WHY ARE YE THE LAST TO BRING THE KING BACK TO HIS HOUSE?

^[p. 137] WHY ARE YE THE LAST TO BRING THE KING BACK TO HIS HOUSE?

Acts 22:16; Exodus 14:15,16; 2 Samuel 19:10 - 12

These scriptures relate to persons who are holding back, slow to move in order to profit from what God is presenting in His grace.

God has never been behind; it says, “When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, come of woman, come under law, that he might redeem those under law, that we might receive sonship”, (Galatians 4:4,5). When need arises, God hastens to act. In Isaiah 6, the prophet finding himself in the full light of the glory confesses that he is unclean. He says, “Woe unto me! for I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips”, (verse 5). Indeed, whether we have made this statement or not, we are unclean. The poison of the serpent is under our lips, as the Scriptures say, “asps’ poison is under their lips”, (Romans 3:13). Isaiah says, “we are all become as an unclean thing”, (Isaiah 64:6). As soon as Isaiah confesses his uncleanness, one of the seraphim flew to him, having in his hand “a glowing coal, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar”, (verse 6). He touched his mouth with it and said, “Behold, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin expiated”, (verse 7). You see with what rapidity God cleanses the sinner who repents; it says, “one of the seraphim flew unto me”. As soon as a sinner repents, there is a movement in heaven. It tells us that “there is joy before the angels of God for one repenting sinner”, (Luke 15). So as heaven rejoices because of a repenting sinner, it sends a messenger in haste to comfort him. It says that he ‘flew’ to him with the means of cleansing in his hand. When the glowing coal which he had taken from off the altar touched his mouth, his iniquity was taken away and his sin expiated. The seraphim had a “glowing coal” in his hand; the fire was still there, and is an allusion to the divine judgment which ^[p. 138] fell on Jesus. Jesus offered Himself without spot on the altar of God and there He bore the penalty of Isaiah’s sin. Now that Isaiah is repentant, the seraph flies to him with the glowing coal; Isaiah understands what the expiation of sin has meant for Jesus. On God’s altar was found not only one coal, but all the fire of the judgment of God; so we see, dear friends, how Jesus has borne our sins in His body on the tree. Now God hastens to relieve every repentant sinner.

We are here this afternoon to tell you that there is pardon with God. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool”, (Isaiah 1:18). God hastens to act to this end, so when the prodigal son returned to his father, we are told that his father ‘ran’ to meet him. Where are you found, as to the light of this marvellous activity of God towards men? What activity has there been on your part in regard of your sins? Have you made any movement?

In Acts 22:14,15, we read of a remarkable sinner, a great sinner, Saul of Tarsus. The light of God entered his soul, and repentance followed. He is found in the house of a christian, in the house of Judas, at Damascus, and hears from the lips of Ananias the most marvellous words about himself: “The God of our fathers has chosen thee beforehand to know his will, and to see the just one, and to hear a voice out of his mouth; for thou shalt be a witness for him to all men of what thou hast seen and heard”. What does he do in the marvellous light of all that Ananias has told him? He learns that he was chosen in the counsels of God, that he was to do the will of God, that he was to see the Just One and hear a voice out of His mouth. But he makes no movement. So Ananias says, “And now why lingerest thou?” Does not this question come to many of us? “Why lingerest thou?” Others have already made a move before your eyes; they have obtained the forgiveness ^[p. 139] of their sins. Why have you not yet done this? What is hindering you? What is holding you? Is it the world? Do you not want to be rid of your sins? Do you not fear the wrath to come? “For there is revealed wrath of God from heaven upon all impiety, and unrighteousness of men holding the truth in unrighteousness”, (Romans 1:18). You will have to do with God about your sins; unless you put the matter right now, you will have to appear before the great white throne. All your sins will be before you; the books will be opened and the dead will be judged according to the things written in the books. And whosoever is not found written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire. Are not these things solemn? “Why lingerest thou?” Ananias goes on to say, “Arise and get baptised, and have thy sins washed away, calling on his name”. We earnestly enjoin you to do the same, to make a movement in your heart towards Christ, in the light which is before you.

The same thought is found in Exodus 14:15. There is a time when we should stand still, peaceful, seeing the salvation of Jehovah; it is the moment when we want deliverance. “Stand still, and see the salvation of Jehovah, which he will work for you today”, (verse 13). If there is anyone here who is seeking to work out his own salvation by his own efforts, we say to you, “Stand still, and see the salvation of Jehovah”. See how He has come out in Christ who “has been delivered for our offences and has been raised for our justification”, (Romans 4:25). God has done that, and the apostle adds, “Therefore having been justified on the principle of faith, we have peace towards God through our Lord Jesus Christ”, (chapter 5:1). We have to be there to see the salvation of Jehovah. “Jehovah will fight for you, and ye shall be still”. We are then called to go forward and to walk. “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward”. In the same way that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to God’s commandment, so we are here to urge you to go on.

^[p. 140] Some of you come to these meetings week after week, and we thank God for it; you come within the range of the light, you come to hear the preachings, but you should go forward. “Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward”. There are many here who have not openly confessed the Lord Jesus. We appeal to you, dear young people, that you confess publicly the Lord Jesus. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised him from among the dead, thou shalt be saved”, (Romans 10:9). Many believe with the heart, but have not confessed the Lord. We urge you to do it from today, to confess openly the Lord Jesus. Baptism means that I range myself openly on the side of Christ and I leave the world behind me. You cannot have the world and Christ at the same time; if you hold the world with one hand and Christ with the other, you are not saved. While Pharaoh was drawing near to them, the children of Israel said, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt, thou hast taken us away to die in the wilderness? why hast thou done this to us, that thou hast led us out of Egypt?” (verse 11). Graves in Egypt! Is this the language of your heart? It is said to those who were nominally christians, and Paul says it, “that we may not be condemned with the world”, (1 Corinthians 11:32). Are you thinking of dying in Egypt? The children of Israel complained that Moses had brought them out of Egypt and had led them into the wilderness. They were carrying with them the bones of Joseph, which he did not wish to be buried in Egypt. Those who have faith do not want to be buried in Egypt; where Christ has been buried, and there only, do they wish to be buried — with Him, by baptism, to His death. Does that not appeal to your heart, or do you persist in your desire that you want a grave in Egypt? The only one we can recommend to you is the grave of Christ. Instead of offering you a grave in Egypt, the word of God is, “Let them go forward!” In going ^[p. 141] forward, you are in the company of the Lord Jesus. As soon as they started to move forward, the cloud went behind them, to protect them from the Egyptians; as soon as you make a movement in faith, divine love is active. God placed Himself behind them because He wished to protect them, and in the light of that protection they went forward. Then the sea was divided; they have gone in, not into a grave of Egypt, but into the grave of Christ in figure, as it says in the New Testament, “all were baptised unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea”, (1 Corinthians 10:2). So you see, dear young believers, that it is your privilege to have part with Christ, who died for you. How different is this grave from all the graves in Egypt! You will not stay for ever in this grave; if we have been planted with Him in the likeness of His death, we shall come out from it with Him in resurrection. We invite you, therefore, dear young friends, to come forward. I speak now to those who have believed and who have not yet declared themselves in the ranks of faith. It is not in coming to the meeting and being attentive to what is said there that you put yourself in the ranks of faith. By baptism, I identify myself with Christ in His death, like Ruth, who had the opportunity to return to the country of Moab, but did not wish to do so. She said to Naomi, “Do not intreat me to leave thee, to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried”, (Ruth 1:16,17). We encourage you, dear young friends, to start moving and to take your place in the ranks of the people of God. The children of Israel went out by rank; have you taken your place in the ranks of the people of God? In going forward, you see Moses acting, you see him stretch out his rod and divide the sea. The sea divided and was for them a wall on the right hand and on the left, with an outlet on the other side. There was then a straight and ^[p. 142] dry path through the sea for the people. A grave in Egypt has no outlet; those who are buried there will not come out until the day of judgment, for after death is judgment. But God offers here a grave whose walls are of crystal, and having a blessed outlet — the sweet communion of the children of God. Jehovah says later to them, “Ye have seen what I have done to the Egyptians, and how I have borne you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself”, (chapter 19:4).

When I speak of the communion of the children of God, I have in view the place which Christ occupies in the hearts of the believers. Has He a place in the heart of each one of those here? You say, Yes, certainly. But I ask you, What have you said about all this? The brethren do not hear you speak of it. We ask, Why are you silent about bringing back the king? Why are you silent? The brethren do not hear you say anything about the Lord Jesus, while those who truly love Him speak of Him. Let us hear your voice; tell us what place Jesus occupies in your heart. I came into this room this morning; there were many sitting on the right hand side, but then there were many sitting on the left. Those on the right hand side had come to remember the Lord Jesus by way of the symbols He has left for us, that is to say, to do what He has left us to do. Those who were sitting on the left had said in a more or less deliberate way, ‘We are not going to do that’. And why not? Why are you silent? I cannot help thinking of Matthew 25:33, where the shepherd sets “the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on his left”. I do not mean that those on the left were not saved, but they were putting themselves apart from the people of God. If you love the Lord Jesus, can you continue to say that you are not going to remember Him? He asks you to do it. You are called to the fellowship of God’s Son. Why are you denying the rights of the Lord over you? If you believe that Christ died for you,

^[p. 143] why do you not have part in the fellowship of God’s Son? “Why are ye silent as to bringing the king back?” The king’s house is an allusion to your heart. We are told that Jesus has been received up into heaven; He occupies there a marvellous place, and yet you are shutting your heart intentionally to Him. He claims a place there; He says, “Give me thine heart”. (Proverbs 23:26).

“And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak to the elders of Judah saying, Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king, to his house”. First, “why are you silent?” and then, “Why are ye the last?” Do not let this day pass before answering these questions. You see how God is appealing to your heart. We do not want to occupy you with yourself; we are priests, and as such we have sympathy for you. We speak to you as brethren, for you are such, since you are believers, and so we ask you, “Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house?” Why do you sit on the left each Lord’s day morning, so depriving the Lord of His rights? If the world is holding you, why not give it up for Christ? Is He not worthy of it? Is not the fellowship of God’s Son preferable to anything else? We can say, Yes! It is as Moses said to Hobab, “We are journeying to the place of which Jehovah said, I will give it unto you: come with us, and we will do thee good”. (Numbers 10:29). Do not be simply onlookers as the people cross the wilderness; accompany them; come with us.

David said, “the speech of all Israel is come to the king, to his house”. Give ear to the voice of all Israel. If you connect yourself with the people of God, you will see that what is said of the king’s house is found at the end of Luke’s gospel, where the saints gathered together talked of what concerned the Lord, and as they speak of this, Jesus Himself comes into the midst of them. The speech of all Israel is come to the king, to ^[p. 144] his house; yes, it is come to the king’s ears in his house. Do you not want to have part in that? Let your voice be joined to that of the children of God — “the voice of all Israel”.

In Luke 24, two straying disciples were going away from Jerusalem. It may be there are some here who have their part in Jerusalem and who have turned their back on God’s people. When Jesus made Himself known to the two disciples of Emmaus, they returned to Jerusalem. What a joy it would be for us to see you come and take your place amongst the saints of God! It would be a matter of joy for us, but how much greater would be the Lord’s joy! He says, “Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice”, (Song of Songs 2:14). The appeal is urgent; why would you be the last? Make a move, as the shepherds of old who said to one another, “Let us make our way then now as far as Bethlehem”, (Luke 2:15). Since God has acted swiftly with regard of you, do not put off your decision; act at once; make use of your privileges. The king says, “Ye are my brethren, ye are my bone and my flesh; and why will ye be the last to bring back the king?”

Our greatest desire is that you make a move, resolving to give the Lord Jesus the place which is His, and occupying your place in relation with Christ and with His death, in fellowship with the saints of God. If any are exercised about this, we shall be glad to talk with you as long as you like, with the aim of helping you.

May God bless His word to us all!