Peter Buchan
THE FEAR OF GOD
I was affected by the word our brother has given us about the fear of God and I thought of the result of committal at the end of this dispensation: we are approaching it and we would be in keeping with it with God's fear upon us. I thought especially of Ezra and Nehemiah and these brethren. Ezra 9 verse showed their feeling at what they were going through. Their exercises were very real. They were released from the captivity, brought back to Jerusalem, but they were going through difficulties. They found among the brethren unfaithfulness. And Ezra is a brother, so afflicted that he goes down on his knees and rends his garments. He feels out of keeping. How could he speak to God? He cannot look up and there he is in the reality of the state of things. Now, dear brethren, I am using him as one of ourselves. The need is great of being in keeping with the time: it is the time of the evening oblation. We are approaching the end of the dispensation and may speak about it as the time of the evening oblation. At that time Ezra is thinking of something for God in keeping with what He has done for us. We think of our Lord Jesus. We sang that hymn:
Hail! Thou once despised Jesus (Hymn 28).
He is still rejected, not wanted, but some of us love Him and want to do what is right to Him. These persons here were in such a condition of things at the evening oblation, "I arose up from my humiliation" - that is what he was burdened about - "and with my mantle and my garment rent, I fell on my knees, and spread out my hands to Jehovah my God". It shows the reality of what he went through and it applies currently, that we should do what is right, be more committed to divine things because the Lord's coming is near.
I did not read it all but some parts of this chapter are very good. He says, "And now for a little space there hath been favour from Jehovah our God". That, dear brethren, is a feeling we have, some sense that God is setting us to go on, to be more devoted, more committed. Then he says, "to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage." That is what I was thinking of, "a little reviving", and that is what we want. We have to have concern about certain things happening among us; at the same time, there would be "a little reviving". We thank God for that.
That is why I thought about Daniel. He felt the condition. Daniel was one of these men of the captivity; what a service he has done; he went through certain things and he was concerned about the reviving. We have just spoken about Ezra and Nehemiah. They were persons who came over to Jerusalem out of captivity, but here was the kind of man who prayed about it: "Incline thine ear, O my God, and hear; open thine eyes and behold our desolation, and the city that is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee because of our righteousness" - do not do that for our righteousnesses - "but because of thy manifold mercies". We are thankful for it. And he goes on, "Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, hearken and do! Defer not, for thine own sake, 0 my God! for thy city and thy people are called by thy name". That is how he is praying. The brethren know how I am limited to pray sometimes nowadays, but here we get the feelings, priestly feelings. "And whilst I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people" - persons are taking the blame and that is a good thing to do, take the blame because we are guilty for it. We have lost so many brethren. As he was speaking in this way, confessing his sin and the sins of his brethren, the man Gabriel comes and says, "for thou art one greatly beloved". Oh, I love this thought that He loves us and He keeps us. May blessing result from it, in the name of the Lord Jesus!
KIRKCALDY
22 July 1997
(Revised but not by Mr Buchan. This is the last time he spoke in such a meeting)