Psalm 19: 4-7; Song of Songs 2: 8-9
MINISTRY IN EDINBURGH
(i) James Renton
This Psalm speaks of the physical sun and its movements. It rises at dawn and goes forth from one end of heaven to the other end of heaven. It, no doubt, is a type of the Lord Jesus and what He will be in the world to come; His benign light and sway will dominate the universe. In Matthew 17, where the Lord was pleased to give to His disciples a preview of the world to come, He was transfigured and His face shone as the sun. The end of Malachi speaks of the Sun of righteousness arising with healing in His wings. The sun would have a reference, therefore, to the benign dominion of the Lord Jesus in the world to come. In Ezekiel 43, when the glory appears, it says, "and the earth was lit up with his glory" (v 21). Sunshine begins at dawn and goes through the whole day.
I would like to apply this to the Lord's day. The world to come will, in a sense, be the Lord's day. It would be a day of a thousand years when He dominates, when He is preeminent as Man, but we anticipate that world to come on what we call the Lord's day. It is one day in the week when the Lord has something special for Himself. I would like to call attention to what the Lord's day means to the Lord Jesus. We often speak and delight in what the Lord's day means for us, a day of privilege, but let us think for a moment of what it means for the Lord Jesus, a whole day when He gets response in a special way. Of course He gets response every day, but there is something special about the Lord's day which for the Lord begins in New Zealand. Dawn is there. The Lord is active that whole day right over the earth. I suppose the day finishes at Vancouver, that dateline. Think of what it means for the Lord Jesus, such a full day for Him. We come together to partake of the Lord's supper, and it means much for us, but He has been active in a special way before this. It says, "And he is as a bridegroom going forth from his chamber". Think of "his going forth". It is written from His point of view - "his going forth". In a sense He is always with believers in the suffering setting in which we are: we speak about His coming to us but there is something special about the Lord's day. "And he is as a bridegroom": think of the affection of the Lord Jesus beginning the Lord's day! I think it can be applied that way. "And he is as a bridegroom going forth from his chamber" - whatever that means - "he rejoiceth as a strong man to run the race". Think of the affection of the Bridegroom and the joy, rejoicing "as a strong man to run the race", and the activity of the Lord Jesus on the Lord's day, touching our hearts by His love, leading us in response to the Spirit, to the Father, to God. What a wonderful activity of affection, wonderful activity of power and of joy, rejoicing "as a strong man to run the race"! It says, "His going forth is from the end of the heavens, and his circuit unto the ends of it; and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof". This influence is meant to affect us - "nothing hid from the heat thereof", the warmth and influence of the Lord's love in this wonderful circuit which He is engaged in, especially on the Lord's day. The Lord does not come corporeally - it is all by the Spirit, it is all spiritual, and that is what tests us; it challenges our spirituality and our reality. The Lord does not come physically; all this movement in the present dispensation is by the Spirit. It will be actual in the world to come, but there is something of that same character by the Spirit at the present time.
It goes on to speak about the law of Jehovah, the testimony of Jehovah, the precepts of Jehovah, the commandment of Jehovah, the fear of Jehovah, the judgments of Jehovah. That would involve persons who are subject to Him. The Lord says in John 14, "He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me ... and I will love him and will manifest myself to him" (v 21); this is the kind of persons the Lord manifests Himself to, who get the benefit of his circuit which the Lord is occupied with on the Lord's day. This is really by the Spirit at the present time. Then, verses 7, 8 and 9 present the kind of persons to whom the Lord manifests Himself, who get the benefit of His movements. Because we belong to a certain company of persons is no guarantee that we will enter into all that is involved in this. This Psalm is from the Lord's point of view, His going forth, and the extent of His circuit and His activities.
In the Song of Songs it is from our point of view. It is not "his going forth", it is, "Behold, he cometh", that is, we gather in each time zone, beginning in New Zealand time zone right over to Vancouver, Los Angeles and San Francisco, we gather and look for His coming. The language in the Song of Songs is the language of those who expect Him, the expectation of affection. "The voice of my beloved! Behold, he cometh". In Psalm 19 it is "his going forth", it is from His point of view, His standpoint, but this is from our standpoint. It says, "Behold, he cometh Leaping upon the mountains, Skipping upon the hills". It could be likened to the dawn, to the sun coming up; "Leaping upon the mountains, Skipping upon the hills"; it could be the sun as a figure. "My beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart"; it is the activity, the agility of affection. It says, "Behold, he standeth behind our wall"; "our wall" is a local idea, the Lord coming to each locality - "our wall" in Edinburgh and in other places, persons in localities getting the benefit of the rising of the sun. "He looketh in through the windows", the sun "glancing through"; that is the idea.
In Psalm 19 it is "his going forth", and this is His coming, persons who have His commandments and keep them, expectant of His coming, and gradually it dawns on us that we realise His presence. May the Lord encourage us and give us to think a little of what the Lord's day means for Him as well as for us. May He quicken our affections for Him for His Name's sake.
W.Dickson
Our brother has alluded to Matthew's record of this incident and connected it with the time of privilege which we enjoy so richly on the Lord's day. What I would like to go on with is to show how the spirit of this experience and the touch which it affords is what makes us effective in the testimony here. It is often a matter of interest to me as to why the Lord took Peter, John and James up the mountain. Why did He do it? Obviously He had taken these three men who were to have a very prominent part in the testimony, with something in mind. I think it points to this, that we heed to be continually occupied with Christ if we are to be effective in testimony. I say that because the enemy might use current events in the world, if we become over-occupied with them, to dim our occupation with the Lord. The devil would do anything that he could to weaken in our souls the impressions which we receive at the Supper. Monday comes, Tuesday, Wednesday, and we think and pray about current events. Of course we should, but it is important to carry the savour and the experience of the Lord's day with us - occupation with Christ.
So there were these two men, Moses and is departure he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem". It is a reference, beloved brethren, to the world to come of which our brother has spoken. All they went through and wrought for, and which seemed publicly to end in breakdown, the Lord will then demonstrate that the testimony they received from God would go through in virtue of His death, His departure which He would accomplish at Jerusalem. Beloved brethren, be assured of this, that no matter what happens in the world in the near future, or at any time in the future, nothing can thwart God in His purpose. Nothing will alter what He has established on the death of Christ. Get our souls firmly fixed on that. You say, Is everything going to collapse? It will not, because everything has been founded on the death of Christ, and that is what Moses and Elias were speaking about. Let us speak about it, beloved brethren. Let us ponder the mystery, the depth, the wealth in the death of Christ. What a study for our hearts! Even when you do not have a Bible in your hands or a book, just ask the Spirit to give you a touch about the wealth and the depth that lies in the death of Jesus .
"But Peter and those with him were oppressed with sleep: but having fully awoke up they saw his glory, and the two men who stood with him". Of course, we should not be sleeping in any case, but think of that touch of grace - that they awoke. Then "Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses and one for Elias: not knowing what he said. But as he was saying these things, there came a cloud and overshadowed them, and they feared as they entered into the cloud". Let us go back for a minute, beloved brethren, to verse 32: "But Peter and those with him were oppressed with sleep: but having fully awoke up they saw his glory", they saw His glory. Is that not a fine touch? They were sleeping, and when they awoke up what they saw was His glory. You can understand why Peter refers to it afterwards in his epistle, the impression that he had at this time; he cherished in his heart the glory he saw. The glory that they saw when they woke up was the glory that we have the privilege of seeing at the Supper. It is the answer to the Lord's prayer in John 17 verse 24 when He appealed to the Father that these men might see His glory. That is what Peter saw here, and we might enquire each Lord's day as it concludes, did we at the Supper, the reading and the preaching, see His glory, that there may be left in our hearts some touch of the glory of Christ?
Then "they entered into the cloud: and there was a voice out of the cloud saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him"; and that never alters. Take heed to the Father's voice telling us to listen to Jesus, to be occupied with Him then the distractions of this world, heavy though they may be - sorrows abound, this land is not without its sorrows - will recede. What we have in the glory of Christ will ever be the subject of worship, and impart restful ness too in the assurance that through the death of Jesus every divine thought will come to pass for His glory. May we rejoice in it, beloved brethren, for His Name's sake. Amen.
(iii) James Cumming
We have been reminded as to the Lord coming in among us in His own way and His own rights. There is therefore a challenge to our affections as to the reality of what we are proceeding with. A brother in thanksgiving on Lord's day said that things we are enjoying are made real to us in the Spirit. Our brothers tonight have also said that the Lord comes to us by the Spirit; therefore we have to beware of anything fanciful. I think the reality of the Lord's presence amongst us is by the Spirit, and when that is experienced we are challenged as to our reality. The Lord here challenges Peter. You might say that the narrative finishes in the preceding chapter: "but these are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life in his name" (v 31). Wonderful result! And it is certain that Peter and those with him would be included in that number. Then we know what happens, how things intervene. I think the Lord would exercise us a little more as to how real we are and how real things are in our experience of them. In Luke 14 great crowds follow the Lord, and the tenor of that scripture is that there is one challenge after another - if you do certain things you cannot be my disciple. You would think that the Lord would embrace all these persons and get the numbers in, but He makes it so exacting. It would challenge us all to be included amongst those who are real; I think that is what the Lord would be doing now.
I was thinking too, beloved brethren, as to 2 Samuel 15 and lttai. David is in rejection, the whole country is in turmoil, David as it were having to leave and Absalom taking over; it is a figure for us as to what is happening currently, publicly - Christ rejected. lttai suddenly appears before David and the challenge comes out from David as to why he was there; he says, "Why dost thou also go with us?" (v 19). I do not think David was in any way trying to turn that man aside. I think he was proving the reality of what lttai was, and that is what came out: "surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be" (v 21). David must have rejoiced to hear someone committed in reality to him despite the outward circumstances. You might say, in other words, it could only be of the Spirit that a man could so speak. Therefore the Lord would be looking for that response from all our hearts, especially at the Supper and on the other occasions, and indeed throughout our daily lives; it is a matter of faithfulness to Christ. It must have rejoiced David's heart. He said, "Go and pass over. And lttai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones that were with him". How pleasing to the Lord!
In the Book of Ruth it is not quite so much the Lord; it is the local company, and I think it is a challenge for us in these days in which things are held in frailty - yet there is reality - and that is what held Ruth. The setting of Naomi was one of suffering and sorrow, and Orpah went away back. The challenge from Naomi to Ruth is, "Return after thy sister in-law". She did not try to persuade her to stay. If anything, she was making it easier for her to go away. Why was that? Why would she not be determined to hold on to her? I think it was to bring out the reality in the young person: "Do not intreat me to leave thee". Someone has said that all the things that she said there, are the finest composition in the English language of committal and love (see Ruth 1: 16,17). Well, beloved brethren, the Lord may be touching all our hearts in these days, especially when we think of the local companies, all the difficulties there are, yet there is something real there. Ruth recognised it. She knew there was reality and affection there and she wanted to have her place there. Oh, may we all come to that in an increasing way, and may we be ready, as Peter was here, for this line of testing that came to him.
Our brother has spoken about a touch in grace to those men on the mountain. It says here, "When therefore they had dined"; that is when the Lord speaks to Peter. We know that all the favour and grace from the Lord would be manifested to them, and when they had dined He takes this matter up with Peter. No doubt his commission came into this, and there is all that side of it, but I only want to leave this touch with the brethren, that Peter answers the questions the Lord gave him. Then you think of the intensity of things, He asks that same question again, and, again Peter answers it; and again the Lord says the same thing to him. I wonder what we would say if a brother or a sister spoke to you or me in this way. We would possibly say, Do you not believe me? But here the Lord just kept at this matter with Peter; and Peter says to Him in verse 17, "Lord, thou knowest all things". It is a fine thing to rely on the fact that the Lord knows everything, and Peter really was relying on that fact, - "thou knowest that I am attached to thee". "Thou knowest": that is a very strong thing to retain. No matter how much conversation there might be, encourage the young people with us to be firm in their trust and in their affection for Christ, knowing that He has a right valuation of everything. It would keep us more peaceful. Our brother has spoken about what might transpire, and we do not know. Here the Lord was giving a word to Peter as to what was going to happen to him. It is fine to see how the Lord has His own way with every one of us. It would involve our wills. 'When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst where thou desiredst"; there was nothing that kept Peter back. Then Jesus adds, "But when thou shalt be old ... another shall gird thee". There was no argument from Peter, but he knew when he was old what it would mean for him. Well, he goes on to the matter of being subject to the Lord. The Lord was testing out the reality that was there; He says, "Follow me". That is a very encouraging thing for all of us, young and old, just to have the sense that the Lord would say, "Follow me", not to be taken up with anybody else. Peter says of John, "Lord, and what of this man? " Again the Lord just gives him quietly that touch of correction, you might say, "What is that to thee?", "If I will that he abide until I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me". I think what we have had tonight would give us a sense of the Lord looking for affection as He comes amongst us. May we all be ready increasingly to give it to Him and to be affected by the glory of the Person who has set everything on. For His Name's sake.
EDINBURGH
8 January 1991