THE RIGHT WAY - HOW KNOWN?

THE RIGHT WAY — HOW KNOWN?

There is only one right way, though there may be many modifications of it. Unless this be admitted, christianity in itself has not been truly accepted. A perfectly divine path from the infant’s weakest hour up to the strength of manhood, and in service to God fully on this earth, was traced out by the Son of God, the perfect Man. He was always right, and no one is right now who does not follow in the spirit of His steps. To open this out, and to expose the varied ways by which the man of God may be diverted from the path, is the object of this paper.

What especially marked our blessed Lord, who was always right, was that God was with Him, and He could say, “Thou hearest me always”. “The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him”. One great mark is always attached to the one fully right, even this, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world”. God was always with Christ. He “went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him”. The other mark is the assured sense of having the ear of God. His eyes “are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers”. The one who is right is sure to have ^[p. 118] these two marks. One is more visible, the other is exclusively for the comfort of his own heart.

Now in order to be right, one must follow the Lord, one must walk here as He walked. He has left us an example that we should follow His steps. This is the first thing; for I conclude that every one would agree that no one could be right unless he was following the Lord. But as every one at all conscientious seeks to do so and considers that he is truly following the Lord, though inadequately, it is necessary to expose the various ways by which even the true-hearted are diverted from the right way.

Our blessed Lord had but one thought before Him in everything; indeed only He could say, “I do always those things that please him”. He had no one before His mind but God. He considered only for Him in everything. Thus man could not be overlooked, because He was here to commend the love of God. This would have a peculiar effect on us, and a much greater one than is supposed; and if it were more simply and continually before our mind, it would influence us in a way quite unexpected and unforeseen.

The great thing then, in order to determine who is right, is to ascertain whether such an one is in his course considering for God only. Is he really walking in the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ? Whenever he fails in this he is not right, and he has neither of the marks, neither the visible nor the invisible. With man naturally, himself must be uppermost, for that is the characteristic of the fall. Hence it is only as you are kept by the strong hand of God and the power of His Spirit that you could make God the first and only object of consideration. If God be simply before me, I cannot neglect any duty to which He has appointed me. If I am considering only for God in everything, I must be in the path of Christ on earth, for from this He never diverged. Now no man can consider for God only, in a scene where everything distracts him and warps his judgment, except as he is ^[p. 119] walking by faith through the power of the Spirit. It is only faith that overcomes the world, and “who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” I cannot consider for God except as I am walking by faith. A man who has not faith as to the small things of daily life, proportionately has not faith as to anything. Faith is a power which is available in one thing as well as in another. There may be a doubt as to the place and duty God has called me to, and then I may lack faith; but I could not be consciously in the way to which God had called me, and then doubt Him, if I had faith at all as a practical power. It is clear that the only right way cannot be found or retained but as God is simply before me. If He be so, I am walking in dependence upon Him. Whenever I deviate from faith, which is seeing Him who is invisible, I am declining from the right way. Going to law for my legal right is an evidence that I have not faith, and do not consider for Him only! Abel was right, because he considered simply and distinctly for God, and what was due to Him. Cain was extremely zealous and hardworking to attain a good position, but he did not consider for God; he did not begin there, for that would have been faith. God testified of Abel’s gifts; he had the marks of being right. God heard him, and in a distinct way declared his acceptance. The great thing is, from whence does the action spring, and to whom does it refer in its origin? Enoch walked with God; his course here was directed by God. It was not seeking God’s countenance on his course, but identifying himself with God; and hence he looked upon everything here as it was in the eye of God. He could foresee, “The Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment”, etc. He was in the right way; he had the ear of God, and God was with him; and “he was not; for God took him”. The more we study the course of men of God, as recorded in the Scriptures, the more we see that as God was simply the object before the heart, they were right;

^[p. 120] and they had the marks of being right. Abram went out not knowing whither he went; he was happy and helped of God. But when the famine in the land influenced him, and he went down into Egypt, all that he had previously gained in the land was lost, for when he returned he went to the place where his tent had been at the beginning. It might be pleaded that it was very excusable for a man to abandon a place where there was imminent danger to himself and his family; but nothing, however necessary, can determine the right way for the man of God but God Himself. “If ... thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light”. When Abram afterwards was in the path of faith, how distinctly the Lord confirmed to him that he was in the right. We read that after Lot was separated from him, the Lord said unto him, “Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee”. Thus he was confirmed in the right way. Lot had much to present to his followers to assure them that he was in the right way; but you will remark that he could only point to what was for their immediate advantage. In the same way, in chapter 14, though in quite a different scene, as to the results of the victory gained by Abram, Lot apparently was the one most favoured. He was not only rescued, but his property was recovered; and to the natural eye he appears to be the one specially if not entirely considered for. But to Abram there was granted one unparalleled favour, and one which distinctly assured him that he was in the right way. Melchisedec, God’s messenger, cheers and blesses him. One can hardly conceive the cheer and confirmation Abram received from God on each of these occasions. In the one the ^[p. 121] scope of his blessing was unfolded to him; in the other the Lord unfolds Himself in blessing; each, I suppose, characteristic of the nature of the devotedness in Abram’s act.

It is very encouraging to see from the word that if I am in the right way, God will assure my heart by a favour distinctly from Himself, giving me a greater unfolding of His truth, and enlarging my soul in the blessedness of Himself. I shall have more light and truth, and every spiritual person can observe these marks because they are peculiarly and essentially of God, and they themselves are helped thereby. Moses was opposed and condemned by his own brother and sister, but as he was right, God not only vindicated him, but in answer to his prayer restored Miriam. It is helpful to the godly soul to ponder thus the manner of God’s dealings. There may be an apparent ground for censure, but if the censure is only to lower me, and afford my accusers an opportunity of exalting themselves, as it was with Aaron and Miriam, the Lord is sure to appear for me in some signal way visibly affecting my opposers, and in His grace using me for their relief.

Again, when Israel had sunk to idolatry, Moses comes forth for God; he considers for Him, places the tabernacle very far outside the camp, and by faithfulness secures blessing for those whose course he so distinctly repudiated. The people were plagued; Moses was the intercessor, and he was heard on their behalf; and he himself was favoured with such a sight of the glory that his face shone.

In this meditation, there is one thing which is very distinctly impressed upon us: even that the one outwardly favoured and accredited is not the one who is right, while the one who is right, like David in Saul’s time, gets no public place. Yet in private, as in Adullam’s cave, he has both prophet and priest there, and eventually all the mighty men. What a gracious and happy assurance to the heart of David in all the opposition which ^[p. 122] pursued him on every side, that he was right! God was with him, and he had the ear of God.

In times of profession, as in Israel, and much more now in christendom, it is of great moment to know who is right and what is right. If there were only christendom and judaism or heathendom to decide between, it would be easy enough, but when there is the profession of the same truth by the many it becomes a very serious question who is right. In the conflict between Paul and Barnabas, every one swayed by natural feeling would assuredly have sided with Barnabas. Paul considered only for the Lord, and all the spiritual supported him; and in the very next verses we read that he was given a very remarkable help for the work in the person of Timothy.

What a solitary and singular path was our blessed Lord’s! He considered for God in everything, and thus He, and He only, fully and effectually served man.

The defect in those who desire to be right in the present day is that it is not simply for the Lord they are considering. Generally it is something of especial usefulness which determines their course, and not the Lord simply; and while the Lord blesses every true service, He cannot support, as He did Abraham, with increased light and blessing, any but those who are in the path simply and wholly for Him. Like Caleb in another day, one may have to contend against great odds, but as he acted in faith for God, he was right; and God in a very marked way assured his own heart, even if others were not convinced. He was not only promised Hebron, but when the plague slew his colleagues, he and Joshua were preserved.

The apostle says, “I ... will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power”. This was the way that he would determine whether God was with them. Now there is often with those who are not walking by faith, and not simply considering for God, a great effort to convince others that God in a special way countenances them. Results are largely paraded, as with James,

when he said, “Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law”, Acts 21: 20. This influenced Paul; he had put himself in a position to be influenced, and we find that he had none of the special interference of God on his behalf in Jerusalem that was vouchsafed to him at Philippi; yet, his heart being right, the Lord came to him in the hour of suffering to cheer him, but this was not because of what he did at Jerusalem, but because of his faithfulness before he came there.

It is most encouraging that if, like the children of the captivity in Babylon, I am set for God here, He will give me an open door — a door open to faith. It is not one that every natural eye can see, but according as it is to God I am looking, He sheds the light of His own eye on the path for me. I am assured by Himself that I am right, and He enables me by His light to help His own and even my opposers, as Abraham did Lot, or Moses Miriam; and thus to work conviction in them that there is a right path, and that I am in it, for God is with me and I have His ear.