, all the evil things, all the things which seem so
hard to bear, all the sorrowful things, all the afflictions, all the trials,
all the disappointments, all the attacks of Satan and wicked men, all the
failures and mistakes of others, "all things work together for good to them
that love God." Well now, does not God take wonderful care of those that
love Him? He cannot do too much for them, but then He does it in His way and
time, and that is where the trial comes. It is our part to believe His words,
to trust Him with all our hearts, to cling to Him whatever comes. And it is His
free grace which enables us to do this. Faith is His gift, He gives us faith in
Him and love to Him. "If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye
shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7).
"Verily, verily, 1 say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My
name, He will give it you" (John 16:23). Do we want more faith and love?
Here then are these promises for us to plead and lay hold of. "Ask and ye
shall receive, that your joy may be full." These are the very words of our
Lord Jesus Christ. They are His words to every one of His people:to you, if
you have believed in Him. "What ye will," "Whatsoever ye shall
ask," how broad are these promises! He will not give us that which will
merely gratify the flesh, but all the grace and blessings we need that will
make us what He would have us. In our conflict with the world, the flesh, and
the devil, what strength and cheer such promises are. They are our life and our
light, and we feed upon them, rest in them, rejoice in them. Do you want faith?
Then ask for it. Do you want to love Him more and more? Then ask for
it. Get so familiar with these promises that they will be your treasure, your
joy, your hope. Is there any need of your lacking anything good with such
promises as these? "No good thing will He withhold from them that walk
uprightly" (Psalm 84:11). He will not keep any good back from His own
faithful people. So we can rejoice in Him, we can praise Him with full hearts.

 

A
WARNING

 

Pharaoh:
"Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice . . . ? I know not the
LORD!" (Ex. 5:2)

 

Moses:
"The LORD is a man of war. . . . Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath He
cast into the sea"           (Ex. 15:3,4).

 

Peter:
"What shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God?" (1
Peter 4:17).

SIGNS
OF THE TIMES — ONE BODY?

 

Is
there really one body? The Bible says, "There is one body . . ."
(Eph. 4:4). All who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are members.
"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews
or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free . . ." (1 Cor. 12:13). A very
blessed oneness this is with all of the redeemed — fellow members of the body
of Christ, the Church.

 

Many
believers will assent to the truth of the "one body." Not quite as
many will confess that the truth of the one body is the scriptural ground of
our gathering unto Christ. But even those so enlightened as to see this truth
sometimes find it difficult to put it into practice. These difficulties are not
unmet by the Word of God which is sufficient for our every problem.

 

It is
not a new situation when the issues of strife and turmoil of the world spill
over into the affairs of the Church or Assembly. We do not intend to involve
ourselves with the strifes of racism, segregation or integration, black power
or white backlash. But it is a fact that various social circumstances of the
world do affect us — perhaps more than we realize.

 

We are
admonished — besought in tenderest love — to not be conformed to this world but
to be transformed by the renewing of our minds in order to prove
that "good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:2).
Often conformity to the world is thought of only in the way of dress or outward
behavior. Yet there is a conformity to the world in thoughts, attitudes, opinions
and prejudices which are far more subtle and damaging to the saint with a
heavenly calling. Our bodies are to be a living sacrifice but it is the mind
that God would transform.

 

If we
share the attitudes and opinions of unregenerate minds because of our similar
circumstances, social status, or color of skin, we may be assured that it is
not God’s perfect will which has so transformed us. Our hearts must be prepared
to receive from God that which is against our natural thought, for "the
mind of the flesh is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7, J.N.D. trans.).

 

Mankind
was one before the flood. In the line of Seth there were men of faith who
walked with God, but apart from their walk we perceive no other distinguishing
feature among men. After the flood mankind was still unified and even sought to
preserve that unity and exalt their name by Babel’s tower. When God cut short
their work and confused their languages, they segregated and dispersed
themselves across the face of the earth in the days of Peleg (Gen. 10:25; 11:
1-9). Since that day there seems ever to have been a competition or struggle
between these confused peoples as to who was really superior.

 

God
singled out Abraham from idolaters, called him to follow Him, and also gave him
great and precious promises. Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and
Jacob were called to walk in separation, not mixing with other nations — the
Gentiles. Although they did not always obey the word of God in this separation,
it was strenuously maintained even in the days of our Lord and by Himself!
"These twelve Jesus, sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into
the way of the Gentiles and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not"
(Matt. 10:5). "But He [Jesus] answered and said, 1 am not sent but unto
the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshiped him, saying,
Lord, help me. But He answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s
[Jews’] bread, and to cast it to dogs [Gentiles]" (Matt. 15:24-26).

 

But
the cross changed everything! Gloriously so! When, as in John’s gospel, the
rejection of our Lord was evident from the first chapter (verse 12) and the
shadow of the cross already loomed, we find that our Lord "must needs go
through Samaria" (John 4:4). Imagine Him going into that region where He
earlier expressly forbade the twelve to travel! There He went out of His way to
engage a Samaritan, and that an harlot, who entered into that kingdom ahead of
most of privileged Israel. The very fact of His speaking to the woman startled
her as well as amazed His disciples when they returned. This reaction we might
well have expected, nay, even shared before the cross.

 

We
rejoice in the Great Commission but little realize its startling implication.
"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature"
(Mark 16:15). Every creature, Lord? To the Jewish believers thus
addressed this message was hardly taken seriously. We see the spread of the
gospel in the book of Acts, yet often forget that years passed before
the first non-Jew was reached. The neighboring Samaritans, as well as an
Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8), were finally reached. The Gentile Cornelius and his
household were reached in Acts 10. In all this we rejoice but ponder very
little the obstacles the grace of God was overcoming. Peter, reluctant as he
was to go speak to Cornelius in Caesarea, took with him six Jewish
believers. We suspect he did not wish to be in Gentile company without
fellow-believing Jewish companions. On returning to Jerusalem Peter was
reprimanded by saints there for going to and eating with such uncircumcised
Gentiles.

 

Without
doubt the Apostle Paul was the most diligent of all in reaching out with that
good news. His conversion and calling by a risen ascended Christ so filled him
with the meaning of the truth of the one body, that he seems wholly delivered
from prejudice and restraint, going out as he did with the gospel and
confirming the saints in its manifold bearing. During his last visit to Jerusalem after his arrest outside the temple, his defense received diligent attention by
his Jewish audience until he mentioned God sending him to Gentiles. On
hearing this word the crowd was in uproar (Acts 22:21).

 

We
perceive that the barrier between Jew and Gentile has presented a far greater
obstacle to the gospel outreach than any other social or racial barriers
up to this hour. The racial barrier strangely enough does not appear to have
greatly influenced Jewish proselyting. Our Savior spoke of Jewish zeal which
would "compass sea and land to make one proselyte" (Matt. 23:15). The
Ethiopian eunuch was an example of this proselytizing.  He does not seem to
have been denied the privileges attending Jewish ritual, even, though his skin
was black, for he had been to Jerusalem to worship. It was on the desert road,
returning from Jerusalem, that Jesus was preached to him “on the principle of
faith to faith.”

 

Of all
Paul’s epistles, Ephesians has often been noted as giving us the highest truth.
The saints are seen there as seated in heavenly places. The burden of chapter
two is the divine breaking down of the middle wall of partition between Jew and
Gentile and forming these two into one body. The mystery unfolded in chapter
three, never before revealed from God, is that these believing Jews and
Gentiles are "fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His
promise in Christ by the gospel" (Eph. 3:6).

 

Now if
the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and the consequent descent of the
Holy Spirit have brought every believer into such a blessed place, can any such
privileged saint be denied his full enjoyment of these blessings. This
fellowship is to be enjoyed now, not only in the glory beyond. Since God has
broken down the one barrier He raised, can we raise any other
such barrier?

 

Be
assured that this is in no way a plea for civil rights. What have civil rights
to do with citizens of heaven? We deplore the so-called peaceful demonstrations
which foster civil riots — not rights. "Not by might, nor by power, but by
my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts" (Zech. 4:6) was God’s word to
Zechariah in that day of small things. It did not pertain to rectification of
social injustices but revival and encouragement for the builders of His house
released from Babylonian captivity. We do not expect to sway world opinion nor
to calm its strifes. We do appeal to all fellow citizens of heaven and fellow
members of that one body as formed on earth to be transformed by the renewing
of their minds.

 

Have
old things really passed away? Are all things really become new to the
new creature in Christ? The Lord will give the needed grace to rejoice together
with those of like precious faith, joint heirs with Him who died.

 

CANAAN‘S CURSE:IS IT WITH US TODAY?

 

During
the course of Negro slavery and segregation in America throughout the past two
to three hundred years, the Scriptures have often been appealed to in defense
of Negro servitude. By far the most popular verses used in such a defense are
found in Genesis 9 in connection with Canaan’s curse:"And he [Noah] said,
Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he
said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God
shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant" (Gen. 9:25-27).

 

The
linking of Canaan, the grandson of Noah and son of Ham, with the Negro race
dates back to at least the turn of the eighteenth century and seems to have
enjoyed wide acceptance among Christians (at least in the United States) ever
since. But what is the evidence for this link between Canaan and the Negro? After
searching the Bible and other historical records, the writer has been impressed
by the complete lack of evidence of such a link.

 

The
descendants of Canaan inhabited the well-known land of Canaan (Gen. 10:15-20),
or what we know today as Palestine or Israel. It is true that some of the
Canaanites were great merchants who traveled to and settled in all parts of
Europe, Asia, and Africa. But as a whole, the Canaanites have always been
associated primarily with that strip of land east of the Mediterranean Sea and
west of the Jordan River. Historical evidence* indicates that the Canaanites
were swarthy, having brownish skin, but were in no respect Negroid.

 

(*
Blyden, E. W., The Negro in Ancient History, 1869. Buswell, J. O., Slavery,
Segregation and Scripture, 1964.)

 

Canaan,
however, had a brother, Cush by name, whose descendants settled largely in Ethiopia. Ancient monuments typically present the Ethiopians or Cushites as having black
skin. The Bible, too, which in general has very little to say about the skin
color of individuals or nations, nevertheless lends a strong confirmation to
this:"Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?"
(Jeremiah 13:23). Thus it is Canaan’s brother Cush who seems to be the
progenitor of the Negro race and not Canaan himself.

 

It has
been claimed by some that the name of Canaan’s father, Ham, means
"black" or "burnt" and the inference has been drawn from
this that Ham as well as all of his children were black. In this regard, five
different Hebrew-English lexicons have been consulted and they have been found
unanimously to give the meaning of the word ham as "warm" or
"hot." This Hebrew word ham is, in fact, used twice in the
Hebrew Old Testament as an adjective and is translated in one place
"hot" (Joshua 9:12) and in the other place "warm" (Job
37:17). On the other hand, there are close to twenty different Hebrew words
used in the Old Testament which are translated "black" or
"burnt" in our King James version and not one of these words is in
any way related to the word ham. Thus, we cannot, on the basis of the
meaning of Ham’s name, conclude that either Ham or his children had black skin.

 

Now if
Canaan’s curse cannot be applied to the Negroes today, how then has the curse
been fulfilled? The answer is clearly given in the Word of God. The children of
Israel, when about to enter into their land of promise, were commanded of the
Lord to destroy utterly the inhabitants of Canaan (Deut. 20:17) that they might
take full possession of the land. That they failed miserably to obey that
commandment we know very well. But the Lord, who knows the end from the
beginning, no doubt had Israel’s failure in mind when he inspired Noah to
pronounce the curse upon Canaan, for the Canaanites, instead of being
destroyed, were first made tributaries to Israel (Judges 1:28,30,33,35) and
later on, during King Solomon’s reign, were made bondservants to Israel (1
Kings 9:20-21). A special fulfillment of the curse is also found in the book of
Joshua where we read how the Gibeonites (a Canaanite tribe) deceived  Joshua
into making a league with them to let them live.  When the deceit was found out
Joshua said to them, “Wherefore ye are cursed , and there shall none of you be
freed from being bondsmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the
house of God”(Joshua 9:23).

 

When
secular history is combined with the Biblical history just cited, a most
beautiful and accurate fulfillment of the details of the curse is discovered.
Genesis 9:26 reads, ”Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his
[that is, Shem’s] servant." This is borne out by the verses we have just
referred to in Joshua, Judges, and 1 Kings, for Shem was the progenitor of the
nation of Israel. Now note especially verse 27. It does NOT read, "Blessed
be the Lord God of Japheth; and Canaan shall be his servant." It reads
rather, "God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of
Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant." Thus, Canaan’s servitude to
Japheth is especially linked with Japheth’s dwelling in the tents of Shem.
Secular history fully bears this out.  When the Greeks (a Japhethite nation)
under Alexander the Great conquered the Medo-Persian empire and gained control
of Palestine (thus dwelling in the tents of Shem), we are told by historians
that thousands of Canaanites were carried off to Greece as slaves.*

 

(*
Botsford, G. W. and C. A. Robinson, Jr.. Hellenic History, 1956.)

 

From
that time on the Canaanites gradually lost their identity as a distinct people
and have long since passed entirely off the scene.

 

Despite
the clarity of the Scripture which distinctly states, "Cursed be Canaan," many people somehow feel that since it was Ham’s sin that brought on the
curse, all of Ham’s children must have fallen under the curse. But if this be
true, where is the scriptural evidence? We have seen the details of the curse
fulfilled to the letter with respect to Canaan, but utterly fail to see any
such fulfillment with respect to Canaan’s brothers. In fact, just the contrary
is found. Mizraim, one of Canaan’s brothers, is clearly identified as the
"father" of Egypt (Mizraim is the Hebrew word which is translated
"Egypt" throughout the Old Testament). It is Israel’s two hundred plus years of bondage to Egypt which is the outstanding feature in the annals
of the relationship of these two nations, not Egypt’s bondage to Israel. In addition to this, Babylon, the nation which enslaved Judah for seventy years (2
Chron. 36:20, 21), seems to trace back to the lineage of Ham (through Cush and
Nimrod, Gen. 10:8-10). Never do we read of either Egypt or Babylon being
servants of Israel.

 

In
conclusion, the answer to the question in the title of this article seems
clear:Canaan’s curse had its complete fulfillment in Bible times and is no
longer with us.

          Paul
L. Canner

WATCH
THOU AND ENDURE

 

 "Out
of the spoils won in battles did they dedicate to maintain the house of the
Lord" (1 Chron. 26-27).

 

This
historical statement is pregnant with spiritual instruction and
doctrine. It was ever in the mind of the Lord to dwell among His people in
holiness and separation from evil. The Lord said to Moses:"Let them make
Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them" (Ex. 25:8). The Levites were
chosen for the service of the Lord’s house because they gathered together unto
Moses when he sent forth his challenge, "Who is on the Lord’s side? Let
him come unto me." Their kinship with the wicked did not influence the
Levites when judgment of evil was required (Ex. 32:26-28).

 

The
treasures of God’s house today are many, and they must be guarded diligently by
those whom the Lord has stirred up, that the testimony may be maintained in
spite of growing spiritual darkness. At no time in the history of the Church
has there been a greater need to hold fast those things recorded for us in the
Scriptures and committed to us by the Spirit of God. There can be no spoils won
if our battles are not fought in subjection to the whole Word of God,
making use of the whole armor of God. See Ephesians 6:11-18.

 

The
great cry today for Christian unity and the trend toward that end is based upon
compromise, a "form of Godliness but denying the power thereof" (2
Tim. 3:5). Even the atoning work of Christ is discounted. Many of the Lord’s
people, being in an unscriptural position through disobedience, are drawn into
this compromise, having turned away from basic and precious truths for the sake
of fleshly ambition.

 

In the
Book of Samuel, Israel’s decline becomes evident when in their restlessness
they reject God and want a king like all of the nations. They choose Saul to be
king in spite of the warning of God by the prophet Samuel, and they become
subject to leadership of their own choosing. Saul’s attempt to justify a
partial obedience leads to his rejection and the rebuke:"To obey is
better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as
the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry" (1
Sam. 15:22-23).

 

The
voice of the Lord through the prophets applies no less to us in this day in
which the instructions given to Timothy by Paul are often ignored. The
exhortation of 1 Timothy 3:15 — "that thou mayest know how thou oughtest
to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God,
the pillar and ground of the truth" — stresses not so much the Church’s
being the one body of Christ, but rather its being the witness for Christ upon
the earth. It is the assembly of God acting in obedience (in spite of conscious
weakness and failure) as a pillar upholding revealed assembly order and
principles with the Holy Spirit as the guiding power. Hence the word of those
in this present or Laodicean period of the Church’s history is directed to
individuals for the encouragement of those who at the risk of separation from
loved ones seek to maintain a testimony to the truth in this present evil
world.

 

"Let
us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach"
(Heb. 13:13). “For where two or three are gathered together in His name there
He is in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20).

 

Let us
not lose the sense of Christ’s Lordship and our responsibility to Him.  A. J.
Palmer