REPAIRING THE WALL
P.A.G. In this chapter, the gates of Jerusalem are being repaired and built, and the wall is being built. It speaks of how we work together mutually to maintain divine principles. We draw on the Lord Jesus as Head as to how divine principles apply. The wall speaks of separation, and the gates are a way in and out. It involves regulation and control in the kingdom, having in view that the service of God might proceed, because the house of God inside the city of Jerusalem had been restored. What was in Nehemiah’s mind was that it should be protected – the protection of what is nearest to the heart of divine Persons is important. So I hope what is mutual will come into our discussion together, because a lot of people worked together in order to build this wall in fifty-two days. It might have looked impossible at the start; the wall was in ruins, but within fifty-two days they had built a wall that was strong enough for two choirs to walk on. So it is possible, beloved brethren, to do great things under the Lord’s hand if we work together. I think the fact that there are so many here today is evidence that the brethren are desirous of working together.
A.G.S. Is it interesting that the high priest gives the lead in this, and it speaks of both him and his brethren?
P.A.G. The high priest is credited with giving a lead. I suppose the priest would think for God, and he had those around him who were able and willing to support him, “his brethren the priests, and they built the sheep-gate”, showing that they had in mind God’s desire that the most should be secured for His glory.
J.R.W. The sheep-gate was hallowed. What do you say as to that?
P.A.G. The apostle Paul speaks of his glad tidings; there was a specific commission given to him from God. I think the truth of the gospel and the truth as to the assembly have a special place in God’s ordering, the gospel having in view that assembly material should be secured, so it is hallowed. That is to say, the gospel has in mind bringing in what is suitable to the presence of God.
J.R.W. I like what you said as to the sheep-gate and your reference to the number that God is able to bring in, which is what is in His mind. God does not desire the death of a sinner, He “desires that all men should be saved”, but then it goes on, “and come to the knowledge of the truth”, 1 Tim.2:4.
P.A.G. Yes, that is important because the fact that the sheep-gate was hallowed suggests that in bringing persons in, the divine standard is maintained. We read in the house this morning in Acts 4, about the Lord Jesus; “salvation is in none other, for neither is there another name under heaven which is given among men by which we must be saved” (v.12). That is like the hallowing of the sheep-gate. There is not another way for persons to be saved. The divine standard is maintained in Christ.
R.H.B. The house was already built. Does it help to understand that what you have spoken about as divine principles, or the principles of fellowship, or the principles that govern the house of God, are to protect what is precious to God? If they become precious to us, we shall better understand them, do you think?
P.A.G. Yes. So Paul had written to Timothy “in order that thou mayest know how one ought to conduct oneself in God’s house, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth”, then he immediately goes on to write, “confessedly the mystery of piety is great. God has been manifested in flesh, has been justified in the Spirit, has appeared to angels, has been preached among the nations, has been believed on in the world, has been received up in glory”, 1 Tim.3:15,16. So into that sphere of the house of God, “God’s house, which is the assembly of the living God”, Paul in effect says that he is going to introduce great thoughts as to Christ, “confessedly the mystery of piety is great. God has been manifested in flesh”. Paul says, I am going to give an impression of Christ in a place where it will be valued and protected. So it would be good for us to understand that the building of the wall, and the construction of the gates, as you are suggesting, have in mind the protection of what is precious to the heart of God; and what is more precious to God than the person of Christ?
N.J.H. Was the gate rebuilt in Corinth?
P.A.G. Yes, go on.
N.J.H. I was thinking of what is referred to as the high priest and his family. The house of Chloe would have construction in mind, not the destruction of what was in Corinth.
P.A.G. Yes, so certain gates were built. The sheep-gate was built, the fish-gate was built, but then the thought of repair came in, “the gate of the old wall repaired Jehoiada”. For a gate to be built, somebody has to know the pattern of it. You cannot build a gate if you do not know what the pattern is; and really what Paul was doing for the Corinthians was putting before them the pattern. So he starts with Christ, “Christ Jesus, who has been made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and holiness, and redemption”, 1 Cor.1:30. Paul puts the pattern in front of them. He shows them how to clear away the rubble; the word of the cross would clear away everything that was unsuitable. Then he presents to the Corinthians the power in the Spirit, and then he brings forward the thought of the temple.
N.J.H. The thought of Paul as a wise architect (1 Cor.3:10) comes in there.
P.A.G. Yes. You might have thought that what Corinth needed initially was righteousness. As far as I know it is only mentioned once in the first epistle to the Corinthians in chapter 1, “wisdom from God, and righteousness, and holiness, and redemption” (v.30). What Corinth was given, you might say, under the hand of Paul, is wisdom. Not the wisdom according to this world but what is from above in the power of the Spirit, in order that they might work these things out practically. We need wisdom; we need to draw from Christ as head.
D.J.W. I was thinking that earlier in the Acts it says, “they persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles”, Acts 2:42. They did not seem to have to be told what to do, they seemed to go back to basics.
P.A.G. I think that. To link that with what our brother has drawn attention to, Paul says, “other foundation can no man lay besides that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ”, 1 Cor.3:11. God has laid a foundation in Christ and He has also purposed to head up all things in the Christ. So the Lord is the beginning of everything that is for God, but He is also the top stone of everything that is for God. If we want to see the pattern, we see it in Him.
D.J.R. Why do you think it says “built”, and not ‘rebuilt’? In one sense it was getting back to what it was beforehand, but they were to build it, no doubt as it was, not as a novelty or anything new.
P.A.G. I think that is helpful. That is why I was drawing attention to certain things that were built and certain things that were repaired. We might say in the present day that sometimes principles are too difficult to adopt or to carry through, but what this would teach us is that there is a pattern, and it can be followed if there is a desire to do it. Where does that desire come from? It does not come from a desire for rules and regulations, it comes from a desire to do what is pleasing to the Lord; it comes from love for Christ.
A.A.C. You said a little as to this, but could you say more for us about why this wall needed to be built. You have spoken a little of protection, but everybody comes and goes as they please in today’s cities. Why was it so vital that this wall was re-established?
P.A.G. There is a simple example from the chapter; within the wall there was a sheep-gate, which we have been speaking of, and there is also a horse-gate. That is a more obscure thing, but although a horse is valuable in its own place, one of the differences is that the sheep is a clean animal, and the horse is not. So if you did not have these two gates built, you would have clean and unclean coming in together. That would not do for God, would it? The horse has its place, it is valuable in its setting, no doubt it was used to pull carts in these days, or to carry persons, but you cannot mix up clean and unclean. It says of the Lord personally, “in him sin is not”, 1 John 3:5. It is sometimes quoted as ‘in Him sin was not’; that is true enough, but it is not what the scripture says. It says, ‘in Him sin is not’. It says of God, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all”, 1 John 1:5. We cannot introduce sin or darkness into what is of God. It cannot be done, and therefore I think the wall protects, and these gates provide for separation between what is clean and what is unclean.
A.A.C. That is very helpful. So it is not God’s desire to keep out, in that sense; His desire is for a transaction which makes one clean.
P.A.G. Exactly, so there is a fountain-gate later on. That would speak of what springs up and is responsive to God, but there is water available for cleansing too. God wants us to be in His presence as assured of His love for us, and therefore He does not want anything that might distract or divert us, or cause us to be uncertain. That is why He provides for us in the way that He does.
P.M. In the previous chapter Nehemiah says that God had put this in his heart (Neh.2:12). I wondered if the key for us is affection for Christ, and that there might be conditions in which He might be at home, conditions that are suited to Him? God had put that into the heart of Nehemiah because he wanted to protect His house.
P.A.G. That is helpful, and do you think that affection for Christ would manifest itself in love for one another? So even if a person is straying, our love for them does not cease. Our desire is that as many as possible should enjoy the greatest things, “Things … which God has prepared for them that love him”, 1 Cor.2:9. Would that be right?
P.M. I am sure it would, and in the practical building of the wall, my stones have to tie in with yours, and therefore I have to respect what you are doing. We have to respect one another in that way, do we?
P.A.G. You will see as the chapter proceeds that there are various references to “next to him” or “next to them”, so persons are able to work alongside one another. There was not one trying to displace another, but everyone appeared to merge together. Now, the unity of the Spirit exists. We cannot make it nor alter it, but we can use diligence to keep it; that is, to be in the good of it. These persons were in principle using diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit; they were working together.
A.M. Why is the section of work that each one worked on identified here? They are working together, each one on a particular part of the wall.
P.A.G. I think it is because the Holy Spirit valued what these people were doing sufficiently to record their names in Scripture. At least some of these persons are only ever mentioned here in this chapter, and not anywhere else. There are brothers and sisters in localities throughout the world going on quietly, seeking to do what is pleasing to the Lord, and the Lord will see to it that their names are recorded alongside what they did, because He values it so much. We might never hear of it, but I think we will see it in eternity. God values every little piece of work that is done for Him.
A.M. I wondered along with that whether these souls took responsibility for the piece they were working on, and the Lord would take account of that, would He not?
P.A.G. Many of them repaired over against their house or near it. It is essential that we take responsibility for the thing that is nearest to us. Our local meeting, our local brethren are our first responsibility; that is where the Lord has set us. I remember a brother saying to me many years ago, ‘the assembly is the brother or sister sitting next to you’. That is where it starts and that is who we work it out with. Then we work it out with our neighbours – that is important too – and then in a broader sphere, but we must take responsibility in our local setting first.
P.J.W. So the brother or sister mending the fish-gate is not responsible for the work on the dung-gate for instance, do you think?
P.A.G. If that is what a brother or sister has been given to do, then that is what they should do. There are of course some who repair a second piece. They perhaps see something lacking and they go forward. But say more as to what is in your mind.
P.J.W. I was thinking of what you said as to my locality. It is not for me to seek to judge another locality exactly; my responsibility is in my locality, is it?
P.A.G. It is, and yet because of what we have said about the principles of the fellowship, what another locality does nevertheless affects me because I am associated with it in fellowship. But the responsibility for what happens in a place rests in that place.
D.J.Wr. In working in unity together, is it important to keep the pattern in mind? Paul refers to the Lord Jesus as both the ‘foundation’ and the ‘corner-stone’. The foundation related to what is established in His death, I suppose, but the corner-stone is the stone from which the building takes its measurement. So that in our labours together, we have to keep the Lord Jesus in mind, and how He did things.
P.A.G. That is important, so the corner-stone, we might say, is four square, it is the point of reference for the whole of the rest of the building. If attention is paid to the corner-stone, then the walls will all be straight, they will be according to the pattern. But would you say also that we take account not only of what the Lord does and would do, but we take account of how He does things? Would that be right?
D.J.Wr. I think that is most important. Mark draws attention to that, does he not, as to the Lord Jesus, “He does all things well”, Mark 7:37.
P.A.G. Yes, so whatever He did, you might say there was a stamp of priestliness about His activities. In Mark, of course, He is presented as the Servant and the Prophet, but there was a stamp of priestliness in the way in which the Lord handled things in the gospels. He said to the woman in John 8, “where are those thine accusers? Has no one condemned thee? And she said, No one, sir”; then He says, “Neither do I condemn thee”, but also He says, “go, and sin no more” (vv.10,11). He does not ignore what had happened. He would say that as the sin-bearer; He would know that, if she put her trust in Him, He would have to bear that woman’s sins in His own body on the tree. But He does not overlook what had happened or ignore it; the priest would consider for God and provide the means of restitution.
J.R.W. Although the responsibility lies with the person who is preparing the particular gate, and my responsibility is in my locality, as you have said, there would be consistency in what is done.
P.A.G. There would. My experience of coming into fellowship with brethren that I did not know, and recognising that all the brethren everywhere were going on with what was normal was a very great encouragement. That is what consistency means; we go on with what is normal. We may have to deal with things from time to time, but I think consistency comes from going on with normality, do you think?
J.R.W. Yes. I was thinking of what was said as to the corner-stone; everything would take character from it. There is a moral consistency in everything that is built and everything that is done, and it takes its character from Christ?
P.A.G. It does. So everything takes its bearings from the corner-stone. In a sense, wherever you put up a gate or a door, you can always measure back to the corner-stone to see how it fits in.
D.H. What about these nobles; “but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord”?
P.A.G. The part we fill out has nothing to do with our standing in the world at all. It is a shame if nobles do not put their necks to the work, because the nobles had been drawn attention to specifically in Numbers 21, “Well which princes digged, which the nobles of the people hollowed out at the word of the lawgiver, with their staves” (v.18). It is a great shame if those who are influential do not put their necks to the work of the Lord. Nevertheless the wall was built, the gates were built; it was not hindered by persons not putting their necks to the work. In verse 27, it says “After him”, that was Pedaiah, “the Tekoites repaired a second piece”, so they were not discouraged by the fact that the nobles were not doing what they should.
R.M.B. Does what the apostle Paul says in the opening verses to the first epistle to the Corinthians help us to see the balance between what is local and what is universal? He writes to “the assembly of God which is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints”, and then he says, “with all that in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both theirs and ours”. Does that show us that while what Paul wrote in that epistle bore directly upon that particular local assembly, yet it was binding on the saints everywhere, all those who “call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”?
P.A.G. Yes, “both theirs and ours”, so the One who is Lord Jesus Christ to you is Lord Jesus Christ to me. Despite the public breakdown, we still take account of the assembly as one whole, and we seek to work things out on that basis. Localities have their responsibilities, the boundaries must be respected. Scripture makes distinct reference to a place, but then we have one Lord, we have one Head, and therefore we would expect that all the saints in every place would be following the impulse of the one Lord and one Head. Is that what is in your mind?
R.M.B. Yes, and while, as it has been said, it is important that we recognise what we refer to as local responsibility, there is also such a thing as universal responsibility, is there not? Is it right to say that when it is a question of matters of administration, for example, whether or not the brethren should separate from someone or not, then that is a matter that belongs in the local assembly concerned, but when it is a matter of the truth or, for example, the violation of divine principles, then that is the responsibility of the brethren everywhere, do you think?
P.A.G. The truth is our bond; we accept that. The Scriptures cannot be broken, the truth remains the truth wherever it is, and the truth is held in the body of the saints. The truth is not the exclusive province of one locality, it is centred in Christ. Ephesians would teach us that, “as the truth is in Jesus” (Eph.4:21), and it is made good by the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit is the truth”, 1 John 5:6. Divine Persons are one, the truth is one, therefore it has to be held as one.
D.J.W. Is it interesting that the daughters are referred to in verse 12? I was thinking of the way John addresses the sister in his epistle; it says he rejoiced greatly when he saw her walking in the truth (3 John 3). She had a door, did she not?
P.A.G. I think that. Sisters have a great part to play in all of this. This is not a matter only for brothers, or brothers of a certain age; this is a matter for all. Sisters are maintaining divine principles in subjection and in recognising headship. They are maintaining divine principles in the way that they comport themselves, the way that they dress; they are maintaining divine principles in accepting the ordering of God. For example, what it says in 1 Corinthians 11, “I wish you to know that the Christ is the head of every man, but woman’s head is the man, and the Christ’s head God” (v.3). The sisters are intimately involved in that; they have their part in the service of praise in response, contribute in spirit to the meetings, and contribute practically in hospitality. We see from the hymn book that sisters have had spiritual impressions which have been valuable to the saints universally. So they have an essential part to play.
D.J.W. I was thinking of the way Paul admonished in every household. Is that the way these things work out; “next to him”. The sisters have conversations in their households. We can speak about the principles of the truth, and learn to understand them in that setting.
P.A.G. Indeed, and it is helpful to have household opportunities for these conversations. Paul writes about sisters asking at home. We need to provide the opportunity for that to happen, and we can get help too from sisters who would bring a motherly spirit to bear on exercises that may come up amongst us.
D.A.S. I was wondering if you could say a word from verse 6 as to your impression of “the gate of the old wall”, and whether that would bear on what you have just been saying.
P.A.G. Yes, the old wall was not discarded because it was old. We might say, ‘Fashions change, conditions are different now’. There is a gate in the old wall. God has not changed. It says in Deuteronomy, “Thy refuge is the God of old, And underneath are the eternal arms”, Deut.33:27. God has not changed at all. Christ has not changed, He is “the same yesterday, and to-day, and to the ages to come”, Heb.13:8.
D.A.S. Yes, I was thinking of how Paul says, “to write the same things to you, to me is not irksome, and for you safe”, Phil.3.1. In the day in which we live, there is so much revision around us, is there not? But there is stability in relation to the things of God.
P.A.G. There is, and we need to learn these things of God generation by generation. What little I do know, I was not born knowing it, I learned it. I learned it from brethren who were spiritual and had experience in the truth and who had the desire to be pleasing to the Lord. We should be free to speak of these things with our younger brethren, because it is important that they get the opportunity to hear of these things and to understand, and to ask about them. It is not wrong to ask questions. Sometimes perhaps if a younger person says, ‘I do not understand that, I do not see why you do that’, we may feel resentful. We should not feel resentful; we should be thankful that they are interested enough to ask.
A.G.S. It says, “Remove not the ancient landmark”, Prov.23.10. What is set up of God remains, does it?
P.A.G. It does. God establishes things, and if God establishes something, He will maintain it. There were two pillars in Solomon’s temple, Jachin and Boaz. These mean ‘He will establish’ and ‘In Him is strength’. If God establishes something, He provides by the Spirit the power to maintain it.
P.M. Is a valuable part of the building the morning reading in our houses and in the local readings in which the principles can be unfolded and taught? Is that not something that we have grown to appreciate?
P.A.G. Yes, reading in the house is important, as is being able to enquire in the temple. We might say, ‘It is just a few brethren gathered together on a weeknight’. Well, so it is, but the Spirit is there, the Lord’s headship is known and we are in the atmosphere of the temple where we can enquire about things. Do you not find that we get answers in a reading that we do not really get anywhere else? Light shines in a distinctive way. It is not that we cannot answer questions in the house; we can draw on the power of the Spirit and the knowledge of the truth that we may have, but you get something special in a reading.
P.M. I may perhaps be carrying a desire to know a little more as to an aspect of the truth, or seeking help in my own soul, and without even saying anything about it, the Lord gives the answer in the temple. That makes it so real and so living.
P.A.G. So if we want help about something, if we do not understand it, ask the Lord and He will bring in help. Tell Him simply, ‘I do not understand this’. He knows, and He will listen.
R.W.F. In addition to Paul’s list of settings in which we can be of help to one another, do you think that we need to be constructive in personal conversation? It is all too easy to be critical and dismissive, and ‘the level drops’, as we sometimes say. The aim should be to be constructive with one another, particularly with young people.
P.A.G. Yes, so there is a good list in Philippians 4:8, “For the rest, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are noble, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are amiable, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue and if any praise, think on these things”. If we are speaking to one another, what is our conversation? You raise an important question. Is what we say connected with what is true, noble, just, pure, amiable, of good report, or did we hear such and such a thing about a brother or sister and we would like to pass that on? Will that help me, will it help you, will it help the brother or sister? If it will not, it would be better not said, but if there is something positive we can say about a brother or a sister, let us say it. Eliashib made a mistake later on in this book. He allowed a person in that he should not have allowed in, but he is credited here with the good thing he did, he “rose up with his brethren the priests”. So even if a brother or a sister has perhaps gone astray for a moment, what good thing can we say about them? The Lord would say good things about the saints. If you look at the prophet Obadiah, it was in the time of great departure on the part of Israel, and God said to Edom all the good things about Israel that He could. If He had had to speak to Israel directly, He might well have had to rebuke them, but when He speaks to Edom, He speaks of what He values in Israel. When we speak to one another, as far as we can we should speak of what we value in one another.
R.W.F. Construction is by definition a positive activity. Do you think those of us that are older have a responsibility to introduce what is positive in conversations, particularly with young people? I say that because I have had an exercise to do so, and it has been rewarded because touching on a positive aspect of the truth seems to spark an interest in young people which I did not know was there. I think it is a great help among the saints, and would help to bind the young people together with the saints and encourage them.
P.A.G. It would. It would do no harm just to tell the young people and everyone who is here today that we love them, because it is true; we are glad they are here. If we are speaking to persons, sometimes it is better to ask them what they are thinking rather than to tell them what I might be thinking.
D.H. I was thinking about the detail of the gates; you mentioned the doors and the locks and the bars.
P.A.G. A door would be opened and shut at a particular time of day, and then someone would have to take care of the locks and the bars. I think the doors and the locks and the bars suggest to me that what was inside this city was so important that there would be extra care taken to protect it. There would be extra care taken of the doors and the locks and the bars, so that nothing that should not have come in would come in; but on the other hand someone would be standing ready to open the gate whenever it was needed.
R.D.P-r. I was wondering whether it would help us to see the end that was in view here. You have spoken of the two choirs, and the end was that they stood in the house of Jehovah. As I understand it, a choir has to sing together. I was thinking of the working together, but it ends really in the praise of God in a united way together, does it?
P.A.G. It does. So we often say that the truths contained in the epistle to the Romans are individual. They involve a great deal of individual moral exercise, but the references in Romans 8 to “whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (v.15), and then in Romans 15 “that ye may with one accord, with one mouth, glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.6) bring in the praise of God collectively. No doubt much individual exercise enters into the building of the wall, there are individuals named and families named, but what is really in view is that we should all be in relation to Christ with one accord.
R.D.P-r. So we need to be together in the work if we are going to be together in the praise.
P.A.G. Exactly. The kingdom is protective of the assembly, and the kingdom involves regulation and doing things under the Lord’s direction. If we do things together, we will be united in relation to what is nearest to the heart of Christ.
P.J.W. I was wondering if Aquila and Priscilla would be a good New Testament example of persons that repaired and built. They took Apollos to them; it does not exactly say they took him home, but they “took him to them and unfolded to him the way of God more exactly”, Acts 18:26. Also Paul says “who for my life staked their own neck” (Rom.16:4), as though the protection of the testimony and the advancement of the testimony was foremost in their hearts, do you think?
P.A.G. That is good. Perhaps there was something a little incomplete or inaccurate in Apollos’s mind as to certain aspects of the truth, and as they unfolded it to him more exactly, they gave him to see that there was perhaps an aspect of it that he had not yet appreciated, or an area of the truth that needed to be opened up. It is good to have the structure and scope of the truth in our minds, but we need to understand the detail of it too. So “a workman that has not to be ashamed, cutting in a straight line the word of truth” (2 Tim.2:15) means the ability to bring out the detail of matters.
P.J.W. So the thought of discrimination is important, is it?
P.A.G. That is another important matter; the priest’s eye was discriminating. In Leviticus 13, the priest would look at leprosy, and sometimes there was something there that had to be dealt with, but sometimes there was not. The priest could discriminate between what did need to be dealt with and what did not.
D.A.B. So in this book, the doorkeepers and the singers are mentioned together. The maintenance of divine principles is not exactly an end in itself, but to maintain what is for the heart of God, especially in the service of God which flows out from what you are saying, do you think?
P.A.G. That is important. Divine principles underlying the fellowship have in view the maintenance of conditions in which God can be served without a single thing coming in to trouble our spirits. We can be restful in His presence knowing that He is satisfied with what He sees, because what He sees is Christ in the saints.
D.A.B. So we need to take the long view. These persons would know why they were doing what they were doing; it was all in view of what was protective of what was precious for the heart of God. I think that is a great point of importance at the present time.
P.A.G. 1 Chronicles 25 involves the setting on of the service of song, and then in chapter 26 it refers to “The divisions of the doorkeepers” (v.1). As soon as the service of song was established, it needed to be protected, and a great deal comes into it, but it is interesting that in 1 Chronicles 26:17 it says, “Eastward were six Levites, northward four a day, southward four a day, and in the storehouse two and two. At the portico westward, four at the causeway, two at the portico”. The largest number of doorkeepers allocated daily was eastwards towards the sun-rising. What spoke of Christ merited the largest number of doorkeepers.
J.R.W. I wondered if you could briefly go over some of these gates for us and how they might apply in principle at the present time.
P.A.G. We have spoken about some of them, but we read in verses 13, 14 and 15 of the valley-gate, the dung-gate and the fountain-gate. You see in Philippians 2 the reference to “let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus; who, subsisting in the form of God, did not esteem it an object of rapine to be on an equality with God; but emptied himself, taking a bondman’s form”; I think that is the valley-gate. That makes way for the dung-gate which is Philippians 3, “But surely I count also all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all, and count them to be filth, that I may gain Christ” (v.8). And then in chapter 4, “Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice” (v.4); I think that is the fountain-gate. These things work out if we have the mind to go down. If we discard what is worthless and damaging in ourselves, and let us start with ourselves and not with others, then there is room for the service of praise.
J.R.W. What you have laid out is most attractive and is something that all of us, including the young ones, can lay hold of in our hearts. I was noticing as you were speaking in relation to the fountain-gate that it seems to go on to the reference to the pool of Shelah, which seems to suggest something that is very restful and enjoyable, and then goes down to the city of David. There is something along the lines of what you have laid out in Philippians that can be secured for the soul, and is substantial.
P.A.G. David saw to it that those who would prevent access to the centre of things were displaced during his reign; they had to be put out of the way. That is what I think makes way for restful conditions. It also makes way for healing, because the pool of Shelah, as the note tells us, is the pool of Siloam, where the blind man was sent in order that he might see. There is always room for healing in the maintenance of divine principles. The Lord is able for that; “I am Jehovah who healeth thee”, Exod.15:26.
B.E.S. I was going to ask about these goldsmiths and perfumers, and later on we get the dealers, persons whose normal occupation was something quite different from building the wall.
P.A.G. I would be glad of your impression.
B.E.S. It occurred to me that when the wall has to be repaired, that takes priority and everything else has to be left aside until that is done.
P.A.G. The Lord laid aside His garments and girded Himself with a linen towel and washed the feet of His disciples. He was above doing that; He did what was needed at the moment. A goldsmith might have said, ‘I am a goldsmith, I do delicate work, I cannot handle a hammer or a trowel because if I damage my fingers then I might damage my trade’. But they did not say that, they said, ‘This is what needs to be done just now so I am going to do it’. If a brother or a sister needs visiting, that is what needs to be done that day. If a brother or a sister needs a lift to the meeting, that is what needs to be done that day. We can do the other things in their place as under the Lord’s direction, but the Lord never passed something by and left it undone. He passed through Samaria, He sat just as He was at the fountain, and the woman came by. He was at the city of Nain, and the young man was brought out on the bier; the Lord touched the bier, and the bearers stopped (Luke 7:14). That was the thing to be done that day, and He did it under His Father’s direction, do you think?
B.E.S. Yes, He was always ready to stop for persons. He stopped and called the blind man, He stopped for the woman with the issue of blood even though He was on His way to meet a very urgent need. He always had time for anyone who needed Him.
P.A.G. The Lord’s capacity for the demonstration of divine affection is inexhaustible. There would never be a point at which it would run out.
N.J.H. Meremoth is mentioned twice; did he make up what was lacking in someone else?
P.A.G. Well I think that, and we have mentioned the Tekoites as well who repaired a second piece. It says in verse 19, “next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, a second piece over against the going up to the armoury at the angle”. It is not therefore about criticising a brother or a sister for not doing something, but rather saying, If there is a lack, what can I do about it? The Samaritan journeying in Luke 10 could have criticised the man for going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; he might have said that it was his own fault that he fell among thieves, it was his own fault that he was lying there in a half dead state. That would all have been true, but he had something to meet the need.
N.J.H. I was thinking of how Paul met the matter as to Philemon. Paul made up what was lacking there, so that Onesimus might be brought back into suitable relationships. Relationships come under strain sometimes when matters come up affecting principles in the house of God.
P.A.G. Yes, and Paul says, “if he have wronged thee in anything or owe anything to thee, put this to my account” (v.18). A brother told me years ago that he felt that relationships between him and another brother were under strain, and he asked someone what to do about it. It was suggested that he have the brother in for a meal. So he invited him along, and they had their meal and a conversation. The brother said, ‘I thought you held such-and-such a thing’, and the other brother said, ‘I do not think that at all’. The first said, ‘I thought you disagreed with me’, and the other brother said, ‘No I do not disagree with you’, and they shook hands and that was that. We misunderstand each other sometimes. The best thing to do if you think there is something between you and a brother is just to go and speak to him about it. Often, there will not be, and if there is, the Lord will help us to put it right.
R.W.F. Can I bring you back to the gates which are differently described? The view of the holy city is that the twelve gates are twelve pearls, each one a pearl (Rev.21:21). What do you see in the comparison between the two passages?
P.A.G. We see that the holy city is one whole and each gate has its place, but it all conforms to one pattern, each gate one pearl. The city has twelve foundations; it is perfectly suited to its place in administration. It has twelve gates, it has twelve foundations and it is all one. So when Paul writes in Ephesians 1 as to the assembly which is “the fulness of him who fills all in all” (v.23), I think it means that she is Christ’s fulness administratively. She is perfectly suited to Him in every respect and aspect. In Nehemiah’s time, Jerusalem had been in ruins; it had been so bad that there was scarcely room for a beast to pass. He might have said, ‘We might as well just let all this go’. But Nehemiah knew that there was something that was worth repairing because it spoke of what was next to the heart of God. The truth of the assembly and the principles of the assembly are worth maintaining, because they speak of what is nearest to the heart of Christ, and what will come out in display in glory with Him in a day to come. We are in the days of the remnant, but it is not some mere fragment of what went before. The truth is one whole, as our brother has drawn our attention to. The assembly is one, and Christ is one, and that is what we are seeking to maintain.
R.W.F. And the pearl perhaps suggests that each place, if we think of it as a locality, is of the greatest value to Christ Himself, and expressive of the whole.
P.A.G. Yes, so we value what is in every local assembly because it speaks to us of what Christ loves.
R.W.F. And that comes down to the two or three.
P.A.G. Exactly so, “where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them”, Matt.18:20. What more could we ask?
D.J.W. In Zechariah there is one gate that is not referred to in this chapter, the gate of Benjamin. Does it indicate something special, in our day at the end of the dispensation? It is interesting that it is Benjamin; it might suggest divine purpose, do you think?
P.A.G. Benjamin, as you know, is Christ formed in the saints. The exercises through which we pass and are passing, assembly exercises as to the truth, exercises as to physical illness, family exercises – what are they for? They are to form Christ in the saints. They are not to punish us, they are to form Christ in the saints, and the glory of that will be seen in a day to come. That is what these things are for.
P.M. Is that reached as we go through these exercises with the Lord? Are they not intended to bring us nearer to Him, so that our spirits are formed like His?
P.A.G. That is true. Speaking for myself, we may sometimes resent it a bit; we might ask ‘Why does it have to be like this? Why does it have to be difficult?’ But Psalm 84 says, “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee, – they, in whose heart are the highways. Passing through the valley of Baca”, which is the valley of weeping, “they make it a well-spring” (vv.5,6). “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee”. There is blessing in drawing from Christ that we do not get anywhere else.
Reading at Sidcup
29 March 2014
Key to Initials
D.A.B. David Brown Grangemouth
R.H.B. Roland Brown East Finchley
R.M.B. Richard Brown East Finchley
A.A.C. Alan Croot London
R.W.F. Reg Flowerdew Sunbury
P.A.G. Paul.Gray Grangemouth
N.J.H. Norman Henry Glasgow
D.H. David Hawgood Sidcup
A.M. Andrew Martin Buckhurst Hill
P.M. Paul Martin Colchester
R.D.P-r. Robert Painter Yeovil
D.J.R. Daniel Roberts Strood
A.G.S. Grahame Smith Sidcup
D.A.S. David Smith Sidcup
B.E.S. Brian Surtees Colchester
J.R.W. Jim Walkinshaw Maidstone
P.J.W. Phil Walkinshaw Strood
D.J.W. David Willetts Birmingham
D.J.Wr. David Wright Havering
Extract – The Christian’s Responsibility
Thus separation from evil is God’s principle, and I dare not depart from it under the false plea of love; for he is a holy God, and we by His grace are holy. Hence the exhortation, “Be ye holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16).
The reason we so often overlook our responsibility in this respect is we think more of one another than we do of the Lord. God’s glory does not occupy the first place in our souls. It is precisely here that we are all liable to fail. These perplexing questions, indeed, could scarcely arise if the Lord had His due place with us, but once my eye is diverted from Him and is directed to my fellow-believers, I am plunged into uncertainty. It is not too much to say that … believers have fallen into this error of putting the saints before the Lord. … it is solely a question … of what is due to the Lord … It is outside of everything devised by man; in a word, outside the camp with the Lord (Heb.13).
From a letter of E. Dennett in ‘The Fellowship of God’s Son’
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