"Thou prepares! a table before me" (verse 5). As we walk through the valley of the shadow of
death we not only have Himself to quiet our fears, we not only have His rod and staff to comfort
us, but we also have a table spread before us and prepared with everything that we need. When
we consider this table we would think of two things:(1) What is on the table? and (2) who is at
the table? In the first we think of the food and in the second we think of the fellowship. Let us
consider these two things in detail.

1. What is on the table? The food on this table meets the needs of our souls. This would remind
us of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ in John 6:35:"I am the bread of life:he that cometh to
Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst." The Lord Jesus through
His death becomes the true food of the believer. We may also think of this food as being those
spiritual things which we need and enjoy daily. The food on the table would include the following:

Grace_sufficient for every need, abundant and overflowing.

Peace_the peace of God which passes all understanding to guard our hearts and minds.

Love_the love of Christ which passes all knowledge.

Mercy_multiplied to us.

Joy_Christ’s own joy that our joy might be full.

Wisdom_the true wisdom from above.

Sanctification_the daily setting apart through His truth.

Power_the power of the Holy Spirit in us.

Comfort_the comfort of the scriptures.

As we look at this partial list, does not#this appeal to our spiritual appetites? Christ in the Word
of God is all these things to us.

"We taste Thee, O Thou Living Bread,
And long to feast upon Thee still;
We drink of Thee, the Fountain Head,
And thirst our souls from Thee to fill!"

2. Who is at the table? First, the Host, our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep,
is at this table. It is really His table. Secondly, at this table are all those lost sheep who, like
ourselves, were found by this great Shepherd of the sheep. Through the completed work of Christ
upon the cross every believer has the title and privilege to be at this table.

"Once as prodigals we wandered
In our folly far from Thee;
But Thy grace, o’er sin abounding,
Rescued us from misery.
Clothed in garments of salvation,
At Thy table is our place;
We rejoice, and Thou rejoicest,
In the riches of Thy grace."

This table, then, speaks of fellowship with the Host, our great Shepherd of the sheep, and with
others who are at the table. Unconfessed sin in our lives causes us to lose out on the things that
He has prepared for those who love Him and also on the fellowship with Himself and with others.
Today the fullest expression of that fellowship with Himself and others is found in what Scripture
speaks of as "the Lord’s supper" or the "breaking of bread" (1 Cor. 11:20; Acts 20:7). The early
church gathered together upon the first day of the week to break bread. In this supper we
remember our Lord Jesus in His death for us, the bread symbolizing His body given for us and
the cup His blood shed for us. How good to be able to gather around Himself in obedience to His
Word, "This do in remembrance of Me," and "Show [or announce] the Lord’s death till He come"
(1 Cor. 11:23-26).

"Thou prepares! a table before me in the presence of mine enemies." Just as sheep may feed upon
what their shepherd has prepared for them in the presence of wolves, mountain lions, and bears,
so we also feed in the presence of our enemies. The apostle Paul spoke of these enemies when he
addressed the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:29,30:"For I know this, that after my departing shall
grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men
arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." The Lord Jesus also spoke
of these enemies in Matt. 7:15:"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves." He also prepared us to expect the same hatred that He
received when He lived here. "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated
you" (John 15:18,20). Furthermore, there exist unseen spiritual enemies, principalities, powers,
rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12). Our greatest
enemy, Satan, goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Yet in the
presence of these enemies seen and unseen, we may sit at His table and enjoy what He has
prepared for us in peace and safety. We are His and though the enemy may rob us of material
things, and may even take our life from us, He can never rob us of those spiritual joys which
Christ has made ours.

"Thou anointest my head with oil." In the Old Testament this anointing was a special privilege
reserved for only a few. We read only of the high priests, prophets, and kings who were anointed
with oil. The anointing was a special mark of being set apart by God for His service, and as such
gave power to the one anointed. The oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit who is the true power for
service. In the New Testament we read that "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost
and with power" (Acts 10:38). This is also true of believers today. "Now He which stablisheth
us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest
of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Cor. 1:21,22). Also we read of this anointing in 1 John 2:20 and

27. Every believer has been anointed with the Holy Spirit at new birth, and as such has been set
apart for service. What a special place of privilege and power is ours today! How comforting it
is to know that the power for serving my great Shepherd is found, not in myself, but in the Holy
Spirit.

With this anointing, the joy is more than can be contained and leads us to exclaim with the
psalmist, "My cup runneth over." "My cup" speaks of the portion which the great Shepherd has
given to me. My cup is filled with blessings. The cup which the Father gave Him to drink was
filled with the death and judgment which I deserved (Matt. 26:39; John 18:11). Because He drank
that cup my cup now is full and running over. This running over is a result of the Holy Spirit
filling us and controlling us as we read in Eph. 5:18-20:"Be filled with the Spirit; speaking to
yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to
the Lord." Joy produced in us through the Holy Spirit will indeed run over in blessing not only
to myself but others also. The knowledge of this joy makes me ask myself, "Is my life a reflection
of that joy?" May we know more what it is to "walk in the Spirit" so that we can say, "My cup
runneth over."

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." The knowledge of what my
great Shepherd has provided for me in the past and in the present leads to the confidence in the
future. Our great Shepherd never changes. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and
to the ages to come" (Heb. 13:8 JND).

"Yesterday He helped me,
Today I’ll praise His name,
Because I know tomorrow,
He’ll help me just the same."

I need that goodness and mercy each day of my life. And God is not short on these two things.
We read of the riches of His goodness in Rom. 2:4 and the riches of His mercy in Eph. 2:4. These
two things were present in my salvation and they will continue with me all the days of my life.
Oh, the goodness of God! How many times we can see how His goodness has abundantly met our
every need. His mercy is there to meet us in special times of weakness or failure. We need not
fear tomorrow because there will not be a time in our lives when His goodness and mercy will not
be there to sustain and keep us.

"And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." What a crowning statement this is to all that
has been said! It is said in quiet, firm assurance. Not "I hope to dwell" but "I will dwell." This
assurance is what every believer in Christ Jesus may have by resting in the promises of our great
Shepherd. Before He went to the cross He said, "In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it
were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be
also" (John 14:2,3). Our Shepherd’s death upon the cross and His entrance into heaven as the
glorified Man has prepared a place for us. It is His desire to have us with Himself. He will soon
come to take us there to His Father’s house_"caught up… to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thess.
4:17). If we are called home before He comes in the air, we have the assurance that if absent from

this body we will be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). The certain hope of dwelling in the house
of the Lord will strengthen us and will separate us from the world’s empty hopes and fears.
"Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He [Christ] is pure" (1 John 3:3).
Sometimes the presence of Christ seems very real and precious to us. At other times we are not
so conscious of it. But when we are in the house of the Lord we will be forever in His presence.
"So shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Thess.
4:17,18). There will be nothing to hinder the fullest enjoyment of His presence. We will see Him
face to face. Faith will be turned to sight, hope will be realized, and only love will remain. It will
be the beginning of an unending day of joy and happy fellowship with the One who loved us and
gave Himself for us. In view of that time the Lord Jesus has said, "Surely I come quickly." And
we in answer say, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20,21).

FRAGMENT
Oh, what a home! But such His love
That He must bring us there.
To fill that home, to be with Him,
And all His glory share.
The Father’s house, the Father’s heart,
All that the Son is given
Made ours_the objects of His love,
And He, our joy in heaven.

"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest
of our confession, Jesus" (Heb. 3:1 JND). "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love
and to good works" (Heb. 10:24).

The above passages are very intimately connected. They are bound together by the fact that the
writer uses the same Greek word for "consider" in both passages and this word occurs only in
these two places in the whole Book of Her brews. The word signifies an earnest application of the
mind.

We are to consider Jesus, and we are to consider all those who belong to Him wherever they are.
We are to apply our minds diligently to Him and to His interests on the earth, and thus be
blessedly delivered from the miserable business of thinking about ourselves or our own interests.

The titles bestowed on our blessed Lord in the first passage present Him to our hearts in a very
wonderful manner. They take in the range of His history from the bosom of the Father down to
the dust of death, and from the dust of death back to the throne of God. As the Apostle, He came
from God to us; and as the High Priest, He has gone back to God for us. He came from heaven
to reveal God to us, to unfold to us the very heart of God, to make us know the precious secrets
of His bosom.

What a marvelous privilege to have God revealed to us in the person of Christ! God has spoken
to us in the Son. Our blessed Apostle has given us the full and perfect revelation of God. "God,
who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of
the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6).

We can now turn to the Gospels; and as we gaze upon that blessed One who is there presented to
us by the Holy Spirit, in all that lovely grace which shone out in all His words and works and
ways, we can say, "That is God." We see Him going about doing good, and healing all that were
oppressed of the devil; we see Him healing the sick, cleansing the leper, opening the eyes of the
blind, feeding the hungry, drying the widow’s tears, and weeping at the tomb of Lazarus; and we
say, "That is God." Every ray of moral glory that shone in the life and ministry of the Apostle of
our confession was the expression of God. He was the brightness of the divine glory and the exact
impression of the divine essence.

How precious is all this to our souls! To have God revealed in the person of Christ so that we can
know Him, delight in Him, find all our springs in Him, call Him Abba Father, walk in the light
of His blessed countenance, have fellowship with Him and with His Son Jesus Christ, know the
love of His heart, the very love wherewith He loves the Son_what deep blessedness! what fulness
of joy! How can we ever sufficiently praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for His
marvelous grace in having introduced us into such a sphere of blessing and privilege, and set us
in such a wondrous relationship with Himself in the Son of His love! Oh, may our hearts praise
Him! May our lives praise Him! May it be the one grand aim and object of our whole moral being
to magnify His name!

But we must now return to another great branch of our subject. We are to "consider . . . the High
Priest of our confession." The same blessed One who, as the Apostle, came to make God known
to our souls, has gone back to God for us. He came to speak to us about God; and He is gone to
speak to God about us. He appears in the presence of God for us; He , bears us upon His heart
continually; He represents us before, God to maintain us in the integrity of the position into which

His precious atoning work has introduced us. His blessed priesthood is the divine provision for
our wilderness path. Were it merely a question of our standing or title, there would I be no need
of priesthood; but as it is a question of our actual I state and practical walk, we could not get on
for one moment! if we had not our great High Priest ever living for us in the presence of God.

There are three precious aspects of our Lord’s priestly service presented in the Epistle to the
Hebrews. First, we read in Hebrews 4:14,15:"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that
is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession [or confession].
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but
was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin [or sin excepted]."

Just think of the deep blessedness of having One at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens
who is touched with the feeling of your infirmities, who enters into all your sorrows, who feels
for you and with you in all your exercises, trials, and difficulties! Think of having a Man on the
throne of God, a perfect human heart, One on whom you can count in all your weakness,
heaviness, and conflict_in everything except sin! With this, blessed be His name, He can have
no sympathy.

What a precious provision! The One who has all power in heaven and on earth now lives for us
in heaven. We can count on Him at all times. He enters into all our feelings in a way that no
earthly friend could possibly do. We can go to Him and tell Him things which we could not name
to our dearest friend on earth, inasmuch as none but He can fully understand us. But our great
High Priest understands all about us. He has passed through every trial and sorrow that a perfect
human heart could know. Hence He can perfectly sympathize with us. He delights to minister to
us in all our seasons of sorrow and affliction, when the heart is crushed and bowed beneath a
weight of anguish which only He can fully enter into. Precious Saviour, may we draw more
largely upon the exhaustless springs of comfort and consolation that are found in Thy large and
loving heart for all Thy tried, tempted, sorrowing, suffering brethren here below!

Hebrews 7:25 gives another aspect of our Lord’s priestly work:"Wherefore He is able also to
save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession
for them." What comfort and assurance is here for all the "holy brethren." Our great High Priest
bears us upon His heart continually before the throne. He lives for us, and we live in Him. He will
carry us right through to the end. We rest in the final perseverance of our divine High Priest. "If,
when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (that is, His life now in heaven) (Rom. 5:10). He has
made Himself responsible for every one of the "holy brethren," to bring them through all the
difficulties, trials, snares, and temptations of the wilderness, right home to glory. Universal and
everlasting homage to His blessed name!

In Hebrews 13:15 we have the third aspect of our Lord’s service for us in the heavenly sanctuary.
"By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our
lips, giving thanks to His name." What a comfort to know that we have One in the presence of
God to present our sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving! How surely it encourages us to bring
such sacrifices at all times! True, they may seem very poor and imperfect, but our great High
Priest knows how to separate the precious from the vile. He takes our sacrifices and presents them
to God in all the perfect fragrance of His own person and ministry. Every little breathing of the
heart, every utterance, every little act of service goes up to God, not only divested of all our
infirmity and imperfection, but adorned with all the excellency of the One who ever liveth in the
presence of God, not only to sympathize and intercede, but also to present our sacrifices of
thanksgiving and praise.

All this is full of comfort and encouragement. How often have we to mourn over our coldness,
barrenness, and dead-ness, both in private and in public! We seem unable to do more than utter
a groan or a sigh. Well, Jesus takes that groan or sigh and presents it to God in all His own
precious-ness. This is part of His present ministry for us in the presence of our God, a ministry
which He delights to carry out-blessed be His name! It is His joy to bear us upon His heart before
the Throne. He thinks of each one in particular, as if He had but that one to think of.

It is wonderful, but so it is. He enters into all our little trials and sorrows, conflicts and exercises,
as though He had nothing else to think of. Each one has the undivided attention and sympathy of
that infinite, loving heart, in all that we experience as we pass through this scene of trial and
sorrow. He has gone through it all. He knows, as we say, every step of the road. We can see Him
(by faith) walking through this world and can look up and see Him on the throne. We see Him a
glorified Man, but the same Jesus who was here on earth; His circumstances are changed, but not
His loving heart. "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever" (Heb. 13:8). Such
then, beloved reader, is the great High Priest whom we are exhorted to "consider." Truly we have
all we want in Him. His sympathy is perfect; His intercession, all-prevailing; His presentation of
our sacrifices, ever acceptable. Well may we say, "We have all, and abound" (Phil. 4:18).

Now let us look at the exhortation in Hebrews 10:24:"Let us consider one another to provoke
unto love and to good works." The more attentively we consider Him, the more we shall be fitted
and disposed to consider all who belong to Him, whoever and wherever they may be. Show us
a man full of Christ, and we will show you a man full of love, care, and interest for every member
of the body of Christ. It must be so. It is simply impossible to be near Christ and not have the
heart filled with the sweetest affections for all that belong to Him. We cannot consider Him
without being reminded of them and led out in service, prayer, and sympathy according to our
little measure. If you hear a person talking loudly of his love for Christ while having no real love
for His people, you may be sure it is all hollow profession. "Hereby perceive we the love of God,
because He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But
whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of
compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love
in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:16-18).

These are wholesome words for all of us. May we apply our hearts most diligently to them! May

we, by the powerful ministry of the Holy Spirit, be enabled to respond with all our hearts to these
two weighty and needed exhortations to "consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession,"
and to "consider one another." And let us bear in mind that the proper consideration of one
another will never take the form of prying curiosity or unwarrantable espionage_things which can
only be regarded as the curse and bane of all Christian society. No, it is the very reverse of all
this. It is a loving, tender care, expressing itself in every form of seasonable service_the lovely
fruit of true communion with the heart of Christ.

(From "Holy Brethren" in Miscellaneous Writings, Vol. 5.)

Love, submission, communication, confession, forgiveness, and mutual prayer and Bible
study_these elements of a happy marriage have been considered in the previous two issues. This
chapter of our series on "The Christian and Marriage" will conclude with two further
elements_physical intimacy and management of finances_which in many cases have made the
difference between a happy and an unhappy marriage.

Physical Intimacy

To those who are dating or engaged to be married the warning was given in a previous chapter
against entering prematurely into that physical intimacy which belongs to marriage alone. It was
also mentioned that a marriage built solely on the physical relationship, without strong emotional
and spiritual bonds, is not likely to thrive far beyond the honeymoon. This is not to downgrade
the physical relationship but to emphasize those other aspects of the marriage partnership which
are often given but little consideration. Indeed, unless a marriage is built upon the foundation of
that agape or Christ-like love, the physical relationship will tend to become mechanical and
selfish, and hence may ultimately lead to conflict and resentment. A strong spiritual relationship
will, on the other hand, tend to enhance the enjoyment of the physical relationship.

Let us consider some scriptural counsel to the married couple concerning physical intimacy. "Let
the husband render to the wife her due, and in like manner the wife to the husband. The wife has
not authority over her own body, but the husband; in like manner also the husband has not
authority over his own body, but the wife. Defraud not one another, unless, it may be, by consent
for a time, that ye may devote yourselves to prayer, and again be together, that Satan tempt you
not because of your incontinency" (1 Cor. 7:3-5 JND). Not only in first century Corinth, but
throughout the history of the Church to the present day, there have been Christians who have
gotten the notion that physical intimacy in marriage is beneath the dignity and calling of a spiritual
Christian. Some have gone so far as to separate from their wives or husbands in order to be free
to live "a more spiritual life." Others have pushed the physical relationship in marriage into the
background for similar reasons. But the apostle Paul warns that neither marriage partner should
unilaterally deprive the other of physical intimacy. Only if both agree together to live celibately
"for a time" in order to devote themselves to prayer and communion with the Lord should such
a program be undertaken. And this is to be for a definitely limited period of time so that neither
partner will become vulnerable to Satan’s temptations to commit adultery as a result of unsatisfied
physical desires.

The Greek word translated "defraud" in 1 Cor. 7:5 means literally "turn away from, reject,
repulse." The sexual relationship should never be used as a club to achieve one’s own selfish ends.
One should not reject his/her mate sexually as a means of forcing the mate to yield to his/her will
concerning any matter. The elements of prayer, communication, and love _discussed
previously_should be brought into play in such situations.

Another Scripture which is relevant to the physical relationship of a married couple is "submitting
yourselves one to another in the fear of God" (Eph. 5:21). Mutual love (again, that agape or

divine love) will lead the two partners to be sensitive to the moods and needs and desires of the
other. Love will lead the husband or wife to subdue his/her own physical needs and desires when
it is sensed that one’s mate does not share this mood. At the same time, the spouse who perhaps
is not in the mood for physical intimacy may be led, out of love, to give himself/herself over to
satisfying the needs of the mate. Out of love for each other, each will be willing to take the lead
in submitting to the other.

If one of the partners seems frequently to be not in the mood for physical intimacy, it may be that
he/she is harboring bitterness or resentment toward the spouse for some reason. Here again, as
stressed in the previous issue, there is a great need for communication. Harboring resentment
toward another is not a proper response for a Christian. The offended one should seek lovingly,
patiently, and meekly to express to the spouse the nature of the offense (Matt. 18:15)_. And the
spouse should be quick to confess any wrong so that the joy of the marriage might soon be
recovered.

As we have seen previously, wives are told to submit themselves to their husbands (Eph. 5:22).
But clearly this is not to be used by the husband as a club to force his wife to satisfy his physical
(or any other) needs and desires. For this reason, verses 23 and 24 are tempered by verses 25-29
which emphasize the man’s need to love his wife. Further, it is well to keep in mind that husbands
have the privilege of submitting themselves to their wives in many areas of life, even while
retaining overall authority and responsibility over the household. Christ took the form of a servant,
though He was worthy that all should serve and submit to Him. How can we, who have no such
worthiness in ourselves, take a place higher than the one Christ took in love? (John 13:16).

Management of Finances

There are a number of scriptural principles which relate to management of finances in a
household. First, on the basis of 1 Cor. 11:3, Eph. 5:23,24, and 1 Tim. 2:12,13, the husband is
the head of the wife. Therefore, the husband should have the overall responsibility for managing
the household finances. It may be that he is a terrible mathematician and she a trained bookkeeper;
in such a case it might be profitable for the two to work together on paying bills, balancing the
checking account, etc. But final responsibility and authority for expenditures rests with him.

Sometimes the husband gets the idea that since he earned his paycheck through his own hard work,
the money belongs to him and he is free to spend it as he pleases. The working wife may also
develop this attitude, particularly if her husband already manifests it. However, it generally is not
wise to make a distinction between "his money" and "her money." The statement of Scripture that
"they shall be one flesh" (Gen. 2:24) is not, I believe, limited to the physical union of husband
and wife. It involves as well the pooling of resources, having all things in common, and not
having separate bank accounts. In this connection, it is well to keep in mind that all that we have
in the way of material wealth and property, as well as talents, abilities, and intelligence, belong
to the Lord and are only on loan to us (1 Sam. 2:5-7; Job 1:21; Luke 16:12). We are responsible
to God to use what He has given us for His glory and the edification of His people, and not to
make a name and a place for ourselves in this world nor to satisfy our own fleshly desires.

It is wise for the husband and wife periodically to plan together a budget based on total resources
and anticipated income which allots a set amount for food, clothing, household expenses,
automotive expenses, utilities, etc., and also allows for some saving for larger purchases and for
emergencies. They should pray together for wisdom and guidance from the Lord as to spending,
saving, and specific purchases.

Prayerful consideration should also be given to the proportion of total (before taxes) income to be
devoted to charitable contributions. While the Old Testament guideline for this is a tenth (tithe),
a sense of God’s grace and the extent of His great gifts to us may lead us to give more than a tenth
toward support of the Lord’s work.

A snare which newly married couples often fall into, and which often ends up destroying the
marriage, is to covet too high a standard of living from the outset. There is a tendency with young
people to want to begin their own homes at the same standard presently enjoyed by their parents,
forgetting that in most instances their parents started out quite simply and lived within their means.
In attempting to attain this standard the couple quickly finds themselves deep in debt with a large
portion of the weekly paychecks going to make payments to creditors. In order to meet expenses,
the husband begins volunteering for overtime duty or takes a second job, and the wife gets a
job_or maybe two_as well. As a result, the husband and wife hardly see each other any more;
if they should have children, these soon get shuttled off to a day-care center; and the marriage
relationship becomes strained, often to the breaking point.

Listen to what Scripture has to say in this regard:"Godliness with contentment is great gain. For
we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food
and raiment let us be therewith content" (1 Tim. 6:6-8). "Be content with such things as ye have"
(Heb. 13:5). "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another" (Rom. 13:8). "The borrower is
servant to the lender" (Prov. 22:7).

Paul Wilson in The Institution of Marriage (Bible Truth Publishers, Addison, IL) offers the
following comments on this topic:"It is not the style of our homes, nor the model of the
automobile; that are the great criteria of how a Christian is getting on; but rather, is there
godliness and contentment? Some of the happiest Christians are those who have little of this
world’s goods, but who enjoy Christ and the things of God, and go on in contentedness of spirit
in temporal things. A striving for the things beyond one’s circumstances will help to produce
leanness of soul on the one hand, and the very opposite of happiness on the other.

"Even from a purely worldly standpoint, it is a happy experience when young married people find
it pleasurable employment to labor together on fixing up an old house, or refinishing some
furniture, or on any of the many things that go to make up a home. We have heard unsaved people
remark that the surest way to make newly married young folks discontented is to give them
everything they could wish, so that there is nothing left to work toward."

As a final thought, just as one might refuse physical intimacy with one’s spouse because of anger
or resentment, an offended husband or wife may give vent to the hurt by going on a shopping and
spending spree. This, like a drinking spree, may provide temporary feelings of relief from one’s
anger or frustration, but clearly only compounds the problems. The much preferred solution, as
discussed previously, involves verbal communication to the spouse concerning one’s unhappiness,
and love and patience with each other while seeking a resolution to the problem.

As we conclude this three-part chapter on elements of a happy marriage, let us heed the apostle
Paul’s exhortation to pray "always . . . with all perseverance and supplication for all saints" (Eph.
6:18). Let us not forget to consider the many married couples among the saints, praying that they
might enjoy a truly happy marriage. Let us not wait until a marriage is on the rocks before we
begin praying for the couple. And if the Lord makes us aware of a possible trouble spot in the
marriage of a particular couple, let us be faithful to seek wisdom from the Lord to be able to help
that couple. Perhaps if there were more "preventive medicine" being practiced, there would be

fewer sick and dying marriages and more truly happy ones today.

The particular problems facing a couple in which one is a Christian and the other is not will be
considered in the next issue, Lord willing.

The intimacy between the Lord and His elect is beyond, we may say, what is known elsewhere.
Angels do His pleasure, wait in His presence, have kept their first estate, and excel in that strength
that serves Him. But they are not where elect and saved sinners are. The angels learn, through the
Church, the manifold wisdom of God (Eph. 3:10). It is to us that the Son has made known all that
He has received from the Father.

The Saviour acquaints Himself with the secrets of the bosom of the sinner, while He
communicates to such a one the secrets of the divine bosom. This is intimacy indeed. See it in the
stories of Abraham, Moses, David, and others. It is a most marvelous thing_but it is true. We
are not called to prove it_Scripture does that both by doctrine and illustration. We are called to
believe it and enjoy it.

In the Epistle to the Romans we find the Spirit of God leading the saints along two different paths:
the path of grace in chapters 1-8, and the path of knowledge in chapters 9-11. He finds us at the
beginning in ruins. We are taken up as sinners, having come short of His glory, and are in revolt
and distance from Him. It is from such a point we start on the way. But He leads us along from
our depths to His heights, from our ruins to His wonders and riches of mercy. And at last He
plants us on an elevation where we can challenge all our enemies and find ourselves above all that
might be against us. Who can be against us? is the language of the heart there; who can accuse,
who can condemn, who can separate?

Having thus conducted us the whole way along the path of mercy, and settled our own questions
for ever, He again takes us by the hand to lead us along another path, the path of wisdom or
knowledge, where we learn, not our own interests as sinners, but the various riches and secrets
of His own counsels from the beginning to the end of them. Nor does He let go the hand of the
saved sinner whom He is here conducting until He plants him on another elevation and puts
another rapture in his spirit_not an exultation in His own blessedness under the gifts of grace as
we see at the end of the previous path, but a triumph in the ways and purposes of God through the
light of these divine communications now made to him.

And is not all this intimacy? First, to bring home a banished one, to fit a sinner for His presence,
and set him there in liberty and strength and joy, and then to tell him all His counsels?

The woman of Sychar (John 4) got the first of these but not the second_at least at that time. Very
fitting that was. The Saviour told her all about herself and then so showed Himself to her that her
spirit was filled with the exultation that we find at the close of the first of those paths we have
been tracing in the Epistle to the Romans (that is, at the end of chapter 8). But the time had not
then come to lead her along the second path.

But if we look far back at Gen. 18 and 19, there we see the case of a saved sinner, a saint of God,
led along each of these paths; or rather, such a one already standing at the end of the one, led
along all the way of the other.

The Lord comes to Abraham as he is sitting at the door of his tent near Hebron. Like one who
knows Him well, Abraham rises and worships, and proposes to get some refreshment ready for
Him. Accordingly, the repast is prepared and partaken. Abraham thus enjoys the grace in which
he stands. The presence of God is his home. He illustrates a soul in Rom. 8:31-39. But being
there, he is ready to take a further walk in company with his divine Master. And so he does. They
rise together from under the tree where the feast was shared; and as they go on together, the Lord
communicates His secrets to Abraham.

Can intimacy exceed this? "I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his lord
doeth; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made
known unto you" (John 15:15). Wondrous grace! God the Father will not have us servants, but
sons; the Lord Jesus will not have us servants, but friends. Again I say, angels are not presented
as enjoying such intimacy with the Lord; neither is Adam in the innocency of the garden of Eden.
But saved sinners occupy such a place by God’s grace.

Look at John’s Gospel and John’s Revelation as other illustrations of these same things. Here is
one sinner after another, in that Gospel, led along the path of grace from his own depth of ruin
to God’s own heights of salvation and peace, to exult there in the spirit that closes Romans 8. And
in the Revelation we see John himself (saved sinner as he was, standing at the end of the path of
grace), led along the whole way of the divine counsels, and instructed in the secrets of the seals,
the trumpets, and the vials, until he is left in sight of the holy Jerusalem, as in the rapture that
closes Romans 11!

These paths are bright indeed:the sinner, at the end of the one, exults in his own condition, saved
with a sure and everlasting salvation; the saint, at the end of the other, exults in the counsels of
God disclosed to him so that he may walk in the light as God is in the light. How the Lord delights
to honor the sinners saved by His grace!