DOORKEEPERS
D.L.Stewart
I looked up this passage in connection with the thought of spices that was touched on Lord's day, and I found that the emphasis was on doorkeepers. The thought of the spices is very fine, the frankincense and the spices and compounding the ointment of the spices. These are for the heart of Christ. We were reminded that there was no such abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. Think of the Lord's delight in what He finds that is for Himself alone! One of the hymns says:
'Lord, in this vessel chaste
Incense is found;
All that delights Thy taste
Doth here abound.' (No.361)
I think it would be evident from this passage that if there are to be the spices for Him, there · is great need of doorkeeping. This chapter, while it comes in Chronicles, links on with the book of Nehemiah; the names that are mentioned can be traced in that book. It belongs to a time like our own when things are very weak and broken ; yet there is that which is for Christ Himself and that only emphasises the need of doorkeepers. It speaks about them here as being "toward the east, west, north and south". The enemy is bent upon breaking in upon what is for the heart of Christ in His assembly. We have a vigilant foe. Ephesians speaks about the armour, the panoply of God, the need to stand, and having accomplished all things to stand.
Another feature that comes into this section is that of trust. We are reminded of what has been entrusted to us in our day. Towards the end of this dispensation great things have been entrusted to us. Paul speaks about the good deposit entrusted. In his day, in view of his absence, he would pass on these things to Timothy, and so they have come down to us in spite of the enemy and through much conflict, but what is special for Christ is entrusted to us. What tremendous wealth spiritually has come to light in the time of the recovery and we are found through mercy among those to whom this has been entrusted. In our own day we have seen the enemy's activities, and we have been through a time when it almost seemed that the enemy had succeeded in ruining what had been recovered; yet each one of us here is to be found amongst those who would commit ourselves to guard what is for Himself, for His own peculiar pleasure and satisfaction. Earlier in this chapter (v 20) we have a remarkable reference to Phinehas: "And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the ruler over them formerly; Jehovah was with him". What a doorkeeper Phinehas was, prepared to rise up and meet the enemy head-on, take his life in his hand. That is the way things have been preserved to us, through faithful men and women. The Supper has been preserved to us through suffering. I was greatly struck by reading about a woman, a sister, who suffered at the stake simply because she held that the Lord's supper was a matter of remembrance of the Lord Jesus. This is the way these great things have come to us and the challenge is that we should be found trustworthy. These persons stayed round about the house of God during the night because the charge was upon them. The opening thereof every morning pertained to them. The instruments of service – think how much is involved – the vessels, the holy instruments and the fine flour, and the wine, and the oil, and the frankincense, and the spices, they are all meant for God and His service. Yet these things could be lost if there is not doorkeeping. The maintenance of trust, standing for what is right, meeting matters that the enemy might introduce subtly into our midst, things that have a weakening effect upon the testimony, we all know what these things mean and I would just leave the word with us all that we might be encouraged to be found standing, as the apostle says, having done all to stand (see Eph 6: 13); maintaining until the Lord comes an area, a protected area, where He can find His pleasure, where He can come and where He can taste of these wondrous things for His own pleasure. May the Lord bless His word.
MELBOURNE
24 September 1985