THE DIVINE STANDARD MAINTAINED

2 Peter 1:16-21; Zechariah 4:11-14

I have been thinking of the divine standard as represented by the value of gold. When the nations gave up the gold standard, I understand that it was seen by some as a retrograde step. Everything was being devalued in the Western world at the time, and governments thought that changing the benchmark from the value of gold to another value was the way to contain things. But in divine things, the gold standard represents God’s standard.

Recently we have had reference to the rivers which went out of Eden, and one surrounded Havilah, where the “gold of that land is good”, Gen.2:11,12. That is what God said – the Spirit of God speaking through Moses. Then at the setting up of the tabernacle with its holy place, there was gold used there; the divine standard was maintained there, although it was not seen by the people. Then it was revived again under Solomon; God’s mind about it was made known as we have been seeing in our interesting enquiries in the second book of Chronicles about how Solomon set up the temple, and everything in it was covered with gold. That was a further step in the divine plan. The temple was set up by Solomon on the basis of his being David’s son, and being regarded by Jehovah as His son (2 Sam.7:14), and so in Solomon’s temple, the divine standard was maintained based on sonship.

This scripture came to mind as to how the divine standard is maintained through prophetic ministry. It is by the Holy Spirit. Peter heard what was uttered in the divine presence; he says of Christ, “For he received from God the Father honour and glory, such a voice being uttered to him by the excellent glory”. You might say, that is the divine presence; believers of this dispensation have been brought into the divine presence at that level. Dear brethren, we as believers have been brought in to God’s presence at the highest level. That is where we are and where the Father speaks. There was a reference on Lord’s day to the Father saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight; and this voice we heard uttered from heaven”. That is the realm where the gold standard is maintained. We have come here tonight, just a few brethren together, but we can touch the place where the gold standard is maintained. It says “and this voice we heard uttered from heaven, being with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word made surer”. We can see how the dispensation is going to be maintained. The attack of the enemy is to devalue God’s standard; he is doing it all the time. If we fall beneath that standard, we do not lose our inheritance as believers in Christ and in the precious work of Christ and His blood, but we are called upon to maintain this standard in life. It says in the first verse we read that these things are not “cleverly imagined fables”; that is not the way that the divine standard is maintained. It is maintained in the power of the Spirit. “And we have the prophetic word made surer, to which ye do well taking heed (as to a lamp shining in an obscure place)” – that allows for the day dawning, even as we are in an obscure place – “until the day dawn and the morning star arise in your hearts”. Then it says, “the scope of no prophecy of scripture is had from its own particular interpretation, for prophecy was not ever uttered by the will of man, but holy men of God spake under the power of the Holy Spirit”.

Now I want to touch on this type in Zechariah. In verse 14 it says, “These are the two sons of oil”, and it suggests to me the presence of the Spirit in persons. “These are the two sons of oil, that stand before the Lord of the whole earth”, and it says that the prophet saw “two olive-branches which are beside the two golden tubes that empty the gold out of themselves …”. The gold represents the work of God in persons. We must have respect for each other. We see the gold that is there in each other as we speak together, not about flippant or earthly things, things that are only for time, but the work of God, the gold, is going through and therefore that is what is precious. The work of God in a believer is precious. If we allowed God’s work to express itself more, how much more gain would there be from our meetings. I think the reference to “… the two golden tubes that empty the gold out of themselves” speaks of the assembly in operation, the temple in operation, the service of God in operation. God loves it, as He finds what He has put in the saints being expressed by them. The service of God really is that. As David said, “of that which is from thy hand have we given thee”, 1 Chron.29:14. In the assembly, what God has formed in persons is expressing itself to God in response, and that response is reflective of the manhood of Christ.

It is a wonderful thought to encourage us, and I wanted to emphasise that it is a very rich atmosphere that we are in, however few; “For where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them”, Matt.18:20. What limit can you put on that? You cannot, that is how great it is. So I trust that we will be encouraged, for His name’s sake.

Word in a meeting for ministry, Glasgow

15 January 2019

N.J. Henry

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