WHAT IS IN THE PLACE
Ernest Palmer
As our brother was speaking this section of John 6 came into my mind, and what impresses me is as to what is available in the place, the very place, where the question is raised. The Lord raises the question that He does when He saw that crowd coming to Him. He raises the question as to place. He says, ''Whence?" where? in addition to raising the question as to the loaves that those who were coming might eat. It seems to me that there is what is adequate in the place where the Lord raises questions to meet the situation, whatever it may be, for the satisfaction of all who are there.
The Lord does not chide anybody. He knew what He was going to do, but He tested out Philip. He selected one - he might be a sample man; it might be any of us; and He raises a question with an individual. Our brother has been speaking about individuals and what has been committed to them and what is available, and the Lord tests out Philip. It is evident that Philip did not carefully listen to what the Lord said because he does not answer in regard to place. He does not say, for example, There is a village just over there; we could go there. He does not say that, but he starts speaking about the cost, how much it was going to cost.
But there was an individual there, a disciple, Andrew, and he did listen. It says, "One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, says to him, There is a little boy here". Here: that is in the locality, beloved. That is in the place where the question is raised. "There is a little boy here": small, perhaps he might have been regarded as rather insignificant, but the great thing is that he had something, and the something that he had is taken up by the Lord Himself and under His hand is sufficient to meet the situation that existed; not only to meet the need but to provide satisfaction for those who came under the touch of what the Lord could do with a little boy having five loaves and two small fishes - complete satisfaction! Moreover there was an overabundance gathered up that could have been available for others, but, in any case, the Lord says, "that nothing may be lost". Where is it worked out? In the locality.
Now, beloved, what potential there is in our own locality! We are gathered here in relation to the locality to which we belong, having a privileged part in the testimony in London. What potential there is! And I say to myself, Can we in simplicity put the little that we may have, under the hand of the Lord, that it may become a satisfying portion for those who are present in the place where the question is raised?
Well, may the Lord help us in this for His Name's sake.
LONDON
19 February 1991
SHADOWS
Eric Burr
Song of Songs 2: 16, 17 (first clause) 4: 6
We sang, as our beloved brother reminded us, a hymn that refers to waiting, and in both these scriptures there are persons waiting. They are waiting until the day dawn, and I suppose it would be right to say that that is what we are waiting for. At the preaching here on Lord's day our brother who served spoke from Isaiah 21: "Watchman, what of the night? ... The morning cometh"; and, beloved, the day will dawn - "until the day dawn" (vv 11,12).
In both these scriptures persons are occupied until the day dawns, but at the same time there are shadows. Not all the shadows in Scripture are, as you might say, unfavourable. We frequently think of shadows as unfavourable, but they are not all unfavourable. There is "the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land", Isa 32: 2. What could be more favourable than that? And when Peter was here his shadow benefited people (see Acts 5: 15). Not all the shadows are unfavourable, and I say to the brethren that not all the shadows that come into your life are unfavourable.
There are other instances where persons are in shadows and favourable things happen to them. We had, referring again to that preaching: "they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them light hath shone", Isa 9: 2. And that blessed verse in the twenty-third Psalm: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me" (v 4). As I say, not all the shadows that come upon us are unfavourable; even when we are in the shadows, favourable things can happen.
But I was reflecting, as one thinks and hears of things current among the saints at the present time, that there are many shadows, many, many shadows. We have the shadow of death. A beloved brother, long known among us, was taken to be with Christ, and it leaves a shadow for the moment. For him it is much better. For him the day has dawned, the shadows have gone; but there is a shadow left. And there are instances of very grave sickness amongst us, and they cast a shadow, do they not? Ask yourself: do they cast a shadow over you or do you not mind? Do you think, Well, these things happen to somebody else, or these things happen to everybody? But when they happen in a company which walks in the light of the body of Christ, the shadow falls on everybody. And we hear of others suddenly taken sick, taken to hospital, taken into circumstances from which they may not see the light again: the shadow falls. And shadows of other kinds fall: the shadow of sickness comes upon us and it hinders us. We cannot do as we once would. We feel like Peter: "when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee and bring thee where thou dost not desire" John 21: 18. There is a shadow. You think of younger brethren too: everything seems all right, making arrangements for their lives and that kind of thing, and the shadow of unemployment falls. That shadow can fall in five minutes. The hardness of the commercial and industrial world at the moment is savage, and the shadow is there.
I believe, beloved, that we should take account of these things, of the shadows that come upon us and come upon our brethren, because one thing that is intended is that they should sober us. You would always expect a Christian to be happy, but you can be happy and sober. You would not expect a Christian to be frivolous, and shadows are intended to cut at the root of frivolity among us. Because there are frivolous things that happen, and we know it. They are spoken about quietly and they are not ministered about, but there are frivolous things that happen. The shadow falls, and we do well to take account of this because these things are arranged of the Lord. But the shadow may fall here and there. If it does not fall directly across you it will fall across somebody that you know, and you are in the body, the body of Christ, and you are intended to feel it. You would not need to think far round the brethren with whom you walk in this city to be able to count shadows, would you? There is a scripture that I have been familiar with: "The heart knoweth its own bitterness" - the heart knows where the shadow falls - "a stranger doth not intermeddle with its joy", Prov 14: 10. But the shadow is there. One of the poets says, 'Our sincerest laughter with some pain is fraught', and it is true.
In these two scriptures persons are occupied in the time of the shadows. The day has not come. It is "until the day dawn". What are you going to do? You are going to have the shadows all the time. It says, "Until the day dawn, and the shadows flee away". The shadows will remain and we shall not complete our course under the Lord's hand without shadows, and unexpected shadows, falling upon us.
I refer to the second scripture first because in the first scripture the one we speak of as the spouse is speaking. In the second scripture the Beloved is speaking, and He says, "Until the day dawn, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, And to the hill of frankincense". The brethren have had opportunity of reading the address given by our brother as to suffering love (see 'A Word In Its Season', No.215). "I will get me to the mountain of myrrh": that is where the Lord is, from one point of view, at the present time. There is nothing that happens among His people which He Himself does not feel. He may allow it, but He Himself feels it; in that place where He can still carry the feelings of suffering love in relation to His body and His saints, He is there. Until the shadows go, He is there: "I will get me to the mountain of myrrh". If you feel the shadows coming over your life, if you feel the shadows coming near to you, remember this: the Lord Himself is in the mountain of myrrh. He is there feeling every suffering that you feel, that any of His people feel. He is there in the mountain of myrrh. And the hill of frankincense: that is · to say that, until the shadows flee away, He is in the place where there is this liberated fragrance for God. He is there, and until the shadows flee away He will be there. He does not give up this position. In fact, if you read on in this chapter, He invites His spouse to come with Him into such circumstances as those, but until the shadows flee away He is in the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense.
In chapter 2 where I read - "My beloved is mine, and I am his; He feedeth his flock among the lilies" - it is the spouse speaking. It is not the Bridegroom speaking; it is the spouse: " Until the day dawn and the shadows flee away". "My beloved is mine, and I am his" - what blessedness that is! The hymn says,
'Oh, I am my Beloved's,
And my Beloved's mine;
He brings me 'neath love's banner,
Into His house of wine'.
But, beloved, "My beloved is mine and I am his" - that is union with Christ - "He feedeth his flock among the lilies": right through the time of shadows He is feeding His flock there. He is feeding them in what almost speaks of a place of ideal purity. "He feedeth his flock among the lilies, Until the day dawn, and the shadows flee away". Have you realised that? Do you realise that in the circumstances the Lord has allowed for you where a shadow that you would never have foreseen falls across you? It is not that the sun is behind you and casting your shadow. It is a shadow that the Lord allows in His dealings with you, His care for you, His affection for you, and He feeds you in that time: He feeds you in this area of complete and holy purity. What a place to be in! A day will come when the shadows have actually all gone. They have not gone yet. Very few of us have been through circumstances that were shadowed and then felt that the shadows had all gone, because the Lord, as it were, leaves the trace of the experience with us, and we carry it on. But think of what one of these old poets said:
'In that holiness unsullied,
I shall walk with Him'.
That is, He feeds His flock among the lilies, and, in those circumstances, 'I shall walk with Him'. Beloved, "Until the day dawn, and the shadows flee away" He will be there. It is no question whether I have a pure heart or whether I am seeking to purify my heart. The fact is the Lord will take me into that area of unsullied purity where, above all, I can learn undistractedly what the shadows are meant for.
Well, beloved, there are many shadows amongst us at the present time. You never know when you go home that the telephone might ring and you will hear of something else. Any day someone will ring up, Sorry it is so late in the day to ring you but have you heard ... ?: and there is another shadow. But the Lord is there still in that place of suffering love and free fragrance for God, and He is leading us in an area of unsullied purity where we may learn with Him and walk with Him. Well, may we be helped, for His Name's sake.
LONDON
23 April 1991