THE WORD OF GOD
We were occupied yesterday evening in the prayer meeting with the Lord Jesus as our great High Priest. We are very thankful for the service He renders in that way, and we often think of it, and rightly so, in relation to dear brethren who are going through testing circumstances. It may be in their bodies while they are going through illness, sometimes affected in their minds as well, and going through circumstances here that come upon us individually. We prove the service of the Lord Jesus in relation to these things; we prove His sympathy and love and comfort and support. That is a very real thing, and I think it is intended that, as we grow in the knowledge of Himself, we should come to know Him better than we have done before. As the Lord Jesus comes into our circumstances, He would intend that we come to appreciate Him, not only for what He has done, but to appreciate His love. That would produce a desire with us, I think, to be with Him where He is in His circumstances. Thus, as we learn Him, we desire to know Him in His own circumstances, the goal to which we have had reference in our hymn and in our prayer.
In addition to that, I want to speak of the sympathy and interest and love of the Lord Jesus in relation to the word of God. In this section from which we have read, the children of Israel fell because they were “not hearkening to the word”. What was before them as God’s great objective was that they should arrive at God’s rest in the land of Canaan, and enjoy that rest as God intended in His purpose. However, they fell in the wilderness; they lost their way in the testimony.
Now, it would mean for us that we are to be engaged with the word of God as we go through circumstances in the testimony down here, that we should reach through to the purpose of God for us and the enjoyment of a heavenly inheritance – Christ in His own circumstances. So the apostle says “Let us therefore use diligence to enter into that rest, that no one may fall after the same example of not hearkening to the word”. One of the things that was needed in hearkening to the word was that it should be mixed with faith (Heb.4:2). The word needed to be mixed with faith in those who heard, and this is an important thing for us too, that we lay hold of it in faith and believe that the Lord has something for us in it.
The word of God may be very testing at times. It may test us in different ways but it has a very important effect; it is “living and operative” because it comes from God. It is not just some kind of theory or some kind of philosophy, but it is “living and operative”; it has that character in us. It is living in us and it operates in us, and the effect of that would be to induce life in ourselves. And then it goes on to say “and sharper than any two-edged sword, and penetrating to the division of soul and spirit, both of joints and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”. That is, it has a very discerning effect, a penetrating effect “to the division of soul and spirit”. That calls for very fine discernment “both of joints and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”. The reference to “thoughts and intents of the heart” is very important, as it tests our motives. There are the thoughts that come into our minds, but then the intents of the heart involve, you might say, our thoughts before we think them, our motives. So the word of God has that kind of effect as we allow it to have its way with us. Then “there is not a creature unapparent before him”, that is God, “but all things are naked and laid bare to his eyes, with whom we have to do”. A very important aspect of the word of God is that it is not only a word that comes to us, but the effect of it is to lead us into the presence of God. He is the One with whom we have to do, One before whom everything is apparent. The word of God leads us right into His presence if we allow it to have its way.
We may find all that very testing at times, but it is then that we prove the reality of the service of the Lord Jesus as our great High Priest. I think that it is very assuring that He would support us in view of our reaching the end that God has in mind. We go through this world as a wilderness, but we are to reach through into the enjoyment of our heavenly inheritance. We have a “great high priest who has passed through the heavens”; how wonderful that is! He “has passed through the heavens”; think of Him going up through the heavens. He has passed through them and He is sustaining us from that sphere. He has gone that way, He is completely victorious and He will help us to be victorious too.
Now, “let us hold fast the confession. For we have not a high priest not able to sympathise with our infirmities, but tempted in all things in like manner”. The Lord Jesus is fully qualified to serve us. As we come into His presence, His love and sympathy will sustain us. So the apostle says “Let us approach therefore with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and find grace for seasonable help”. We will be encouraged on this line if we allow this to happen. We know that He is ready to serve us, so that we can “approach with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and find grace for seasonable help”. It is all very encouraging, dear brethren.
As we were sitting here before the meeting, I thought of Peter in John chapter 6. There were those who were going away back; they were tested by the Lord’s word at that time. The Lord was graciously opening up the truth, but some were tested and they “went away back and walked no more with him”. The Lord said to the disciples “Will ye also go away?”, John 6:66,67. That would be a challenging word to them, but Peter replies “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast words of life eternal”. Peter knew Jesus as the “holy one of God” (John 6:69); he knew the Lord in this High Priestly character and Peter came to it that there was no one else to go to. The Lord had the answer to everything and was able to give the support that was needed to persons who wanted to follow the path of His will in obedience to His word.
So may we “find grace for seasonable help”; that is, we get grace just at the time when it is needed. What great comfort there is in that, dear brethren, that we get “grace for seasonable help”. We do not get a supply of it, you might say, but it is for seasonable help. The Lord comes in, and He knows just what is needed at that particular time. I think it is very encouraging that we can prove the service of the Lord Jesus as our great High Priest, not only in His love and sympathy in regard to the pressures that we go through, in our illnesses and our circumstances, but also in relation to the testing that may come to us through the word of God.
May the Lord bless the word.
Word in meeting for ministry, Dundee
3 December 2013
J. Strachan