2 CHRONICLES 3 (NOTES OF A READING)
2 CHRONICLES 3 (NOTES OF A READING)
CAC Solomon is now seen moving in the light that was given to his father David. We noticed in the first chapter how he lost ground by not regarding the spiritual light which had been given; but now he moves in the divine light as we all need to do, and he recognises the principle that everything connected with the house must stand in the sovereignty of mercy.
Ques You are referring to mount Moriah and the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite (verse 1)?
CAC Yes, it was in the sovereignty of mercy that God indicated the place where the house should be built. It was when everything had broken down, and David himself completely. And in like manner the christian profession has broken down, but the sovereignty of divine mercy remains and that will not fail; and that is the fundamental principle of the house of God, that it stands in the sovereignty of mercy.
Ques Is there moral significance in commencing “on the second of the second month”, on the line of the second being established? (verse 2). All other is discarded.
CAC That is very good. So you get the thought of Solomon’s foundation. “This was Solomon’s foundation for ... the house of God” (verse 3). We come to something that is going to stand. If the principle of sovereign mercy is accounted as the basis of everything, we have a foundation that cannot be shaken. “This was Solomon’s foundation” it says, which apparently applies to all that he did; the whole structure as set up by Solomon was marked by this foundational feature.
Rem The foundation of the Lord’s house is established in the mountains of holiness (Psalm 87: 1).
CAC Quite so. So that whatever may be done constructively in relation to the house of God today must conform to God’s foundation.
Ques Are you referring to the work in the saints?
CAC I think the thoughts are blended. These thoughts are very prominent in the closing chapters of the first book; we see that Solomon is typical of the Son who builds, and I think he also may be regarded as representing the saints who come to the truth of what is the mind of God regarding His house.
Rem The foundation of the house stands sure.
CAC It even remains in difficult times. Paul says, “As a wise architect, I have laid the foundation” (1 Corinthians 3: 10), and the saints are “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the corner-stone” (Ephesians 2: 20). It is at the beginning and is also found at the end. So that is the importance here, that the foundation is found in remnant times — difficult times, such as we are living in now. It is a great thought for the soul to get hold of at the present time, the thought of the foundation. It is the whole of divine teaching. We come to what is in the mind of God; Solomon does in this chapter, and apparently all that he does is covered by, “This was Solomon’s foundation”; that is, it is to be taken morally, it is to be taken symbolically, and covers all.
Ques Will you say a word as to mount Moriah?
CAC It is the principle of things being shown by Jehovah. They will be permanent, not subject to modification or change, for it remains. The place of sacrifice was shown by Jehovah.
Rem It is based on sacrifice.
CAC It must be so. What is to stand must have a sacrificial basis. It is sovereign mercy that reaches us in connection with sacrifice.
Rem It was in the fourth year of his reign that Solomon began to build.
CAC It suggests that Solomon, like most of us, lost time by not paying serious attention to the divine light given. Time lost can never be regained, it is lost.
Rem It is the exercise of a good many of us. There is the side that Christ is the Builder, but it is also for us to arrive at the point.
CAC Yes, and I think that is how the Spirit of God would have us take it up. The house is formed through our taking up the exercise. Christ is the Builder, but He does not do it apart from those who compose the house. Here we have the outline of God’s making a house to express Himself to men, but looking does not do it; it has to be done through the Spirit. It is the work of the glorified Christ, but it is really done down here. It is a continuous and permanent exercise.
Rem “In whom all the building fitted together increases to a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2: 21). It is a continuous thought. And it is “for a habitation of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2: 22).
CAC Yes, and there is the thought of increase. There is the great thought that God desires to have a dwelling place here on earth where He can be expressed to men in the fulness of His grace. That is the primary thought of God.
Rem So Christ is the expression of it.
CAC It was expressed when the Son was here upon earth because His body was the temple, and there was the full declaration of God to men. It was begun in the Son incarnate, but that was extended in the saints. It is to be expressed in man, to men.
Ques Would the threshing-floor suggest the precious separated from the vile? Suffering is suggested — David said, “In my affliction I have prepared ...” (1 Chronicles 22: 14).
CAC Yes, I thought so. David had to learn to judge the self-importance that desired Israel to be numbered, and he came under judgment on account of it, so nothing remained for him but sovereign mercy, and that is indicated by the threshing-floor. David had gone through the threshing-floor himself, that is, the process.
Ques Did Paul go through it?
CAC Yes, it was all on the principle of separating what is of the flesh from what is of the Spirit, so that there is a pure product and the wheat is preserved in its own character, separate from the chaff. It all enters into it.
Ques What is “the first measure” (verse 3)9 That which is from the beginning. We have to learn the proportion in which things stand; they stand in certain definite proportion. It is the first instructions that we have to learn. There are certain things that correspond and stand in definite proportion to each other.
Ques Will you explain the proportion in these divine principles?
CAC I think we have seen before that the porch sets forth God’s approach to men in the glad tidings, the most prominent public feature of the house.
Rem That too began in Christ personally.
CAC Yes, of course, but then it has been extended. It was greatly extended when the Spirit came down on the one hundred and twenty at Pentecost. Instead of one Man, there were one hundred and twenty of them, all to express what God is to men, and it has been extended ever since. What is set forth in the porch is measured by what was in the holiest and by the altar.
Rem The apostles recognised that the proportion had been destroyed by Judas and restored it before Pentecost.
CAC Yes, they understood they were to be extended in the assembly. An extension from the temple is the house of the most holy place. It sets forth the most intense degree of divine holiness. There could not be anything more intensely holy than ‘the holiest’. We find that the measurements of the most holy place are precisely the dimensions of the altar. If God had not been glorified in the altar about sin to the full dimensions of His glory and holiness, how could He present Himself in grace to men?
Ques Is it in view of response in that measure?
CAC Yes, ultimately. The greatest thought is God coming out, that must be the greatest thought. Whatever conception we may form of the holiness of God, it is essential to His house that we should have an intense conception of it. Where He dwells, He must dwell in holiness. Christendom has little understanding of holiness; it is the great lack, and therefore it has no thought of the house.
Now we are privileged to learn it in the most holy place. It is learnt there in the most holy place of all, where it is possible to know it. We learn not only righteousness but holiness in the death of Christ; it is a more profound thing than righteousness for it is connected with the very nature of God; righteousness is one of the attributes of God. The altar is called ‘holiness of holinesses’ in Exodus (see Exodus 26: 33 footnote c), and the “holy of holies” is named the same as the altar (see Exodus 29: 37), ‘holiness of holinesses’, speaking of the intense holiness of God. The Spirit of God would have us consider God’s intense abhorrence of sin; if you get the fullest setting forth of divine holiness in the holy of holies, you get the full setting forth of that holiness in the altar where holiness is glorified.
Now that is the God who dwells in His house. So that all that God is as known in the altar and the holiest corresponds with how He is known to men in the glad tidings. If we were true in what we sang:
‘We boast in Thee, Thou source of good,
Thy glory fills our sight’, (35:3)
well, that is a glory of infinite holiness. I think more should be said of holiness in the gospel. It is not for me to suggest it, but I think holiness should be more preached in the gospel. Paul says, “According to the Spirit of holiness”. He begins Romans with it (chapter 1: 4), which is the great gospel treatise. There are three things spoken of by the same form of words, ‘holiness of holinesses’: “the most holy place” (Exodus 26:33), “the altar” (Exodus 29: 37) and “the incense” (Exodus 30:36) are all designated by that remarkable expression.
The great lack today is holiness. Someone said to me this week, ‘What is needed is more love’. I said, ‘What is needed today is more holiness’! And it enters into the presentation of the glad tidings. The great elevation of the porch, which was one hundred and twenty cubits while the rest of the building was thirty cubits, would indicate the great prominence God would give of Himself in all His holiness in the representation of Himself in grace. I do not think we have a true sense of grace if we do not see it connected with holiness. “Every one that has this hope in him purifies himself” (1 John 3: 3) — that is the thought of holiness.
Rem The Lord addresses Philadelphia as “the holy”, and in the same passage, lower down, “a pillar in the temple” is mentioned (Revelation 3: 12).
CAC Philadelphia exactly fits in here. None of us will be true Philadelphians if we do not take in this instruction in 2 Chronicles 3. Holiness is concentrated for us in the holy of holies. There is a whole mountain of holiness which is a thought of vastness concentrated there, and God’s foundation is in the mountains of holiness (Psalm 87: 1). God could not disregard His nature; how could He! All this teaching is very fundamental. The porch was overlaid with pure gold; indeed, every part of the house was overlaid, but the porch particularly is overlaid with pure gold (verse 4).
Ques How do you connect the building with pure gold?
CAC In that things can only be effectively presented by those in whom the work of the Spirit has been matured. The gold in this chapter would be best represented in one word, that is ‘spirituality’, meaning that one is formed in the divine nature. The great point in this chapter is what is overlaid; it is the overlaying that is stressed, not the substance overlaid, so you get no cedar in this chapter, no olive-wood and no stones for building. The only material mentioned is the cypress-wood. All this is to be considered carefully.
The “greater house” seems to indicate that the thing is extended. As we move outward there is great extension. The thought of extension runs through all the Lord’s parables. You see in the holy place there were two things connected with the testimony: the table of shewbread and the candlestick. There is the thought of extension with both of them. The shewbread might be said to be the extension of Christ in the saints under the eye of God for His pleasure. And so with the candlestick. The Lord could say, “I am the light of the world” (John 8: 12): that is only one branch, now there are seven candlesticks. There is great extension of the light in the church.
Ques What is there distinctive about the cypress-wood?
CAC The Spirit rather discounts the thought of excellency in the material covered in order to emphasise the surpassing excellence of the covering material; whereas the thought of cedar-wood is prominence in things.
Ques What is the distinction between pure gold and fine gold? Some things are overlaid with one and some with the other.
CAC Is it not to call attention to the surpassing excellence of what God can bring out in men? Cypress-wood is typical of men that God can make such wonderful use of: men — that class of being. Man was an object of great consideration to God, “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1: 26). We have this great dignity, and God can do more with you and me than He could with the angels in heaven, for He can make the saints express Himself. And the work of covering with gold is going on this very minute, since it goes on after the Spirit is received. The greatest part goes on after He is received, namely, the development of the divine nature in the saint, which I think is the covering of gold.
Ques Is fine gold connected with the saints or with Christ?
CAC I am not sure that we can connect this covering with Christ, for if you allow me to put it, He was solid gold! It is what God could do in men; not exactly what He can do with Christ; of course, all is perfect with Him.
Rem “We also are men of like passions with you”, the apostles said (Acts 14: 15).
CAC That is the point, “I myself am a man” (Acts 10: 26): Saul saw a man named Ananias coming in (Acts 9: 12). It is a great thing for us to understand what it is to be a man. We must not hurry over this wonderful instruction; it is something to ponder. God can take up men and introduce a formative power by the Spirit, which is operating now, so there should be a little more gold on me this year than last. That, beloved brethren, is God’s great intention: that He should be suitably expressed at the present time in His house in this world — not in heaven — to bring men out in an entirely new character as formed by the Spirit. God must have men.