SPIRITUAL CONTEMPLATION
[p. 123] SPIRITUAL CONTEMPLATION
Exodus 3:1 - 6; John 1: 14; 1 John 1: 1 - 3
I wish to speak at this time, dear brethren, about spiritual contemplation, believing that it is a real need among us; especially among young believers, the ability to sit down as illustrated in Mary of Bethany is comparatively rare. In the Canticles the female speaker says, “In his shadow have I rapture and sit down”. Song of Songs 2:3 Sitting down from this point of view, is a posture in which we can contemplate to advantage. Unless we acquire the habit as believers we shall not shine for Christ, for we shall not take in nor absorb something presented objectively which is seen in Christ. We all know the influence of atmosphere, how it affects us extremely, how particularly in inanimate things, the influence of environment gives character to them, as for instance, a flower. “Consider the lilies”, says the Lord, “how they grow”. Luke 12:27 They grow in an environment provided — “they toil not, they spin not; and yet ... Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these”. Yet they also have to be nourished from the earth, and so it is, dear brethren, that we receive from the earth, for we are to take root downward and bear fruit upward. The king himself lives of the field; that emphasises that we eat, for in that wonderful description of creation in Psalm 104, one of the many wonderful things we eat is bread to strengthen man’s heart and wine to gladden it. These have to be assimilated, so that in taking in the word, as Jeremiah did, he said, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them”. Jeremiah 15:16 Ezekiel, too, ate the roll. In eating the word thus it becomes, as it were, ourselves, as when the Lord says, I am “Altogether that which I also say to you”. John 8:25 There is this, beloved brethren, that we [p. 124] take in by our own act, and the effect of the external environment which is prepared of God in Christ in heaven. Now for these things we require to sit down; we require, too, the habit of sitting down in a special sense, and so I refer to the passage in Exodus, not that Moses sat down there, for the Old Testament is not the time of sitting down but rather standing. Our Lord Jesus Christ has led the way in sitting as in all else, but Moses turned aside to contemplate. I want young ones to take notice of this particularly. We come to meetings, and it is wonderful the provision God makes for us; they are a divine provision, but after the meeting is over we are tested. In many instances that which came into the soul and mind is lost ere we leave the room, but the idea is that we should retain it for an opportunity to sit down and contemplate. Now you see Moses came to Horeb, the mount of God, an excellent position. It is well to come to hear from God, it is well to be there. It is to Moses’ credit that he led the sheep there, and that he came to the mount of God, as it is to ours as we draw near to hear the word of God, for ministry is intended to convey the mind of God, and it is well to hear it. Yet though the angel came, if Moses had not turned aside, how much he would have missed. He might have recorded what a wonderful thing he saw in the bush burning and not consumed, but I say, Moses, was that all? If he had not turned aside that would have been all. It says of Moses, he said, “I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt”. He had determination to see the thing to the end. It was not a mere apparition but a sight and the Lord saw that he turned aside. God takes notice of the resolve of our hearts, and there should be resolution with us as the mind of God is brought to us. We are not worthy if we do not make resolutions.
The work of God proceeded in Moses’ soul, so God says, “Moses, Moses”. In other words Moses is distinguished in this act. He could no doubt have occupied curious ears with it if he had not turned aside, but when one’s name is mentioned twice one has distinguished oneself in the eyes of God, not of men, for no one was present when God said “Moses, Moses”. There are several instances of this sort of distinction, as for instance Abraham when he offered up Isaac, Jacob when he sacrificed to the God of his fathers, Samuel, and above all Saul of Tarsus, and may it be said of each of us as we turn aside through special interest to take account of what God says to us, for we want it all. Think of God disclosing His mind to us, do we not want it all? Let us stop, dear brethren, to consider the wonder of it. Is it not worth thinking over, taking bit by bit, as it were; to understand, as He says, and know Me? (Jeremiah 9:24). Now the word is to Moses, “put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground”. The mark of the Old Testament was, come not near, for the way into the holiest was not yet manifest, (Hebrews 9:8) but not so with us. However, we are apt to tread glibly on holy ground with our shoes on, but if we are to apprehend things aright we must see them in relation to Christ as He is before God. We are enjoined to draw near now by the new and living way; no more room for the flesh now than then, but there is a wonderful provision for us to leave the flesh outside. God enjoins us to draw near for love is intolerant of distance. I doubt much whether anyone enjoys relationship to God save he who enters the holiest. It is right to follow others, but a time comes when you have to go in yourself. Take off thy shoes for the place is holy; let us never forget; we are exhorted to be sober. Then the voice goes on, “I am the God of thy father”; you see, God would impress you as you draw near with His relationship to you, “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Romans 15:6 [p. 126] The very lispings of the babe in christianity are in the light of the revelation of God, so that by the Spirit you cry, Abba, Father. You are in conscious relationship with God. You may say, my experience belies that, but I would say light goes before experience. The Spirit following light gives experience; be on your guard about placing experience before light. “I am the God of thy father”. The Lord commenting on this passage makes it refer to resurrection, saying that God is not the God of the dead but of the living. He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. That relationship can never be taken away; it stands for ever. In the opening of John’s gospel we see one who contemplates Jesus as an only begotten. It is not now a burning bush. He says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us”, many of us refer to that and rightly, but we overlook the next part, “and we have contemplated his glory”. It is one thing to have the service but another to contemplate how He dwelt among men. John was one of them and he says, “we have contemplated his glory”. It corresponds with what we call the holiest. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us”. They would see. You see if the Lord raised the dead, you say there must be something beyond that, and I want to see it; see what is behind that power. Nicodemus says no one can do these miracles unless God be with him; it comes to that, you reason backward, it is not of nature, so God is behind it.
They say, “we have contemplated his glory, a glory as of an only — begotten with a father”. King James’ translators missed the point a bit, they say the Father, but it is not that quite. It is to bring it within the range of the youngest child, for everyone knows what an only one with a father is. The apostles saw behind the scenes, as it were, into the shrine. What reciprocated affections there are in such relationship as that! They saw how He spoke to God, His [p. 127] emotion and the effect of the relationship. How much greater this was than the signs which everybody saw! The grace of relationship — the grace of reciprocated affections — and he adds, “full of grace and truth”. So that while He is in relation to God, yet He is full of what man needs, and no one can serve unless he sees that in Christ. John had received of His fulness, and we must receive of it, “Of his fulness we all have received”, the same grace and truth that is of Christ. Witness John’s epistle and gospel as a proof of it.