THE GATES OF ZION
[p. 459] THE GATES OF ZION
Psalm 87:2; Isaiah 28:5,6; Ruth 4:1 - 5
I have in view in reading these passages to speak of gates. It is a subject that begins early in Scripture and has a somewhat wide range, but my thought is to confine my remarks to what we call administration; the gates of a city having that significance. We have reference to both the foundation of a city and its gates; the one is the beginning, and the other the completion of it. The foundation is usually out of sight, but the gates are public and usable actively. We find in Psalm 87 the idea of the foundation: “His foundation is in the mountains of holiness” (Psalm 87:1). It is not the foundation here, but God’s foundation. That thought is taken up in 2 Timothy, as you will remember; the foundation there is not said to be the foundation of the assembly, but God’s foundation: whatever that may be; the idea is that it is God’s and that it is firm. Earth’s foundations are spoken of in this way: “He laid the earth upon its foundations: it shall not be removed for ever”, (Psalm 104:5). What is signified in Psalm 87 is that what God has founded, referring undoubtedly to Zion, is in the mountains of holiness; not only was it a place of strength, but of holiness. The subject is too large to turn aside to it, but it is important to note that the idea of holiness enters into the foundation. The Lord Jesus, we are told, was “marked out Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by resurrection of the dead” (Romans 1:4); not here by resurrection from among the dead, but by resurrection of the dead, and that according to the Spirit of holiness.
The Lord had spoken to His disciples as to the subject of who He was, what men were saying, and when He received an answer to His question. He discerned it to be by revelation of His Father. What an [p. 460] interesting matter it was, dear brethren! They answered, ‘This one says this, and that one says that’. Jesus says, “But ye, who do ye say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15) And the answer came. Undoubtedly the Lord was looking for it as coming from the Father through someone; and what a wide field that introduces us into — what comes from the Father, through human vessels, but nevertheless from the Father. Indeed it is a sort of principle upon which God acts when He would answer a question begotten in our hearts, using one specially selected, so that we discern that it is from the Father. We are to have discernment, therefore, to know that such an answer comes directly from God to our hearts. Perhaps there is not one here who has not had an experience like that.
The Lord inquired of His disciples, “Who do ye say that I am?” And Peter, answering, said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”, (Matthew 16:16). The Lord said, “flesh and blood has not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in the heavens” (Matthew 16:17). The revelation came directly from the Father — “my Father”, He says, “who is in the heavens” (Matthew 16:17). What a moment it was! Although the Lord’s life down here was marked by great moments throughout, this great incident indicates the manner of His relations amongst the disciples. Important things came up constantly, and what occasions they must have been as He would speak with them of many things! John 13 to 17 is the best example we have of this: the Lord was opening up great thoughts to them, and they asked Him questions, too, and expressed difficulties. On this occasion, Simon says, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). And the Lord says, “Blessed art thou”, indicating that if someone has received something from the Father, he is blessed in that sense. What a thought that is to let into our souls! “Blessed are your eyes”, He said, “because they see” (Matthew 13:16). Peter, as thus blessed, is a person of peculiar distinction; so,
[p. 461] indeed, is every true Christian. The saints are dignified by God, especially as receiving communications from Him. We have to remember that, and that the Lord is very much displeased when any disparaging remarks are made about His people. And so He says, “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona” (Matthew 16:17). Simon would never forget, I am sure, that he was called blessed by the Lord Jesus, who gives the reason for it: “for flesh and blood has not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in the heavens” (Matthew 16:17). The answer came that way. Then the Lord says, “And I also, I say unto thee that thou art Peter” (Matthew 16:18); that is to say, he was material — the kind of material Christ needed. The Lord adds, “and on this rock I will build my assembly” (Matthew 16:18). It is there Peter is founded. Where is it? It is in the holy mountains! The Lord Himself is the foundation. That is what Peter confessed Him to be. It is a solid and firm foundation marked by holiness.
Then the verse I read in the Psalm says, “Jehovah loveth the gates of Zion more than all the habitations of Jacob”. Note the word “more”. He loves the habitations of Jacob, but He loves the gates of Zion more. However, He attaches great importance to Jacob’s habitations, and He is resentful as to things there that are not suitable to Him. The Lord said to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation is come to this house, inasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham”, (Luke 19:9). He kept the dignity of the man before Him in mind, but He said, “salvation is come”. The dwellings of Jacob are to be saved. “Thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house” (Acts 16:31). Salvation comes to them as the Lord has His place in our houses. His eye sees everything, including what is unsuitable, and He has power to deal with it, and does, even to the extent of taking away a loved one. In many ways He deals with conditions that are incongruous, for He does love the habitations of Jacob, but, as I said. He loves the gates of Zion more than these.
[p. 462] I want now to dwell on this subject of gates, and in doing so to illustrate how the New Testament is amplified by the Old. What a mine of wealth it is to draw upon! It is most interesting as we get a thought in the New Testament to go to the Old and see it enshrined there! How carefully each thought is set out! The book of Proverbs speaks of a jewel in a swine’s snout; that is, something that is of God in an utterly incongruous setting, but you will never find anything like that in the setting which the Old Testament provides for God’s thoughts. You will find the jewels of God from the New Testament are beautifully set in the Old, and so it speaks of Zion’s gates. The New Testament ends with this thought. There are twelve gates in the heavenly city, and each gate is a pearl. What perfect unity is suggested in them! Then, there is the idea of entrance through the gates, but think of anyone saying, ‘I will go through the gate that suits me: I will not go through that particular gate for something has happened there that I do not like’. The thought before us is the gates of Zion, who will slight any one of those gates? The Lord loves them, especially when the idea of what they stand for is pronounced. And then, as I said, in the heavenly city there are twelve gates, and each one a pearl; the acme of refinement is expressed in them. One might say much about that, too, but I am speaking now of the unity that is suggested in the twelve, and that each gate is the same — one pearl. They are all of the same moral value, and the Lord will not brook any slight being cast upon any one of them. He expects us to regard them as part of the heavenly city, for the gate is that by which we enter, and those who wash their robes have right to the tree of life, and to go in by the gates into the city. It is a question of coming in and going out (see Acts 1:21), and it is instructive to consider how the Spirit of God keeps this before our souls throughout the Scriptures.
[p. 463] In Psalm 127, which is a song of degrees, we read of children in the believer’s household. The songs of degrees are full of interest; they give degrees of ascent, and they include the great idea of the household and the children in it. A point of importance in this particular psalm is, “They shall not be ashamed when they speak with enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127:5). These children have been brought up relative to the testimony. I do not know of anything more interesting, at least from this point of view, than the growth of children in the knowledge of God — in the holy thoughts of God. The songs of degrees include that as one of the leading thoughts, and in connection with it, introduce the idea of conflict — “when they speak with enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127:5). What a thought for parents to have in their minds for their children, that when conflicts arise — and they will arise — that they should know what to do. As has often been remarked, the present is the period of the church militant, and children are to be saved, not only in view of having part in the service of the house, but to have part in the conflicts of the testimony; hence the importance of bringing them up according to Scripture so that they might speak with the enemies in the gate, as knowing what to say to them.
Now, the passage in Isaiah says, “In that day will Jehovah of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the remnant of his people; and for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate”. That is a statement of what the Lord is ready to be to us. It is said in 1 Corinthians 1:30, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who has been made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and holiness, and redemption”. We need Him with us, and how touching it is that He is ready to be these things to us; and further, God has made Him these things to us. So that we are to stand out in this adornment — a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty unto the remnant [p. 464] of His people. We are in remnant times, when people will say contemptible things about us as being of God in this world, and we may be cast away as worthless. That is the kind of treatment the Lord Jesus received, and we must expect the same if we are true to Him; but then, in all this we are dignified, for to the residue of His people in remnant times Christ is a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty.
Then Isaiah 28 says, “for a spirit of judgment”. I do not know of anything more needful today than a spirit of judgment. We are told that we shall judge angels; and the twelve apostles will judge the twelve tribes of Israel in the great period that is coming. What a place we are to have! Do we realise that God has called us into this? He will be for a spirit of judgment to those who sit in judgment. In Israel there were thrones for judgment — “thrones of the house of David” (Psalm 122:5) — seats of judgment. If we sit in judgment, we are to have the spirit of judgment! One often thinks of Jesus in this sense, of whom it says, “they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek”, (Micah 5:1). Think of our blessed Lord standing before those officers who smote Him on the face as if He were nothing, but He was the Judge of Israel! He showed throughout His ministry that He was the Judge of Israel. And then He said to the officers, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me?” (John 18:23). The officers did not mind who Jesus was! They did what they pleased! The Lord was cast out as worthless, and they acted against Him without restraint. That is the treatment the Lord received here, before the Sanhedrim, where the judgment of the high priest was given. Where was the spirit of judgment in all this? Did He not feel it? The Lord did; but the spirit of judgment was there in Him, and He is with all those who truly sit in judgment.
And then, the passage says. He is “for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate”. It is the choice [p. 465] of the battle-ground. Is there a drifting into partisan feeling instead of a true spirit of judgment? Those marked by the spirit of judgment will say that partisan feeling must not enter into this. The very best cause loses ground as soon as it drifts into a partisan matter. Hence those who have the spirit of judgment say, ‘This is God’s matter, and we must get it to the position where true judgment is’. Where there is conflict, the Lord is “for strength” to those who take that course. As soon as you make it God’s matter, then you will meet conflict. The current of natural feelings is against that. The most sorrowful situation is caused by human feelings — feelings against persons — for that is what comes in and the battle is necessary because of that; those who have the spirit of judgment say, ‘It must be a question of what is due to the Lord, or nothing. The battle must be turned to the gate. That is where the true spirit of judgment is’. The Lord will be strength to every brother and sister who is set for that. He is for strength to them that turn the battle — not at the gate, but to it. You know where the gate is. Every spiritual person knows it.
Another painful situation, dear brethren, is that many overlook the fact that the assembly has ears. The assembly is said to have the means of hearing. People often say they knew nothing about a certain difficulty, but why did they not know? If we are in the assembly characteristically, we shall know, for the assembly has ears for things relating to the truth that are current. It says of the work at Antioch, that the report concerning the work there “reached the ears of the assembly which was in Jerusalem” (Acts 11:22). That is a principle. Some lately have ridiculed this word, but the word principle is one of the best words there is as used in divine things. What I have been speaking of is a principle which belongs to the assembly characteristically — that its ears are opened to everything of God that is going on in this world. Our ears are to be opened, and if things that [p. 466] seriously affect the testimony are near our doors and we do not know them, we are very remiss. Sometimes we make our ignorance a virtue. We should not excuse ourselves on the ground of our ignorance. Ignorance in this sense is never a virtue. We are to know, and those who have the spirit of judgment do know — and further, as I said, they know where the gate is. If the battle is to be turned, it is to bring it to the gate. If you get it there you will get true judgment; things will be put right, for the spirit of judgment is there, and those who sit in judgment are there. They will not listen to the voice of persons moved by mere feelings about a brother. My feelings about a brother may be without foundation or worse, showing that they do not belong to the gate; we want evidence — not feelings — for the gate. Judgment there is to be on the principle of, “by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned”, (Matthew 12:37). The gate is where the spirit of judgment is, facts are demanded — concrete evidence in every case. As the Lord Himself says, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil” (John 18:23).
I wish now to go on to the verses we read in the book of Ruth, to give an example of how this all works out, because Scripture does not speak about a matter without giving us an example of it. This little book is written to develop the great line of testimony — the royal line — and in this connection brings in David’s genealogy, for that is the ultimate idea. It is the line of Christ, shown fully in Matthew 1, from Abraham down to David, and through Zorobabel down to Joseph and Mary — the line of Jesus, the royal line; a most interesting subject. In this book of Ruth, which establishes a link in this great chain, an incident is recorded where Ruth holds up her cloak to be filled with barley, and Boaz, who measured it to her, went into the city (Ruth 3:15). It is the commencement of a great matter, and the principal actor in it goes into the city, not [p. 467] consulting this one or that one, and not going into this house or that house; but up to the gate of the city; you will notice it says, “And Boaz went up to the gate, and sat down there”. This affords instruction to us concerning our assembly matters; our care meetings, as we call them, and our assembly meetings. This chapter has such matters in view. Boaz had a great affair in hand. It has now come to a crisis and he goes up to the gate and sits down there. He is not going to do anything in a hurry; not that things should not be done immediately if they are clear, as Mark repeatedly says, “immediately”. But with Boaz there is no undue haste or natural pressure in the deliberation at all.
Then it says the kinsman who had the right of redemption came by. Unto him, Boaz said, “Thou, such an one”. Is it by accident that such a man comes by? No! When we are moving along right lines things will happen such as this, and so the needed brother came along, it was divine ordering. Boaz did not have to seek him or send for him; he is available; and Boaz said to him, “turn aside, sit down here”. Boaz is sitting down and now this man sits down. Then Boaz “took ten men of the elders of the city, and said. Sit down here. And they sat down”. Thus we have twelve men. Are we not now going to get right thoughts and a right decision? Be assured that we are. I am speaking of a most practical thing, and further, God is in this matter. Boaz is not going to take advantage of anyone. Anyone who takes advantage of a brother, or moves secretly to gain his ends, is not approved by God. This is an important matter in which others are considered, and that being so they must be present, and not only so, there must be sufficient testimony also. Matters cannot be settled with the principals absent. A person who is being arraigned should not be absent when judgment is being executed. That is not the spirit of judgment at all, beloved brethren. Let us be truly Christians — men of God who can deal with matters [p. 468] which arise amongst us, so that we might go on with the testimony and not lose the Lord’s presence.
Now listen to what Boaz says, in effect, to this kinsman: ‘You are directly concerned in this matter of which I am thinking, but you have a prior claim; which is an important matter here. I am considering for the testimony of God; it concerns the royal line; it concerns the inheritance of God; it is a matter of raising up the name of the dead’. Now, what is to be done? Everybody concerned, who would have a question to raise in the matter is present. Ruth is not here, but she has no question to raise; her part is all settled. It was a question between herself and Boaz, but there is a kinsman who has a prior claim, and Boaz says, I will not move until this claim is settled. It is a question of the spirit of judgment, of what is right, of what is due to God and to every one involved. The matter can now proceed, so it says, “he took ten men”. They were available. There must be witnesses; and everything must be in the open; and so here are ten men of the city; these with Boaz and the other kinsman, all sitting down — twelve of them. Will they not get help from God? Certainly they will get a right judgment from God. This is a matter that concerns the testimony and everything must be clear as in the light of the sun; as indeed Solomon so beautifully puts it, “Fair as the moon, clear as the sun, terrible as troops with banners” (Song of Songs 6:10). This is what the judgment of God is; indeed, what the assembly is in type. We must not treat with impunity the gates of Zion; the judgment of God is there, and woe be to him that disregards that judgment; it is terrible as troops with banners, but it is fair as the moon and clear as the sun.
These men sit down to hear Boaz, and what a brother he was! He says to this kinsman. You have a right prior to mine. He does not in any way seek to usurp this right. He says to him, “Naomi, who is come back out of the country of Moab, sells the allotment that was our brother Elimelech’s. And I thought I would apprise thee of it and say. Buy it in the presence of the inhabitants, and in the presence of the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem; but if thou wilt not redeem, tell me, that I may know; for there is none to redeem besides thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. And Boaz said. On the day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. And he that had the right of redemption said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance. Redeem thou for thyself what I should redeem, for I cannot redeem it”, Ruth 4:3 - 6. Let me suggest, dear brethren, that Ruth comes into this matter as representing the assembly. The other kinsman apparently could undertake the matter if it were not for Ruth. Many judgments may go through with Ruth left out! Do we consider for the assembly when reaching judgments, or are we in principle leaving Ruth out?
Well now, Boaz says, “thou must buy it also of Ruth”. The assembly must be brought in. The great decisions of Christendom, as I might speak of them, are invariably made without Ruth: they leave the assembly out. Let us think of Ruth in our deliberations, for they are assembly matters. This applies to every matter that comes up in our meetings. It is a question of Ruth, as it were, and as she is brought in, everything is settled. Boaz is the only man that can meet the situation. He would have Ruth, and we must have her, too. That was the point at issue: if the inheritance is to be secured, full place must be given to assembly truth and principles, and that may expose us. If we are not rich enough, or great enough, to make full room for the truth of the assembly, we cannot have the inheritance, she is bound up with it. Let us see, dear brethren, that the assembly is not ignored in matters that have to be adjusted amongst us. We are responsible to hold [p. 470] on to the truth of the assembly; caring for assembly order is of all moment now, and if it be that, then all mere personal feeling must go. I may have to expose myself by owning that I am not rich enough to give up my personal inheritance, or that I cannot redeem without marring my inheritance, but if I value the assembly and recognise the Lord’s rights in connection with it, then everything else must be surrendered so that what is of Himself might prevail, and that all may be done in relation to the spirit of judgment in the gates of Zion. It will be observed that in presenting the matter of the inheritance to the kinsman, Boaz said he must buy it also of Ruth; that is, her claim must be recognised: and then also the name of the dead must — through her, of course — be raised up on his inheritance. That is, all the thoughts attaching to Israel (compare Romans 9:1 - 5) and Israel itself are to be raised up through the remnant. Christ will effect all this.