THE PATTERN OF THE HOUSE
W. Dickson
David gave this pattern to Solomon and I would connect it with what our brother said as to the vast order of things of which Christ is the Centre. It promotes our worship to ponder the blessed fact that God was the One who thought of that system. He thought of it, and He planned it. In Hebrews 11 we are reminded of Abraham waiting for the city “of which God is the artificer and constructor”. That vast system of things of which Christ is the Centre was not devised by man; man could not have planned it; man had not the insight naturally to plan the system of glory of which Christ is the Centre. And so it says that David had “the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit”. David, great man as he was, did not plan the house; he did not lay out the measurements or indicate where the various parts of the temple were to be; he had it all by the Spirit. God, beloved brethren, made the plan, and He has worked by the Spirit throughout the dispensation to bring everything into conformity to that great divine plan.
So, just to link on with what has been said, at the end of verse 11 first of all it says, “of its upper chambers”; now that is John 20, the upper chambers, that is the ascent by which Solomon went up. Is not that wonderful, beloved brethren? He says, “I ascend to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God” (John 20: 17)—that would be the upper chambers. Then it says, “And of its inner chambers”—that is the access; that is Ephesians 2, “For through him we have both access by one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2: 18); that would be the inner chambers. So there were the upper chambers, the inner chambers, and then “the house of the mercy-seat”. Now that is a most affecting thing, beloved brethren. Our brother spoke of the redemptive work of Christ.
In this vast order of things that God has planned there is a “house of the mercy-seat”, a shrine for the mercy-seat, as if God would say, ‘In this vast order of things that I have planned, of which Christ is the Centre, there is a shrine for the mercy-seat’. What a reminder there is to us of the blood, the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, in that mercy-seat! (See Ephesians 1: 7).
Now the treasuries—our brother has already spoken about these treasuries, about John 12, about Mary—what a treasury she was!—that “pound of ointment of pure nard of great price”; what a treasury Mary was. All was to adorn and fill out the divine system with glory and perfection so that we are captivated with the greatness of the Man who fills it for the divine pleasure. Yet, look at that “house of the mercy-seat”, the shrine for the mercy-seat, and gladly sing—
‘O what a debt we owe
To Him who shed His blood,
And cleansed our souls, and gave us power
To stand before His God!’ (Hymn 303)
May we be elevated in our minds, beloved brethren, in the grace that has given us a part in this glorious order of things. It is for the Father’s pleasure and delight in His beloved Son. The Lord Jesus is the Centre of that vast world of bliss (See Hymn 11, verse 4).
Words in meeting for ministry, Edinburgh
25 June 1985