THE JOY OF THE LORD

Ruth 3: 6-13; Hebrews 2: 11-13; Zephaniah 3: 14-20; 1 Kings 10: 1, 8, 9

J.A.G. I had some impression today about the depth of the joy that the Lord has in what He finds when He comes amongst us at the Supper. It may be that He would encourage our hearts by giving us some touch of His own joy. I thought of this scripture: "Boaz ate and drank, and his heart was merry", he is so appreciative and thankful in all that he has secured. I suppose the heap of corn where he lies down and finds his rest is like a finished product; it is the result of his own sowing, the fruit of the travail of his soul, you might say, and he finds great satisfaction in that. I think Ruth adds to his joy; she draws out the depth of feeling from him. Boaz is the great redeemer, the mighty man of wealth; what he does he does happily and joyfully. He finds great satisfaction in it. The Lord finds great delight in the assembly, and in people like Ruth who feel a great need of Him,. Not only is He the Redeemer but He is the Purchaser, later on in the book. I believe that He might also give us to share with Him in the great joy that He has in leading the praise to the Father, leading the praise to God. How full and happy His heart is as He sings in the midst of the assembly! What liberty He enjoys with the Father, the great response in praise and worship to the expression of all that has come out in the Father.

This is a well-known scripture, indeed they are all well-known scriptures and have often been used. Perhaps the prophet would give us to see the joy that the Father has. Think of the Father exulting in joy, singing, in all that has been brought to Him. The result, I suppose, would be in testimony, There is the evidence of happiness and satisfaction, without trying to put on anything; it is there, in evidence. Persons come and they see it, the result of the declaration, you might say, of the Father's name, in the thought of his fame in connection with the name of Jehovah. I wondered perhaps if we could speak about these things. There would be many other scriptures and impressions amongst the brethren today. The Lord's day is a wonderful day, very restful. Brotherly contributions help us to appreciate greatly the family side of things amongst the brethren.

E.C.B. The joy set before Him includes what He sees in the face of God: "Thou hast filled him with joy by thy countenance", Ps 21: 6. There is what He finds for Himself and what He finds in the saints.

J.A.G. Yes; I thought of that scripture. He has the whole scope of things before Him. "He rejoiceth as a strong man to run the race", Ps 19: 5. What vitality there is about Him as He has the whole circle of things before Him! His heart is full of love, the outgoing of affection. I can hardly find words to describe how I feel about the delight that the Lord Jesus has in all that is before Him as He seeks to bring into effect anything that is for the heart of God Himself.

J.C.E. Do you think that Boaz is seen here as one who is competent to secure for himself on a righteous basis all that he desires to do, even if there is someone who seeks to exert another claim? He says, I will do it.

J.A.G. Yes, exactly. He is the mighty man of wealth; he has the means and the resource to bring about everything. He is prepared to draw off his sandal. Very affecting, that! He took on all the responsibility.

D.J.H. Say more about the difference between redemption and purchase.

J.A.G. I do not know that I could say much more about it. When you come to the line of purchase it is not exactly connected with past history. The idea of purchase is in the pearl relating to what is wifely. Perhaps you could help us.

D.J.H. I had not thought of anything when I asked the question, but what you say seems to indicate that he sees intrinsic beauty in the pearl, and that led Him to purchase it.

J.A.G. Yes, I think so. "All the gate of my people knows that thou art a woman of worth". That was remarkable testimony. Value was in Ruth.

D.A.B. How do you understand the scripture in Acts 20 – God "has purchased with the blood of his own" (v 19)? I suppose we link the blood with what has met the history.

J.A.G. Yes, but it is more than what meets the history. I think "purchased with the blood of his own" is to give us to understand the great value that God places on the assembly. "The assembly of God, which he has purchased with the blood of his own". It would help us to appreciate the value that the assembly is to God, because it is His eternal dwelling-place. What do you think?

D.A.B. Yes, I thought you would say that, but I would like to be enlarged as to what the blood does relate to that is beyond what is moral and relates to history.

J.A.G. Well, that is all I could say.

E.C.B. We were enquiring here recently whether we are inclined to think of the blood too much in relation to the side in which it has met judgment, and whether the value of that life laid down for God is not another aspect of it. He is securing it for Himself, is He not?

J.A.G. Yes, it is for Himself, and that is how much He values it. The knowledge of God has come to us, in one sense, through the blood of Christ: "who by him do believe on God", 1 Pet 1: 21.

D.J.H. The assembly is not flesh and blood, is it? The most precious life there ever was in blood and flesh, that of Jesus, has been terminated so that there should be a new order for God in another condition.

J.A.G. Yes, exactly, another condition; it is not flesh and blood, it is flesh and bones. It says "we are of his flesh and of his bones", Eph 5: 30.

B.W.W. You spoke about Boaz's heart being merry. The thought of happiness comes into the book; there is the happy relation between Boaz and his reapers, and at the end there is the happy expression of the women as to the child that had been born. That thought of happiness should be found with us in a general way, should it not, in the light of all that has been brought to us and into which we have been brought?

J.A.G. I think it is most important that it should be, otherwise things become burden some. Brethren are prepared to carry burdens, but in the book of Ruth the conditions are so felicitous that a spirit of doxology runs through it. That is what we would like to get in the meetings, and to seek to minister to that line of things, to promote joy and happiness amongst the brethren, and not to radiate doom and gloom and all the rest of it which helps nobody. The Lord Jesus has never been on that line.

C.G.H. Could a little more be said as to the blood. I gathered that what was being said would emphasise the width of the result of the shedding of Christ's blood, going beyond what meets moral conditions, because the blood is the basis of redemption seen in its entirety, is it not? ( I remember the late Mr William Phare telling me that Mr Darby, visiting a brother, was in the garden and stopped at a rose tree, and said to the flower 'I love thee for thy Redeemer's sake').

J.A.G. Well, I think we should appreciate every feature of God's creation. The blood certainly covers the whole line of redemption, for which we shall be eternally thankful. I think it is very wonderful to contemplate it. God's nature is manifested in it. It is very wonderful. Well, let us get some more about this purchase.

D.A.B. Is it represented in the heap of corn? That is not exactly history, is it? Is it potential, and does it have a future look in what has been secured for Christ's heart?

J.A.G. I think so; it is the many grains. Maybe that is too simple, but I think that is what it would- be. I think it is what is of Himself, His own kind, "after its kind", Gen 1: 2. That is not flesh and blood, is it? It is the product of the deep sleep.

P.S.W. Redemption comes into this book of Ruth. It was not so much her own personal history that was involved in redemption but that the clearing of the encumbrance that was upon the whole situation?

J.A.G. The problem was her being a Moabite. The one who had the right of redemption would redeem that inheritance of Elimelech, but it is the Moabite; that is a different question. He could not defile his own inheritance but Jesus has done it. He drew off His sandal. The whole thing is legally settled. It is very wonderful. It was the matter of custom in Israel concerning redemption and concerning exchange. To confirm the whole matter the man drew off his sandal. The Lord Jesus has taken on the liability, and He has taken it on cheerfully. It is all included, I think, in the joy that was set before Him.

E.C.B. Have you some impression of that in the prophetic word in Jeremiah 31: 26: "Upon this I awaked... and my sleep was sweet unto me"?

J.A.G. That is a very helpful scripture. He did not do it grudgingly. He was very happy to do it.

E.C.B. I was impressed, in reflecting on the gospels, that He speaks often of His death, especially after a certain point in the synoptic gospels, but it is not until Gethsemane that you get any sense of burden or weight on Him in that regard. He says to them, You will sorrow but instead of that you will have joy. But there is clearly something that sustained Jesus above whatever was going to occur.

J.A.G. Yes, I think so. He was conscious of the great blessing, joy, that was brought in. It might be in His mind in John 17, because He does not refer to certain things. He says "I have completed the work" (v 4). He does not refer to the cross or anything like that. He was going straight to glory. "I have completed the work which thou gavest me that I should do it". I think you can understand how He despised the shame; He was completely above it.

H.A.H. Are you thinking of the taking off his sandal as akin to laying aside His garments?

J.A.G. Yes; it says if he was not prepared to do this they were to spit in his face (see Deut 25: 9); it is just the shame. Jesus took the whole thing on and carried it through. Wonderful, that is! I think He would impart to us some impression of the depth of joy that fills His heart, as the hymn says: 'That myriad sons with Thee should find their part' (No.226).

B.W.W. Do you not think that it is good for us all, as individual believers, as each belonging personally to Jesus, just to allow the thought that He loved me enough to die for me, arid He owns me, to let that cause some joy in my heart? Those lines of Mr Darby's:

'O Lord! 'twas sweet the thought

That Thou wast mine;

But brighter still the joy

That I am Thine!'

To have a sense that the Lord Jesus has joy in each of us would be something to carry along every day.

J.A.G. O, I think so; that is what we need to drink into. I connect that sort of thing with drinking. Somebody said that the drinkers got it when the thinkers missed it. You have to eat; Boaz ate but he also drank. Drink into the spirit of it. It has a great subduing and formative effect upon us. It forms the affections, makes them like His own. That is what the assembly is.

D.J.H. Though He was here as the Man of sorrows, what sustained Him in that path was His joy, was it not? The woman in Luke 7, for instance, and Mary sitting at His feet; these instances all along through the gospels brought joy to His heart, did they not?

J.A.G. Oh surely, indeed they did, and He could see the assembly, see what He was going to secure, and I think we really need to touch the joy of our links with Christ, you might say the joy of eternal life; otherwise things become burdensome. We do them, but we do them because we have to do them. We fulfil responsibilities because we have to, and that is all right maybe, but I think if we drink into the Lord's own joy many of these responsibilities become privileges.

G.A.P. So while she says "thy handmaid", he says "my daughter". Is that how we would take on affections of this kind?

J.A.G. I think so, because these are all relationships. We have to read Christianity into this, and the Lord would confirm us and establish us in our relations with Him. I do not think we really believe in active faith many of the things that we say we believe. He certainly wants to make us happy.

D.J.H. John writing in his first epistle speaks of their fellowship with the Father and the Son, and then that we might have fellow ship with them, but "that your joy may be full", chap 1: 4. Is it that in these last days we might be sustained in the joy of these relation ships you are speaking of?

J.A.G. Yes, I think so. That scripture helps us to see the light into which God has come, and to walk in the light and have fellowship with one another, enjoy the blessedness of Christian fellowship and the great gain that is to be had from it, so that you do not come to the meeting because you have to come. You come because you are going to get something for yourself.

W.J.R.B. Was there not a joy in the Lord saying to Mary: "Go to my brethren", John 20: 17? The same word comes into Hebrews: "I will declare thy name to my brethren", chap 2: 12.

J.A.G. Yes, His heart was full: "Go to my brethren". Do not touch Me, He says. It is a new condition. "Go to my brethren and say to them, I ascend to my Father and your Father". Think of the Lord as a quickening spirit, a making-alive spirit. That is very wonderful. The last Adam is a quickening spirit, to make us live.

E.C.B. Is it this character of things that will preserve us from brethrenism, or any other ism for that matter? Is it therefore needed?

J.A.G. It is needed. Brethrenism cannot contain it, nothing that is sectarian can contain it. "Joseph is a fruitful bough... His branches shoot over the wall", Gen 49: 22. Something breaks the rules. If we are going by precedent, somebody comes in touch with Christ like this and whatever rules and regulations there are, are going to be broken. Judaism could not contain Him.

J.C.E. Ruth had to give an account of herself. Is there anything with us that requires that? She had to say who she was and what she needed. There was a resilience with her in what she did in simplicity, and I just wondered as we have the Lord's things before us and enter into them, and the Father's things, if we are able to give an account of ourselves while we are there.

J.A.G. Yes. Ruth is a personality. "Who art thou, my daughter? " She has capacity. I do not know if we all have cloaks as big as Ruth's. What do you think?

J.C.E. She had several gallons in it, gallons of dry measure of barley.

J.A.G. Well, can you carry an apprehension of Him like that?

J.C.E. I think there is that kind of thing in Christianity. We do not want to be occupied with ourselves exactly, but the thought of the King coming. in to see His guests, for one thing, I think implies that we have to give an account of ourselves.

J.A.G. Well, that all happens before we go to the Supper, or should. You go to the Supper, you have your cloak, six measures of barley. The emblems are there; you gave out that hymn this morning: 'We view these emblems' (No.203) and we hear that voice. It is going on in our minds and hearts as we are sitting there, calling Him to mind. This six measures of barley is our own distinctive, personal impression of Christ. If Paul was sitting at the Supper I suppose he would be thinking according to all these things he says in Colossians 1; that would all be in his mind, the kingdom of the Son of His love. Think about that. He must have the first place in all things.

R.W.F. I was wondering whether a true experience of the joy of the Lord has a lasting and powerful effect upon us. Ruth had to give an account of herself to Boaz, but she later had to give an account of herself to Naomi, who said "Who art thou... ?", as if there had been a great change with her, a result of this encounter, this joyful experience with Boaz.

J.A.G. I think so. She is changed from glory to glory, is she not? There is something striking about her, something distinctive; she has been in other company. She has been in great company, and that is where we have been – if we have been. So we go to the Supper; we speak about being freighted with spiritual wealth and so forth, which is very good. All that is available for the Lord to draw upon, and He delights in it: He really does, you know. That is what He lives for, you might say. He is gladdening the heart of His wife, and He gladdens her heart by ministering joy.

E.C.B. I sometimes think that these six measures of barley are like:

'Jesus! our Saviour, Shepherd, Friend,

Thou Prophet, Priest, and King'.

(No.54)

J.A.G. Yes, I think that is what it is. It embraces all these things that Paul can say about Him personally in that epistle (Colossians), which is a secret epistle: how you get into heaven, – if you get in – secretly, on that line. It is another way, put there to help us, to stimulate us, to sustain us on the way through. Our hearts are filled with His glory, like the magnification of Joshua.

W.J.R.B. We had an impression this morning of the greatness in John 17. The Lord lifted His eyes to heaven and said "Father", and at the end of the chapter: "the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them" (v.26). The greatest joy you can conceive, is it not?

J.A.G. I think so. In one sense you might say it is finality and maturity, to be able to love Christ as the Father loves Him. That is very wonderful, to arrive at that state. Your cloak then is really full.

D.A.B. That is the fruit of the Father's Spirit, is it not? You were speaking of it yesterday as developing what is fatherly. Another aspect of it is that the Father's Spirit stimulates appreciation of the Son, does it not?

J.A.G. Yes, as was said in a word this morning, Abraham gave all to Isaac. The Father's Spirit would make everything of Christ, and when that happens, when He dwells in the heart through faith, He turns everything to God, and He has great joy in doing it. Think of the Lord singing in the midst of the assembly. He is out of death, freshly out of death, He has declared the Father's name to His brethren, as was referred to; the immediate answer is that He is going to sing His praises in the midst of the assembly; that is, He is in the hearts of the brethren, He is in the heart of every person.

E.C.B. When He says "in thy presence is fulness of Joy" (Ps 16: 11) (A.V.), He is contributing to it.

J.A.G. He is indeed. If He was not there it would not happen. "He that sanctifies and those sanctified are all of one". That is going to be Ruth and Boaz. The service of God is in mind, David the king and all these singers that David produces, persons who can sing, the levitical position, heads of the families give character to the response. It was a very fine setting out of things as they will be – the courses.

B.W.W. All this emphasises the need of our coming ready and expectant. The Lord is expectant, is He not? He is expectant of the response, looking for it, ready for it, and the more ready we are on our side, the more rapidly (while He is always the Minister) we shall reach what is before Him.

J.A.G. I think so. We need to engage our hearts with Him, let Him be our object. It is all right to bring ourselves in, but I think if we are really engaged with Him and what He does and what He is going to do, other things will happen normally. Think of the joy that He has in answering to the Father in the midst of the assembly, the Lord coming on to our side to lead the praise, singing in the midst of the assembly.

D.J.H. It is wonderful that we should be brought into the Father's joy and appreciation of Christ, is it not? We had a sense of that this morning, we are sharers of His joy in having Christ there and ministering to Him.

J.A.G. Well, we can only touch it in part, but you can get some idea of the immensity of it, that God's purpose, what He planned before time was, has been secured. He can rest in His love. Love has wrought it and He can rest in it. Not one thing failed; that is very marvellous. The Lord Jesus, on our side, answers in the midst of the assembly, with the assembly, to what the heart of God always desired. How great sonship is!

E.C.B. That scripture in Zephaniah is interesting in the way it speaks: "he will rest in his love", that is as if He has secured everything that His nature desired, and all in suitability to it. There is a reference in the Psalm to God of the gladness of my joy", Ps 43: 4.

J.A.G. Yes, I think that is very beautiful. "He will rejoice over thee with joy". Everything has been secured m complete accord with very thought of His, not a thing missing. It is Just exactly as He would have it, and He is free to let His heart go out in this wonderful outgoing of joy and love, resting in His love, exulting "over thee with singing". We see the breakdown but I think we should also see enter into the scope of, all that God is going to do, to recover all these things, bring them all back to the greatness of His own thoughts. He really would make us happy and cheerful.

D.J.H. It says in verse 15: "the King of Israel Jehovah, is in the midst of thee; thou shalt not see evil any more"; that is that for us everything is settled, is it not? But then in verse 17 it says: "Jehovah thy God is in thy midst, a mighty one that will save"; that is that everything is yet going to be secured universally. But we can enjoy what it is for Him to be in the midst and joyful now.

J.A.G. O, I think so. We get an impression of the greatness of the security that there is in God. "Let not thy hands be slack"; get on with it! There is much to do, I suppose. The prophet would really lift us up to see the greatness of what there is already for God, and what He is yet going to bring in.

E.C.B. That reference there to Jehovah, the "mighty one that will save", brings out how great salvation is, does it not? David speaks of "the joy of thy salvation" (Ps 51: 12), and there are other scriptures that connect salvation with joy. We perhaps limit it too much to the idea of having our sins forgiven, but it is placing us in another world.

J.A.G. Exactly. "Thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise", Isa 60: 18. Think of what Isaiah 60 says of Jerusalem, what it will be. Does your heart throb? It beats under the powerful impulse of what God h.as done. "The rams of Nebaioth shall... come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will beautify the house of my magnificence" (v.7). What scope God has to bring into effect amongst His people every precious feature that He finds in Christ! "Beautify the house of my magnificence"! I think we should rise to God's great thoughts, see the loftiness of them and relate them to the local meeting. Start looking at the brethren like that; it makes a tremendous difference.

W.J.R.B. I was recently struck by a remark by Mr Taylor; he said that the sufferings of Christ are not the main thing. He said, God forbid that I should lessen the sufferings of Christ, but there is the glory and greatness of His Person. It should override every thing, and that is what it will be in eternity.

J.A.G. I am sure it will be. John the baptist said "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world", John 1: 29. None of the disciples left him at that point, but then when he says "Behold the Lamb of God", two of the disciples left him and followed Jesus. They were right inside. The sufferings of Christ belong to the court, but when you go into the sanctuary it is the fragrant incense, the fragrance of His humanity, who He is in Himself. That is the Lamb of God, is it not? That is the Person whom they followed.

W.J.R.B. That is what you had prominently before you in your address, the glory of the Person, is it not?

J.A.G. I wish I had Him more before me.

R.W.F. Isaiah seems to present salvation as the source of joy: "And with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation", chap 12: 3. It is not presented there as an end in itself, great though it is, but as a source from which we may draw, and continue to draw joyfully.

J.A.G. I think we need to do these things, enjoy Christianity, enjoy everything that has been wrought for us, simply enjoy it. There is always the tendency with us to see if we can add something to it, but there it is, the whole thing has been done. "With joy... draw water out of the wells of salvation", appreciate the Saviour, appreciate all that He has done, seek the Spirit to draw our hearts nearer to Him, to help us to think less about ourselves, more about Him come into His joy.

D.J.H. W have been concerned about things being attractive, particularly to the young, but if things are just rules and tenets of the brethren, and so on, things are not going to be very attractive, but if there is the joy relating to salvation, and to see that these things are salvation from an order of things that can only bring sorrow, it is to bring us into joy. All this would be attractive, would it not?

J.A.G. It is bound to be attractive, and it is only attractive, and we are only attractive, as we are walking in nearness to Christ; as you reflect, you radiate Him. If something comes from the brethren, something may fail, or some trouble may come. You may attach to a person, but finally he lets you down. If you get to Christ, and there is nobody else between you and Him, you are bound to be attractive. That is how it will be with the city, I suppose; it will be so attractive that they will come to the gates of it, drawn to it, because it radiates the glory of God, because "the lamp thereof is the Lamb", Rev 21: 23.

J.C.E. This scripture in Zephaniah would help us to look on the earthly people as a hidden treasure to be brought to light, do you think? It has been hidden, and it will be brought to light with joy.

J.A.G. I think you have to carry them in your heart. The names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel are on the gates of the city, they are written there. We carry in our hearts the. whole scope of divine thoughts, every family – if we can. There is room for them all in His house.

W.J.R.B. Even the children are affected playing in the streets of Jerusalem (see Zech 8: 5). The same feature will mark the earthly city, will it not?

J.A.G. Well, Jerusalem is a very safe place. Old people can be there, and will be there literally, and children can play in the streets. You could not do that now, could you?

B.W.W. I think, if we can all be encouraged to carry away something of what you have said these two days, it should be for uplift for us all, and that is always good. You said some thing like this yesterday, that any of us, young or old, could take anything to the Father, and you have now been speaking about our seeking to draw nearer to Jesus. Are not these things in which, as we are helped to practise them, the true life of Christianity will be found?

J.A.G. I think so; it makes for great expansion because we are always inclined to limit ourselves, to brethren we know, it may be, to those with whom we are in fellowship, or maybe we meet a few believers. Can we relate ourselves to the scope of the work of God on the earth at the present time? The nearer we are to Christ, the more we will be able to.

C.G.H. I think we all ought to be exercised to discover some more of our spiritual relatives.

J.A.G. I think so. The breadth – that is what he starts with in Ephesians 3 – the breadth and length, and depth and height should be more before us, and then I think perhaps we should be expressing more what our own personal links would be. Now we conform to certain things that almost become pattern. We develop – and it is probably helpful up to a point – a way of communicating. The brethren use certain terms, and so forth, and that is all right as long as it is sustained in life. You can get by on it up to a point, but there is no vitality in it and underneath could be anything.

E.C.B. Recently, we have felt locally that the Lord has been helping us to have our view enlarged about what He has on the earth, and to move into greater simplicity in relation to the expression of it. What you are bringing before us is something that should help us to desire to be released into it. I think that is where a lot of the clue is: do we want to be released from the formality into which we have been moulded?

J.A.G. Exactly; because in one sense we find a certain protection in the mould and we are scared if it is broken, of what is outside of the mould.

E.C.B. Or what would somebody say.

J.A.G. Or what would somebody say. Can we leave the mould and walk on the water and go to Jesus?

E.C.B. It is a bit like John 11 and 12, is it not? Take off the grave-clothes, and then someone has such a heart for Christ that the house is filled with it.

J.A.G. Exactly; it is filled with the odour of the ointment. You do not have to try to make yourself attractive: it is a natural consequence, or a spiritual consequence.

D.A.B. We do not want to become enigmatic, do we? The Queen of Sheba had enigmas. Her breath was taken away when she saw the wisdom of Solomon. She did not have to be clever to see that there was something there that was ordered of God, and people happy in it.

J.A.G. Yes, and the whole system reflected the great ability that he had in connection with the name of Jehovah. Well, the Lord Jesus has made the Father known; this is the result , this is the answer to it; persons are really happy there.

D.A.B. Would you say something, linking with what we had yesterday, about that reference to the name of Jehovah; she came on account of it. I suppose you might say she did not really know God, certainly not as Solomon did but there was something in the testimony of those who did know God that had reached her and drew her.

J.A.G. Yes; it says a great deal for her that she came such a distance. She must have had a bit of exercise about it, and if we have that the Lord will certainly honour it. She has substance, which she may have thought was going to impress him, but she becomes one of the special contributors, and we could all be like that. Every one has something special that they contribute. There was "no such sandal-wood" and "no more such abundance of spices", 1 Kings 10: 10,12. That is distinctive to herself.

J.C.E. She became a contributor to this.

J.A.G. That is what happens. You get the wealth in your soul. It is very fine that: "there came no more such abundance of spices as those which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon". I was thinking of these verses, because there is something distinctive. Everybody brings, and we need to make room for everybody. Some people will be a bit t1m1d, maybe; others of us maybe talk too much. Well everything gets regulated.

D.J.H. It seems that the final touch. That affected her was the ascent by which he went up. She seems to be occupied by the order of his table and his servants, but particularly by the ascent by which he went up.

J.A.G. Yes, there was no more spirit left in her. Well, you think of the Son going to the Father, the glory and dignity of that, how He moves. He would teach us how to do it. I think that is very wonderful. "I come to thee" He said (John 17: 11); as going up He said "I ascend", chap 20: 7. We do well to seek the Spirit's help to have a little more enlargement in our hearts, to appreciate the movements, the divine movements in glory and dignity of these wonderful Persons. And He brings us with Him.

E.C.B. It says there were no such spices. They would in a sense be consumable and would have to be renewed, but Solomon made a balustrade of sandal-wood, that is something that remained as a permanent contribution to his house.

J.A.G. Yes. Next time there would be something different, something for the moment for. the heart of God; all under the hand of Solomon. I think there is a lot in it that we could maybe go into. Very wonderful that the Lord should impart to us some impression of the joy and satisfaction He finds with us! If we look into ourselves and we become introspective we get so depressed, we begin to wonder if He has any pleasure in us at all. Well, that is not the case.

R.W.F. There is sufficient in the joy of the Lord to affect each one, is there not? "Happy are thy men! happy are these thy servants.” The servants might be like those who attempt to conform out of duty, which may at times have been true of us, but they rose above that limitation, they rose above the level of servitude. They were happy, and observedly so.

J.A.G. I think so, yes. They "stand continually before thee" and " hear thy wisdom". Think of the wisdom that comes from the Lord. I think wisdom is one of the great features of headship. How much wisdom we need, and it is all avail able for us: "made to us wisdom from God" , 1 Cor 1: 30. "God's power and God's wisdom" (v 24): that is in Corinth where the mind of man can go rampant at any time. We all have to judge ourselves on these lines because many a time your thoughts run riot and you would seek to put hat i to expression in the meeting , and there is nothing but confusion. We have to make way for " Christ God's power and God's wisdom". There is power to put into effect, into expression, what would come to us from Him by way of wisdom.

C.G.H. Knowledge is valuable, but wisdom regulates its use.

J.A.G. Yes, exactly, it knows what to do. We need to be wise. We can all look back and with hindsight wish we had had a little more wisdom, but the Lord would help us not to be discouraged or anything like that.

R.W.F. Would the scripture in Zephaniah help us to understand what God has set on Himself for His pleasure. There is salvation and joy, and there is rest and there is singing. All this God has set on for Himself; it is not a question of what we rise to exactly. It is what He has set on.

J.A.G. Yes, what He has set on and what He is going to do, so that we do not need to be discouraged. That is a fine word to Jerusalem: "Fear not, Zion". "It shall be said to Jerusalem" (I suppose that is what we are in responsibility) "Fear not; Zion, let not thy hands be slack". There are two sides there. "Jehovah thy God is in thy midst, a mighty one that will save; he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love; he will exult over thee. with singing". His heart is going out in its fulness to us.

R.W.F. Does that mean that God Himself sings?

J.A.G. I think that is what is conveyed. It is to convey the happiness, the joy that is in His heart. There was a time, I suppose way back in the fifties, when there was much talk of did we hear the Lord singing in the midst of the assembly? You almost had the impression that some people were straining their ears to hear a voice, or something. We need to see the spirituality of the Scriptures.

E.C.B. Zephaniah prophesied in the days of Josiah. Does this last chapter show that there is something yet to come that will be greater than any recovery?

J.A.G. O, I think so. I suppose you could refer to the scripture in Haggai about the latter glory, "greater than the former", chap 2: 9.

E.C.B. Yes.

J.A.G. There is much yet to come.

 

LONDON

19 January 1986

 

Key to initials

(all local unless otherwise stated)

D.A.Burr; E.C.Burr; W.J.R.Brodie, Ealing; J.C.Evershed; R.W.Flowerdew; J.A.Gardiner, Aberdeen; C.G.Hitchcock, Ealing; D.J.Hutson; H.A.Hutson; G.A.Palmer; B.W.Ward; P.S.Warren.