PERSONS MARKED BY FEATURES PLEASING TO GOD

J. R. Bellamy

Joshua 6: 25; Daniel 6: 10; Colossians 4: 12, 13; Psalm 122: 1–9

I suppose it goes without saying that these three persons of whom we have read find their place in the Holy Scriptures because of certain features that were expressed in them; features that were pleasurable under the eye of God, features that we might profitably consider, and features which we may well desire to emulate. The one outstanding feature these three persons shared in common was that God’s interests had become their interests, and their lives were governed by that.

The first person that we read of, Rahab, is a very interesting person. She is first introduced to us in Joshua, before the children of Israel had even crossed the Jordan, or before they had surrounded the city of Jericho. Listen to what she has to say to these spies that Joshua had sent to spy out the land. It says that before they had lain down she went up to them, upon the roof, and she said to them, “I know that Jehovah has given you the land, and that the dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard that Jehovah dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and to Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. We heard of it, and our heart melted, and there remained no more spirit in any man because of you; for Jehovah your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath”, Joshua 2: 9–11. I think those two spies must have stood there aghast, in wonderment, at what this woman had to say; that she was most interested in what God was doing is evident. She knew the history of what had gone on through the forty years in the wilderness. As I say this, the words of our beloved brother, Mr. Jim Renton, ring in my ears; how often have we heard him say, ‘Divine Persons are interested in interested persons’. I trust that I am one such here this afternoon. That divine Persons were interested in Rahab is obvious.

Further, she has honourable mention in the New Testament three times. We have only gone five verses in the New Testament before Rahab is mentioned, and what is said of her is, “Salmon begat Boaz of Rachab”, Matthew 1: 5. He was the mighty man of wealth in the book of Ruth. Then we are told that “Boaz began Obed of Ruth”, and then the Spirit of God tells us, “and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David the king”. The fact that she finds her place in the royal genealogy evidences

the interest divine Persons had in her. She is among the crowd of witnesses in Hebrews 11—it says, “By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with the unbelieving, having received the spies in peace” (Hebrews 11: 31). Why? Because she was not an unbeliever, she was a believer and she perished not along with the unbelieving. James tells us about her works, he says, “But was not in like manner also Rahab the harlot justified on the principle of works, when she had received the messengers and put them forth by another way?”, James 2: 25.

That is, her works were in keeping with her faith, and they were commensurate with her faith.

That is a word for all of us, what about our works? Do they support our faith, are they equal to our faith?

For the interest of the young people, I just point out that Rahab’s house was built upon the wall of Jericho. You say, Well, what happened to her house when the walls of Jericho came down? It says that the wall of Jericho fell down flat. God is equal to preserving her even in these circumstances. Obviously Rahab’s house was intact, nobody perished in her house, and it appears that nobody was even injured. The spies go in and bring her out. Then the Spirit of God tells us a most interesting thing, that Rahab dwelt in the midst of Israel to this day.

Where is that? What is meant by the midst of Israel? What was in the midst of Israel? The testimony, the tabernacle, the ark in the tent of meeting was all there in the centre of Israel. In Exodus 40, it is most interesting to me in view of what has already come into our meetings here, it says, “Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, On the day of the first month, on the first of the month, shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. And thou shalt put in it the ark of the testimony, and thou shalt cover the ark with the veil”, Exodus 40: 1–3. It is interesting when God spoke to Moses, the first thing he refers to as being put in the tent of meeting was the ark of testimony, Christ typically! He was the centre of all that which God established here on earth for His pleasure, where He was to be served in the

midst of His people. This is in accord with what has been engaging us today as to the place Christ has in the divine system. There, enthroned and seated at God’s right hand, He has been made both Lord and Christ.

Well, dear brethren, we can see that this is where Rahab dwelt, this is where she lived, as close to the divine centre as it was possible to get. In Numbers 2, God again commands Moses as to the setting of the tribes. Looking at that passage we see three tribes were positioned on the east side, three tribes on the south side, three tribes on the west side, and three tribes on the north side, and there right in the midst of Israel was the ark of testimony; Christ typically right in the centre, surrounded by the twelve tribes. Rahab dwelt as close to this centre as she could, until this day. I have often wondered what this is intended to convey, and suggest it is not unlike what the Lord said to Martha, in speaking of Mary, “Mary has chosen the good part, the which shall not be taken from her”, Luke 10: 42. God regarded Rahab’s desires and there she dwells to this day.

As we go on to the passage referring to Daniel, we find a most interesting man. This kingdom in which he, in God’s ways, finds his place, probably embraced pretty much the then civilized world. There were one hundred and twenty satraps over the kingdom, I suppose they were area governors, and over them were three presidents, of whom Daniel was one. We are told,

“this Daniel surpassed the presidents and the satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to appoint him over the whole realm”, Daniel 6: 3. The enemy immediately endeavours to defeat this; he would wish to limit the influence of such a man as this in the kingdom. The satraps and other governors unite to petition the king to pass a decree that no one could ask for anything of anyone but of King Darius himself. Knowing Daniel was a praying man, they set this trap for him, and the king, not discerning their evil intent, passed the edict. In the

verse we read, it says, “And when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and, his windows being open in his upper chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled on his knees”—he did not have to open his windows, they were always open, towards Jerusalem; this was his outlook! Why does it say, “he kneeled on his knees three times a day”. Do you know any other way to kneel? Why does the scripture put it that way? I think it is to intensify the thought of prayer, he kneeled on his knees, an intensification of this thought of how he spoke to God in relation to his interests in Jerusalem. It is rather like what James says in his epistle, “The fervent supplication of the righteous man has much power”, James 5: 16. It says that he prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. It almost seems that his confidence in his God was such that he was unconcerned by this plan that had been plotted against him. It does not say that he prayed for anything for himself, his confidence was such in his God that his prayer stood related to Jerusalem, the sphere of God’s interest here on earth. You say, But Daniel, do you not know that the walls of Jerusalem lie in ruins? Oh, Daniel cherished the memory of what had been there for the pleasure of God, and he would tell you, It is not going to remain this way. He was looking on to the re-establishing of things in Jerusalem where what was for the pleasure of God would again proceed.

I read about Epaphras because I think he is the New Testament counterpart of Daniel. It would seem that, like Daniel, he too was a captive in a foreign land, and in those circumstances, he was really justifying God. Just as Daniel accepted God’s governmental ways with Israel, not complaining in the circumstances, but holding himself available to serve God according to His will, so Epaphras is uncomplaining about his lot. It is evident that Paul was a prisoner here as in a previous verse he says, “Aristarchus my fellow-captive salutes you” (Colossians 4: 10), and at the end of the epistle to Philemon, Paul in speaking of Epaphras refers to him as “my fellow-

prisoner in Christ Jesus” (Philemon 23). What is Epaphras doing? Is he praying in relation to his own circumstances, the situation he was in, in God’s ways? No, his outlook, his interest, was in relation to what was for God’s pleasure in Colosse, his local meeting, and in his neighbouring meetings too, because it says he prayed also for “them in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis”. I thought of this when our brother was speaking in the address yesterday, it is evident that Epaphras was aware that the enemy and his agencies were active in Colosse, in his local meeting, in view of hindering the saints from arriving at the full thought of God for them. Paul says, “Epaphras, who is one of you, the bondman of Christ Jesus, salutes you, always combating earnestly for you in prayers, to the end that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God”. How the saints in Colosse must have been affected when this letter was read to them! Whatever his circumstances were personally, this is what Epaphras had before him, that the saints might stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. How fine that is!

We were speaking this afternoon of the mystery of His will, also in Ephesians 1, we get a reference to “the good pleasure of his will” (Ephesians 1: 6), and “the counsel of his own will” (Ephesians 1: 11); God is working these things out, and Epaphras is in full sympathy and support of what God was doing. Well, dear brethren, in view of current circumstances, I feel there is a need, in all of our localities, for men like Epaphras. I was thinking as our brother spoke yesterday, of the verse in Revelation, that speaks of the enemy “knowing he has a short time”, Revelation 12: 12. We are near the end of the dispensation and the enemy is disposed to be doing all that he can to prevent the saints from arriving at what Epaphras was praying for here. There is a present need, in all our localities, for persons to fill out this service that the enemy may be defeated in his efforts in this regard.

I suppose what we have been saying relates largely to individual service although it is obvious these persons

had what was collective in their hearts and affections. In Psalm 122, we come to what is collective, and I am sure we can readily see how these three persons would rejoice to enter into what is expressed in this psalm. First of all, I wish to draw your attention to the structure of the psalm; the first and last verses both refer to the house of Jehovah, that is, the house of Jehovah is the primary thought in the psalm. The intervening verses relate to Jerusalem, and Jerusalem, of course, had its place in the psalmist’s mind because the house of Jehovah was situated there but God’s house is the prime thought. God’s house, as far as I understand it, is never spoken of as being in heaven, it is something that has been established here on earth in which God dwells. He does not dwell alone, He dwells in the midst of His people, His saints.

It might help the young ones to follow if we were to refer to related passages in the New Testament. One that comes to mind is in Hebrews 12; 22, we are said to have come to “mount Zion; and to the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem”. Our centre is not here on earth, our centre is the heavenly Jerusalem, that is the character of it, it is heavenly. The assembly is heavenly in origin and it is heavenly in destiny, it is the heavenly Jerusalem. Our brother, also, this afternoon, referred to a passage in Ephesians 2: 19, I think it helps us in the understanding of this, “So then ye are no longer strangers and foreigners, but ye are fellow-citizens of the saints, and of the household of God”. How wonderful that is, that we should have part in the divine family, the household of God. In God’s house, not only does he dwell there, but that is where His love is to be experienced and enjoyed. This is where we, by the Spirit, are privileged to enjoy a foretaste of what Mr. Darby refers to in Hymn 88,

‘In Thine own house. There love divine

Fills the bright courts with cloudless joy;

But ‘tis the love that made us Thine

Fills all that house without alloy’.

This is our heritage, beloved brethren, this is what God has called us to enjoy together. The passage in Ephesians goes on to say, “being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the corner-stone”, that is, everything takes pattern from that glorious Man enshrined in God’s presence.

But then, it says, “in whom all the building fitted together increases to a holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit”. This is where God dwells, fitted together, built together, God’s handiwork! You can see this is what is in the thoughts of the psalmist here, as he says, “I rejoiced when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of Jehovah”. Can you not see Rehab rejoicing? Can you not see her heart thrilled at the prospect of going up to the house of Jehovah? These intervening verses are very interesting because they are full of the thought of what is elevated, what is noble, what is royal. You get the palaces, the thrones; how readily they fit into assembly language, the elevation that belongs to it, there is something very exalted and blessed about that, marked by divine order. They are going up; where are they going? To give praise and thanks to Jehovah.

This is what we have before us tomorrow morning in coming together for the Lord’s supper and what may follow under the Lord’s leading. Dear young people, we would say to you, Let us go up, come along with us and enjoy what we are enjoying.

Then the psalmist speaks of the portion of those who “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem—they shall prosper that love thee”. In the last verse of the chapter we read in Daniel, we are told,

“Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and ... Cyrus”. This is the fulfilment of what the psalmist tells us. When we speak about prosperity in this materialistic day, I suppose people think in terms of what is financial. But this is not the scriptural thought; what scripture has in mind is that whatever Daniel’s endeavour was, it would be outstandingly successful, “they shall prosper that love thee”. What fine examples Daniel and Epaphras are to us in this respect.

May our hearts be expanded, beloved brethren, that these thoughts may energize us in our activities here. Does not the way this psalm finishes up strike a chord in all of our affections?

“Because of the house of Jehovah our God I will seek thy good”. May the Lord bless the word to each of us.

Address at Denton
5 March 2005