MATERIAL FOR THE ASSEMBLY
MATERIAL FOR THE ASSEMBLY
JT Some of us have been occupied elsewhere in looking at the material for the assembly — the house of God. It might be helpful to pursue the subject. Our inquiry hitherto has had to do merely with the rough work, preparatory to the actual material being brought to Jerusalem. 1 Kings 5 contemplates the house being built, and in the chapter specially now before us, we get more particularly the ornamentation of the house. It was overlaid with gold and with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was gold of Parvaim (verse 6). The question is as to how far the divine thought is entered into and how far we correspond with it.
The epistles which treat particularly of the adorning of the house of God are: 1 Timothy, Titus, and 1 Peter. All these speak of the house and the order that becomes it, and there is also the thought of ornamentation. The idea of ornament is especially seen in persons who are in the place of subjection, that is, in women and in slaves. Peter speaks of the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price.
Rem A meek and quiet spirit is a great ornament.
JT It is mentioned in Peter in connection with sisters in the place of relationship and of relative subjection. A slave in Titus was to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things; that is a very great thought! The idea of ornamentation is very extensive, and enters into the creation of the world. The word usually used for world suggests the thought. God made it. If we look at the heavens they are wonderfully ornamented; we admire the stars. So, too, is the earth; there are mountains, hills, lakes,
[p. 270] rivers, which beautify it. All these came from the hand of the Creator, showing His skill. The garden of Eden must have been a wonderful place, coming from the hand of God for man’s abode. It was God Himself who planted that garden for man.
Rem Ornaments in the house of God are in His sight of great price.
JT God is dwelling in His house. He sees a sister, it may be, in the place of subjection, and a slave adorning the doctrine; that in His sight is of great price. We are all called to be subject, not only to those who rule, but also to submit ourselves to one another in the fear of Christ, so that each one can have a part in the ornamentation of the house. David received the pattern by the Spirit, and Solomon built it according to that pattern.
Rem The thought of variety is connected with ornament.
JT Yes; that is seen here. The interior of the house is described here: palms, flowers, precious stones, and cherubim engraved. These things were all intended to beautify the house. Ezra spoke of that, “to beautify the house of Jehovah”, Ezra 7:27.
Rem The priests can enter into what God has in His mind.
JT Yes; Ezra was a priest. All the saints contribute to the adornment of the house. The site on which it is to be reared up was mount Moriah, which means, “shown by Jehovah” — a shown place; chapter 3:1.
Ques Has this anything to do with the secret exercises of Ornan?
JT David had a wonderful experience there. The sword of judgment was extended over the city, and it was sheathed there. This corresponds to the thought in Matthew — the material in chapter 15 is from the borders of Tyre and Zidon — rough material. The Canaanitish woman was one of a race under the [p. 271] curse, but she was attracted to Him, her need did that, but He met it and more. He was there for the timber, and in her readiness to submit to the outward degradation of her position, she qualified for elevation to be a cedar. The more ready we are to humble ourselves, the more readily we lay hold of the light. She had to be brought down, so to speak, on the rafts by sea. In chapter 16 the Lord speaks of building His assembly. The idea of “shown” corresponds with Moriah, where the Lord appeared to David. It conveys the thought of revelation. The great point is to lay hold of it in the soul. Moriah means, you are shown a thing.
Ques Do you link this in any way with Abraham?
JT It is not the same mountain, but there is a correspondence, for Abraham was shown the mountain on which to offer up Isaac; Genesis 22:2.
Ques Is there any thought in sacrifice being connected with the foundation?
JT David would not offer to God what did not cost him something. “I will not take that which is thine for Jehovah to offer up burnt offerings without cost”. 1 Chronicles 21:24. In 1 Chronicles 21:28 David got light, but the reference here is to Solomon. He began to build the house of Jehovah on mount Moriah, meaning “shown of Jehovah”, where He appeared to David his father. See notes in New Translation. If you apprehend this you begin on spiritual lines. The saints are the house of God, but the spiritual underlies all that. You must connect everything in a spiritual way.
A point to be noticed in Matthew is the geographical position of these chapters. In chapter 15 the Lord is in the territory of Tyre and Sidon, and in chapter 16 at Caesarea Philippi. The whole earth was involved in the building; material is to be brought from every part of it. “Make disciples of all the nations”, Matthew 28:19 but the spiritual foundation underlies all. When you [p. 272] come to the foundation of the house you are on spiritual lines. You may find these places on the map of the Roman Empire, but you cannot get the spiritual foundation on the map. You have to be shown it. “On this rock I will build my assembly”. “Flesh and blood has not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in the heavens”. Matthew 16:17,18. That is the point you get here; that is the principle of mount Moriah. It is a spiritual thing arrived at on spiritual lines. “This was Solomon’s foundation”.
Ques Is the foundation the sufferings of Christ?
JT The full price has to be paid. Immediately after the revelation of the Son of God the Lord speaks of His sufferings; Matthew 16:21. The point here is the foundation. “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”. Peter discerned Him as Son of the living God. This was nothing he had seen before, it had not been presented in testimony in an objective way, but was a revelation shown. The ground taken in Romans is, He is “marked out Son of God in power ... by resurrection of the dead” Romans 1:4; that is objective ground, outward testimony. The Lord is declared Son of God by resurrection of the dead; that is by the testimony of what He did: He had raised the dead. The assembly is built on something inward, something known inwardly. Verse 3. This was Solomon’s foundation. The foundation was there, the rock. It is Solomon’s foundation because he is the builder. The foundation is there. There is a moral connection with mount Moriah of Genesis 22. It is God’s provision — the mount was shown and the ram was shown. It is spiritual ground.
FW It was three days’ journey to get there.
JT The assembly is based on revelation, we have to have things shown. I do not mean that there is a fresh revelation to every believer. The revelation is there, but we must reach it, and then it gives character to us ever after; “To whom coming”, 1 Peter 2:4 etc.,
[p. 273] coming to Him in that connection. The movement indicates that you apprehend Christ as the Son of the living God. Here you have, “This is Solomon’s foundation for the construction of the house of God”. The Lord says, “I will build my assembly”. Matthew 16:18. The foundation is what is for God. “Other foundation can no man lay besides that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ”. 1 Corinthians 3:11. That is the order of man that came out. That does not fit in with this world.
Ques What is the difference between that which is founded and the foundation?
JT The foundation supports the structure. Solomon’s foundation was for the construction of the house of God. The rock does not suggest any preparation. It is as it is in its original state; no chiselling there or use of hammer, but original shape and state. Rock speaks of stability. Peter was a stone, a part, but the point in the rock is solidity and firmness; the rock is just as it comes from God — Son of the living God, a stone cut out of the mountain without hands. We must retain clearly before us the pre-eminence of Christ. He has come out personally in His divine dignity.
Rem Would you say a word or two as to revelation?
JT This revelation (Matthew 16) is one of the most interesting things in Scripture; it is what you must be shown spiritually. The Lord did not reveal that in His service, but the Father was pleased to reveal it to Peter. David received the pattern of the house by the Spirit. The more you receive the revelation in your soul, the more you are impressed with the magnitude of the structure. He who formed the world is building the assembly. Ezekiel, too, is shown the house, “in order that it might be shown unto thee”. Ezekiel 40:4. It is an immense thing to be prepared to be shown. The Holy Spirit is here for that purpose, to take of the things of Christ and to show them to us.
[p. 274] Ques What is the thought in everything inside the house being overlaid with gold?
JT God is there, all speaks of God. There is no silver mentioned here, although it is mentioned elsewhere in connection with the house. It is a question of what appears and is found now in the assembly here. Gold represents what is of God, silver represents redemption. Silver is seen in the sockets of the tabernacle, because the ground being redemption it is prominent. God is seen more in the house; you are not impressed with redemption in Solomon’s temple, but with the fact that it is God’s habitation, His dwelling-place. The church epistles speak of the house; they have that in view, God is to be seen there. After the foundation we get the length, breadth, and height.
Ques Why is there brass in the house?
JT Whilst it is the dwelling-place of God, it is the place where He judges; there is authority there. We get the foundation of the building here, but 1 Kings brings out the heavenly side — it is a much more extensive side of things there; it has chambers round about in three stories. Then there are besides, Solomon’s own house, the house of the forest of Lebanon and the house of Pharaoh’s daughter; these bring in a system of houses suggestive of unseen things, of the spiritual, heavenly order of things. Solomon speaks of things which fit in with the assembly today; “covered the house with gold, and engraved cherubim on the walls”. God’s government on earth is set forth in the cherubim. The dimensions have a spiritual meaning — length, breadth, height, twenty by sixty by thirty cubits, and the porch one hundred and twenty cubits high.
Ques What is the spiritual thought of the porch?
JT The length of the porch was in accord with the width of the house, and being one hundred and twenty cubits high suggests a great elevation, which [p. 275] points to spiritual dignity. We are not accustomed to much elevation; our thoughts usually run along the earth. The grace of the Spirit is an ornament to the house of God; the most obscure saint may adorn the house of God. An ornament will be put in place by a master hand. Mary is a good illustration of an ornament, she is set in her place by the Lord Himself. It is not necessary for us to come together to be an ornament. The house of God is always there and is not in any way dependent upon our being convened. A man qualifies for the house of God in the measure he rules his own house. These things all come under God’s eye. God delights in a well-ordered household, and you are concerned that this consideration should be reflected in all your relations which meet God’s eye, not only for righteousness, but for ornamentation. Anna and Simeon are ornaments. Simeon took the Babe up in his arms and said, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word”. Luke 2:29. There was entire subjection; it was not according to his own wish, but according to God’s word. He speaks of the Lord according to all that He would be. Anna comes up, a widow far advanced in years. Sometimes the old ones drop out, but she departed not from the temple. She comes in as an ornamentation. Every day she was there serving God with fastings and prayers night and day.
“Neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house, while it was in building”. 1 Kings 6:7. There was no noise of workmen, all that was done before. Not only were the stones and the timber prepared, but precious stones and all fine work and artistic work. Solomon garnished the house with precious stones. He overlaid the house with them for beauty. Precious stones suggest the product of great care and labour by the Spirit through discipline. Discipline brings out these precious stones. The Lord works with us for years and years to bring [p. 276] this about.
Ques What would the beauty of the stones refer to?
JT Solomon overlaid the house with precious stones for beauty. The Lord works with us in discipline; it goes on all the time of our sojourn here. He is dealing with us as sons. “If ye endure for chastening, God conducts himself towards you as towards sons”. Hebrews 12:7. This is to bring out fine results.
Rem These would be the moral excellencies of Christ coming out in the saints.
JT Yes; and in one who is a son, there is dignity beneath it all. The Lord works out His own design, which is that we might be partakers of His holiness-not righteousness; the precious stones are for beauty. The spirit of subjection brings within the range of all to be an ornamentation in the house of God. “A meek and quiet spirit, which in the sight of God is of great price”. 1 Peter 3:4.