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AN OUTLINE OF THE MASCHIL PSALMS - PSALM 52 (5), 53 (6), 54 (7), 55 (8)

CAC The general thought that has been before us in reading these Maschil psalms is that we find in them conditions in which the people and the testimony of God will be found in ^[p. 509] the last days. They are given by the Spirit of God to be a support for faith and for love in the last days before the kingdom is established. It is noticeable that very few of the Psalms and very little scripture is occupied with the kingdom as actually established. The greater part of the Scriptures, including the Psalms, is occupied with exercises and experiences, the sufferings and triumphs of the people of God in days when evil has outwardly the upper hand, and the kingdom is in anticipation.

In the four psalms read tonight we come to the conditions in the presence of which the testimony is to be maintained — faith is the resource. No doubt in principle we have to go through the same exercises as the instructed ones in Israel; it is necessary for us to be wise as it will be for them. It is very important to be instructed so that we take up the testimony of God in an intelligent way. If we have appreciated Christ and what stands in relation to Him according to Psalm 45, we have now to learn in Psalm 52 that we are face to face with the most deadly opposition. The mighty man in verse 1 is in deadly opposition to the people of God. No doubt the psalm refers to Doeg the Edomite; he represents the man that serves the flesh. He was Saul’s chief servant, the man who ministers to the flesh. He had no appreciation of God’s anointed, and was ready to kill that which had holy and priestly character — he slew eighty-five persons wearing the linen ephod; 1 Samuel 22. He was ready to kill the priests. We are face to face with that mighty man.

In Psalm 45 we have learnt the excellence of Christ; God fills our hearts with composition concerning Him. He excels every other man, and everything glorious stands connected with Him. Now antichrist is dead against that, and we are morally in the times of antichrist “even now”, 1 John 2: 18. We are in the presence of many antichrists, though the personal antichrist has not yet come. What will keep us in presence of the mighty man? There is a mighty man here in deadly opposition to God’s anointed, and to everything that is holy and priestly in character. How are we to be sustained? The way the Lord would sustain us is by making us green olive trees in His house. Nothing short of being spiritual men and women will do in a day like this. An olive tree suggests a spiritual man bearing spiritual fruit; and there is freshness, a green olive tree. He is not a visitor to the house, he is planted there in the soil of God’s loving-kindness. The place in which ^[p. 510] to grow and be fruitful is the soil of God’s loving-kindness in God’s house. We see the contrast in Psalm 37: 35, “the wicked ... spreading like a green tree in its native soil”. That refers to antichrist, who is the full expression of what man can be as growing in his native soil, as growing up from what he can be for himself. The air is full of the spirit of antichrist now, what man can be for himself; what will meet that? Only the character of the spiritual man and woman who are drawing everything from God’s loving-kindness and proving what He can be for men. It is men living as Christ did in absolute dependence and trust. Christ proved at every step what God can be for men; He was the green olive tree, but every saint can be one. The very ground that the house stands on is God’s loving-kindness.

In the exercises of Psalm 51 we learn the loving-kindness of God. Psalm 45, which is full of Christ and the product of the work of God, necessitates the exercises of Psalm 51, because the more I appreciate Christ, the deeper down I have to go in self-judgment, and there is no deeper exercise in self-judgment than Psalm 51. God does not let anyone off that exercise, but it is in it we learn the loving-kindness of God. There is a man in Psalm 51 full of failure, not only what he has done but what he is, but he learns that the loving-kindness of God can be counted on in the lowest depths; and if it can be counted on there it can be anywhere. Our knowledge of God’s loving-kindness is measured by our self-judgment. Peter had to learn what he was capable of, and we all have to; it is a fixed principle with God that we must. Peter did not believe what God said; and the psalmist had probably written many psalms before this, and now he has to go this way that he might learn God and justify Him, so he says, “that thou mayest be justified”. A spiritual man is one who has appreciation of Christ and is self-judged. If you put Psalm 45 and Psalm 51 together you get the two sides of a spiritual man — a great appreciation of Christ and deep self-judgment. All the wise have to learn these lessons. I do not mean that we have to commit a great sin to learn it; that is not the deepest way of learning it. We can learn it in the presence of God, and it is to teach us the loving-kindness of God. The text of Psalm 52 is verse 1, “The loving-kindness of God abideth continually”, and verse 8, “I will confide in the loving-kindness of God for ever and ever”. That is the confidence of ^[p. 511] the soul.

Ques How would you distinguish between loving-kindness and love?

CAC The loving-kindness of God comes out in relation to conditions in which His people are found. It is a beautiful word, often translated ‘mercy’, but it is really desire or ardour. It indicates the warmth of God’s disposition towards men that He would delight to be their resource, to be their support in spite of the creature’s sin. His love is behind it, but it is more how He would put Himself at our disposal; He is so kindly and tenderly disposed to men — we should be planted in that. The appreciation of Christ deepens self-judgment and confidence in the loving-kindness of God, then you have a green olive tree in the presence of antichrist. This psalm will be fulfilled in the presence of antichrist, but it can be anticipated now. There are no half measures; we are either growing in our own native soil or planted in the house of Jehovah.

Rem “Abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house”, Psalm 36: 8.

CAC Yes. “How precious is thy loving-kindness, O God! So the sons of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings” (verse 7). That is one of the most beautiful scriptures one could have. The sons of men can come right up to the mercy-seat and put their trust in the wings of Jehovah, and God is so known as the Source of everything that “they shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house”.

No doubt David went through the experiences that qualified him to be a vessel for God to use; but in principle these psalms apply to us. Without this instruction we cannot stand before the power of antichrist that makes everything of man grown out of his native soil. In the testimony of God the only thing of account is a green olive tree in the house of God, a man who confides in the loving-kindness of God continually.

It is in presence of a Man fairer than the children of men that we learn to judge ourselves. Then we find in Psalm 52, in contrast to the mighty man who grows out of his own soil, the spiritual man, beautifully designated a green olive tree in the house of God, trusting in the loving-kindness of God, drawing everything from God, proving what God can be for man — just as Christ did.

In the next psalm, Psalm 53, we find the universal condition of man is brought to light. Men universally are in such a condition ^[p. 512] that every influence that emanates from them tends to eat up the people. “Eating up my people as they eat bread” (verse 4) is the character of the influence that emanates from men; it is destructive and pernicious, and it accounts for the captivity of the people of God; they have come under the influence of things that emanate from men. There is a necessity for the captivity to be turned (verse 6). Every one of us has known what it is to come under the influence of what emanates from men; it is a spiritual captivity, and there is a necessity for it to be turned and for salvation to come out of Zion. We all need this experience.

Ques Do you mean the teachings of men?

CAC I was thinking of all influences which have ended in the captivity of the people of God. They began before the apostles left the scene, they come from men, not from God, and the result is that the whole Christian profession has come into captivity. Just what happened to Israel has happened to the Christian profession, so in sovereign mercy we must be delivered from all that emanates from men. If our joy is not full it is because there is some element of captivity about us. There is a great element about many of us; we are governed inwardly and it affects us outwardly; we can see an amount of outward captivity and we want deliverance in our spirits. “Salvations” (see footnote to N.T.) come out of Zion. In sovereign mercy (Zion speaks of that) God calls attention to something in our walk, or ways, or spirit, or service, or religious associations that is not Himself but emanates from men. God calls attention to it so that salvations may come in one after another to set us free. God will turn the captivity of Jacob and Israel; He has been turning our captivity for the last hundred years so that there might be profound joy in our hearts. We cannot have it unless we have the salvations out of Zion.

Ques Is that why our meetings sometimes lack joy?

CAC Yes. If there were more spiritual joy, what a spring there would be! The great point in the next psalm, Psalm 54, is the freewill offering and praise; priestly service is carried on. No power of the enemy can hinder that, but, if we have not power through the captivity being turned, we are not free for service.

Rem Paul in Philippians 3 was free.

CAC Yes. “We are the circumcision, who worship by ^[p. 513] the Spirit of God, and boast in Christ Jesus”. That is like Psalm 54. There is a man there whose captivity has been perfectly turned; salvation has liberated him from everything. Now these things are essential for the wise, we have to take them up in personal exercise and spiritual power.

In Psalm 54: 6 the point reached is, “I will freely sacrifice”, or, ‘sacrifice a free-will offering’. “I will praise thy name, O Jehovah, because it is good”. The power of the enemy is set to hinder God from getting His portion; there is violence on the enemy’s part. Our brethren, the remnant, will have to suffer that in a terrible degree, and we may yet have to. In recent years the enemy has sought to hinder by violent intrusion, and we may have more of it; we ought to be prepared to face the possibility of the enemy being allowed to hinder in that way. Before the church goes she may have to pass through exercises that will qualify her to sympathise with suffering brethren of the time to come.

Ques Do you mean outwardly?

CAC Yes. Satan will do anything to interfere with the service of God. But I think we have to remember that the service of God is never to cease in the darkest and direst time of the great tribulation; and the service is to go on now. We have to think of the dignity, the holy privilege of being allowed to stand by night in the house of God, and carry on His service and lift up our hands. We ought to think more of God’s service; we are often thinking of our blessing instead of the sacrifice of praise. I think all these things are like the sap of the olive tree; they are the activities of the Spirit of Christ. The enemy is bringing pressure to bear so that the service of God may be hindered. Have you not noticed on Lord’s day morning how something will happen to upset your spirit? Satan would like that, and we have to see to it that we do not succumb to his efforts.

Ques In what sense is praise sacrifice?

CAC It is bringing before God what He finds delight in, bringing Christ before Him. Even in our private devotions we ought to think of it; we are so much on the line of our need. I find I go to pray, and one thing after another comes in in connection with my need, and state of soul, and service, and time goes on and I have to pull myself up and say, Is there to be nothing for God, all for me? I begin to think I must have a sacrifice, and I think what I can say to God about ^[p. 514] Christ; then one taps the spring of divine power and joy, one passes over to what is sacrificial. The service of God is connected with magnifying Him in presence of all that He has disclosed Himself to be. The enemy would like to bring some influence to stop that. Why are there so many silent brothers? The enemy cannot destroy, but he knows that if he stops the service of God he practically destroys, and the wise have to learn not to allow the service to be stopped from any source. It is our highest privilege, and it is that in which the glory of God is bound up. The glory of the assembly is that it is a shrine for God’s glory. In touching the blessedness of the house of God there would be a great impulse. We are weak because in private prayer every day there is so little praise; but the joy of captivity being turned would lead to delight in God and there would be more praise. What an extraordinary thing it is to forget our exercises and allow our hearts to dwell adoringly on the loving-kindness of God, and on the beauties and perfections of Christ! If we did this in private what would it be when the assembly came together! One can hardly imagine it.

The next psalm, Psalm 55, is the deepest exercise of all in one sense; it is the exercise of church troubles, which come from inside. Many here tonight can bear witness that they have gone through deeper sorrow and exercise about church troubles than anything else. Did you ever wish you had wings like a dove to fly away and be at rest? All these troubles are what you get in the city (verse 9) — see also verses 10 and 11. They are assembly troubles. The remnant will have internal troubles in the day to come which in one sense will be worse than the outward. “For it is not an enemy that hath reproached me — then could I have borne it; neither is it he that hateth me that hath magnified himself against me — then would I have hidden myself from him; But it was thou, a man mine equal, mine intimate, my familiar friend ... We who held sweet intercourse together. To the house of God we walked amid the throng” (verses 12 - 14). It is the brethren who have failed you, and that is the keenest sorrow of all — many could bear witness that they have gone through sleepless nights over this, more than they did over anything else. We get the remedy in verses 22 and 23 — confidence in God.

The psalm refers to the time of Absalom’s rebellion when he stole the hearts of the people. A plausible, flattering tongue ^[p. 515] was exercising an influence among the people of God, contrary to the truth of God. Probably Ahithophel was the familiar friend. We meet this sometimes; a man we consider as one enquiring of the word of God and speaking as an oracle — and yet he fails and becomes an adversary. What a grief! A most weighty brother and yet he has failed us! We have to be prepared for these things; they belong to the exercise of the last days. We have to be prepared for trouble “in the city” and “in the midst”; and we have to be prepared for the defection of brethren who have helped us and given us the counsel of God. What can we do? “Cast thy burden on Jehovah, and he will sustain thee: he will never suffer the righteous to be moved ... as for me, I will confide in thee” (verses 22, 23). That gives comfort and encouragement. We have to learn the lesson of confidence in God, He will never allow the righteous to be moved; they will be carried through every church trouble and escape the influence of Ahithophel; they will be carried right through.

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