ZECHARIAH 8 (NOTES OF A READING)
ZECHARIAH 8 (NOTES OF A READING)
CAC There is comfort in this scripture as applying to the days in which we find ourselves. The laying of the foundation of the house of Jehovah really changed everything in the position of the people.
Ques You mean God had taken account of the start that had been made?
CAC Yes. Through the mercy of God some little start has been made in the house today. We cannot say much, but there is some little thought of what is suitable for God, a place where He can be served. It ensures blessing from God, such a thought in our hearts makes blessing certain among ourselves, and in the gospel too.
Ques Does it mean that if a start is made the saints can count on God doing everything to enrich and further that movement?
CAC Yes, so that we do well for ourselves if we do well for God. The reason for the poverty of christendom today is that there is no consideration for God.
Rem A man cuts himself off from a rich supply if he leaves God out.
[p. 524] CAC No agricultural work was going on, the land lying fallow, the vines not cared for, barrenness not fruitfulness, for that is what “no hire for man, nor any hire for beast” means.
Rem Because the conception of the house had not come into the minds of the people.
CAC Their indifference to the house robbed them of the fruitfulness of the land. We do ourselves wrong if we neglect the house.
Rem The inheritance contributes to the house.
CAC It is an impoverishing thing to neglect God’s house. If there is a beginning, He comes in at once. The secret of all the spiritual blessing of these years is that a few hearts began to consider for God.
Rem Verse 10 says, “I let loose all men”. Now they are to be brought to dwell together.
CAC We can all bear witness that God has lavished a wealth of ministry as never in the history of the church before — a vast deal more than we can take in. We can all bear witness to it. We have not any of us had barns big enough to put it in. It came out of that one simple fact of a few faithful hearts beginning to consider for God.
Rem “Prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of hosts, if I open not to you the windows of the heavens, and pour you out a blessing, till there be no place for it” (Malachi 3: 10).
CAC Well, we can all bear witness to that. I do not say we ought to be content because we have not storage room for it.
Ques Do you make any distinction between the foundation of the house laid and the temple built?
CAC They are two sides of the same thing. The two sides come out in John 2. There the men had turned it into a house of merchandise and we see the zeal of the Lord which drove them out with a scourge of small cords, and consequent upon that all the wealth of the gospel comes out, because of the character of faithfulness in the Son of God. So at the finish there was not room to receive it. John’s gospel tells us so. “The which if they were written one by one, I suppose that not even the world itself would contain the books written”.
I think we have to wake up to the fact that God has taken in hand to bless His people. He is doing it abundantly, we only have to see that we maintain the conditions. Those seen in 1 Timothy are suitable. “That thou mayest know how one ought to conduct oneself in God’s house”. There are spiritual sensibilities developed in the saints. So we know how to speak truth to our neighbours (the persons in our local assembly), a great mark of faithfulness in the remnant.
Rem “They that feared Jehovah spoke often one to another”.
Rem In Luke 1 the kinsmen were in the hill-country of Judaea, those to whom communications were made.
CAC We can say truly we are all competent to speak truth one with another. If not, we had better get converted again! Speaking truth means that we are conversing together of the great things of God. Truth comes in a good deal in the epistles of John — walking in truth, whom I love in truth. Speaking the truth is for eternity. It is an eternal matter. There is too much wasting time and gossip with us; we have the truth to speak about.
Ques Is it a progressive idea, “That the temple might be built”?
CAC Yes.
Rem “Speak truth every one with his neighbour, because we are members one of another” (Ephesians 4: 25).
CAC It is speaking truth, something that is going to stand for eternity.
Rem So we get back to the foundation, “the assembly of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth”.
CAC Wonderful to have neighbours with whom we can speak truth! To be able to say, ‘He values it as much as I do, perhaps more’. That line of things would soon turn the fasts into feasts, would it not?
Ques What is the difference between [p. 526] speaking truth,
and the execution of truth and the judgment of peace?
CAC Truth is to be taken up in a practical way, it is to be applied, so we do not go on with what is not according to truth.
Rem The whole walk and deportment is to be governed by the truth; it controls the whole of our lives.
CAC The truth dwells in us and we are the exponents — that is the idea of christianity. It is the truth in the saints that has the power, not the truth in the Bible. That is the letter, the truth in the saints is the Spirit. The truth of Scripture becomes living in the souls of the saints, and only as it does is there any real testimony for God. We can help one another in the practical application of truth. A neighbour is one near to you.
You can have good fellowship meetings; there were four here in the year at any rate — “cheerful gatherings” (verse 19).
This is very important because it is the foundation for blessing in the gospel. Things must be right inside first.
Rem “Ye shall be a blessing”.
CAC Yes, people heard of it. “In those days shall ten men take hold, out of all languages of the nations, shall even take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you”. That is the gospel side of the matter. There are such conditions that people are attracted. You cannot expect people to be converted otherwise. Cheerfulness is contagious.
Rem “I announce to you glad tidings of great joy”. It resulted in great joy. Would it help in inviting people in?
CAC I think God intends to make His grace attractive to men. They see the happiness it has brought to His people; not only a preacher, but a lot of faces shining with brightness.
Ques Should not the preacher himself have some odour of brightness about his too?
CAC It has been said that no one could hear J.B.S. preach without feeling he had something worth having.
Rem A man said he was converted by the ‘exceeding cheerfulness’ of Mr. W., not by anything [p. 527] he said.
CAC It was a divine cheerfulness of people concerned that God should have something, and they are a happy people.
Rem Some feel the seriousness of the gospel as well as the joy of the gospel, not all are alike. Tears ran down Wesley’s face while preaching.
CAC That is not the gospel quite. The gospel is a most happy theme of what God is in grace. “We joy in God” — Stephen was happily affected before preaching. His face did not alter in spite of the recounting of a history so sad. It was still as the face of an angel.
Ques Would they enjoy eternal life in these feasts?
CAC Yes, they were enjoying the land here.
Ques Why did they say, “I will go also” (verse 21)?
CAC They were of one mind, because of what is so attractive at Jerusalem. In the last verse it is, “We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you”. It widens out to all languages of the nations — to a wide extent of grace.
Rem These are national movements unlike the eunuch travelling to Jerusalem alone.
CAC These people in figure were changing their city; they find God’s city is the only place worth going to.
Rem The normal effect of the gospel is to bring people to God’s centre.
CAC Yes, to bring persons to the house of God. There are rival centres as seen in the next chapter. They rose up while Jerusalem was in ruins. God looks at them all and sees not one that He can support. As today, God does not recognise them.
Rem It leads on to the full blessing of Israel.
CAC Yes, but all in a remnant time. He supports what is of Himself — Zion. It is the same today, as Psalm 87 tells us, “Jehovah loveth the gates of Zion”, and, “And of Zion it shall be said, This one and that one was born in her”. People take character from the places where they are born. But God only recognises one city.
Rem The ten men would be in keeping with the remnant [p. 528] character. The blessing overflows to such an extent that a tithe of nations are brought in.
CAC That is very beautiful, it is the same today. There is only one centre. How could it be God’s house if He has not His own way? He will not recognise man’s way.
Rem If God is giving His support, that is the evidence.
CAC Yes. God does not recognise quite contrary systems. “I will encamp about my house”. God’s house is very precious to Him. It is only a feeble beginning here but God recognises it and encamps round it. That is what God is calling upon people to do today, to come to His house, to serve Him, and to be for His pleasure.
Ques “Him that is a Jew”. Would that be one moving with the truth?
CAC Those who are separated to God are the true Jews. The Jew comes in in remnant times when the rest of the people have departed. You can understand how beautifully the thought of Zion’s King coming to her is brought in. In tribulation the remnant would have all the time the thought of Christ coming to them. It is Zion’s King, to Zion He comes, not to Damascus, and not to Philistia. I think He comes as choosing that place. So today as building God’s house we look for Christ to come to us. I think His coming is to do with remnant times and in such a way that only love will recognise Him. It is as Zion’s King, but as a poor Man, meek and lowly, with no pretensions about Him that he comes. Only love could recognise Him, and it is thus that He comes to the assembly. It is a beautiful awakening. The Lord comes as veiling His glory, He will not make any impression on the natural man. We ought to have that much more in view than we do; we should be looking for Him to come to us. We ought to be looking for Him all the time. “Behold, thy King cometh to thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of an ass”. In both aspects He presents Himself in such a way as only love could recognise Him. Its application to us is the Lord manifesting Himself. When He appears publicly there is no possibility [p. 529] of any not recognising Him, but He may come to a few of His saints in assembly character and not be recognised. It is the lover who recognises Him. John said, “It is the Lord”, and “He that loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to Him”. Here it is the sovereignty of mercy and what is universal — His universal thoughts of blessing. It is Zion He comes to here. A man is blessed and made happy, and blessed to others; it is all a matter of sovereign mercy, and the ground of it all is the Lord Himself coming to His own.