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THE TEMPLE OF GOD - TENTH READING

WJH It is evident that God never leaves anything incomplete. In the world there are monuments to incompletion everywhere but God finishes everything. Thus He says, “And the heavens and the earth and all their host were finished” (Genesis 2: 1). All man’s science can add nothing to God’s work. The work of the Lord Jesus on the cross was also completed. He said, “It is finished” (John 19: 30). We are approaching the moment when the present work of God will be finished. That is what we come to this afternoon — Solomon completes his work.

A particular perfection characterises the completion of God’s work. There is always something incomplete and imperfect about man’s work. Even an object, which has the appearance of having been well finished, when placed under a microscope, is revealed as incomplete. But examine the smallest thing created by God, using the most powerful microscope and you will find it complete and perfect. What will be the beauty and perfection of the temple of God, on the completion of this habitation of which it says, “This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell, for I have desired it”? (Psalm 132: 14). It is called by the prophet Isaiah, “the house of my magnificence” (Isaiah 60: 7). When Solomon had completed it, he brought in all the utensils which David had dedicated. During his lifetime, David had opened a treasury to receive these gifts. What he had dedicated himself was placed there, along with all that had been dedicated by “Samuel the seer, and Saul the son of Kish, and Abner the son of Ner, and Joab the son of Zeruiah” (1 Chronicles 26: 28). All this was put into the hands of a trustworthy Levite, to be cared for until Solomon was ready to receive it. That is wonderful and very encouraging.

M Do you mean that there is something held apart at present, which is not yet in the temple, but will be put there when it is completed?

WJH How many there are who do not yet know Solomon! In the reply of one to King David, there was the expression of the desire that Solomon should be greater than David (1 Kings 1: 37) but many Christians know only David. They know Him who fought against death and Satan, and they love Him; all these vessels are part of the treasure.

Now think about Samuel and all the benefit of prophetic ministry. Samuel presided over the prophets (see 1 Samuel 19: 20). All that Samuel dedicated is in the treasure of David. In measure, we know something of prophetic ministry in the way that the Lord speaks to us prophetically in order to bring us into contact with God.

Then there is what Saul had dedicated; it is difficult to say what he had dedicated, but nevertheless there was something, little as it may have been. This is very encouraging, for most of us feel that, like Saul, we have wasted a large part of our life living for the flesh, rather than for Christ and for the work of God but if we have given something, however little value it may have, David keeps it in his treasure. Everything that Saul dedicated is there. I think it is one of the most wonderful features of divine grace.

ThD It might not have been thought that David would wish to accept anything from Saul.

WJH I suppose that the best thing that came from Saul was Mephibosheth, his grandson. Jonathan was a valuable vessel, but Mephibosheth was even more precious.

Then there is what Abner had dedicated.

This is addressed to elderly brethren who have departed from the path for many years and are brought back towards the end of their days. Abner had made a covenant with David at the end of his life. In this regard we do not want to be like Abner. Young brothers and sisters ought not to imitate him. It was grace on David’s part to put what Abner had dedicated into the treasure.

Finally, there is what Joab had dedicated. He was the most difficult character in David’s kingdom. He always has something to say but he is motivated by a spirit which is entirely wrong. He is a hard man; David judges him severely and Solomon puts him to death. Such will be the end of every hard man — he will disappear. However, David puts Joab’s whole contribution into the treasure. Everything is put in reserve in view of the wonderful day when Solomon will introduce it into the temple. Not one vessel will be lost.

M Do you think that there are believers today who do not form part of the temple?

WJH I think that few believers know Solomon. They know David and are content with that but David wants us to know Solomon, the great builder of the house of God. David could not build it. The Lord wants us to be interested in Solomon and to love him.

ThD What do we have in knowing David and what do we gain by the knowledge of Solomon?

WJH The work of David is seen in the activities of Christ in regard of Simon, the son of Jonas, a “sinful man”. The Lord works in his heart until Simon loves him — “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I am attached to thee” (John 21: 15), poor weak man who denies his Master! But Solomon represents Christ incorporating this man as a stone in the spiritual house of God. The Lord says to him, “Thou art Simon, the son of Jonas; thou shalt be called Cephas (which interpreted is stone)” (John 1: 42).

ThD Jonathan loved David, but he was never a stone in Solomon’s temple.

WJH He fell on mount Gilboa and David wept, because he would miss the succession of Solomon. This is how the Lord feels as to us if we do not enter into these thoughts now.

PN I should like to know if the woman in chapter 7 of Luke might correspond to what we have with David and whether Mary in chapter 12 of John would correspond to what we have with Solomon?

WJH Most of us are content with chapter 7 of Luke — “Thy sins are forgiven... Thy faith has saved thee; go in peace” (Luke 7: 48, 50). Where are you going to go? If you go truly where the Lord sends you, you will go to chapter 12 of John, where Christ is honoured, to fill the house with the odour of the ointment. It says, “There therefore they made him a supper” (John 12: 2). Your journey is not complete until you reach that point.

M Peter says, “To whom coming, a living stone... yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house,” (1 Peter 2: 4, 5). Does that mean that there is a movement on our part before we have a place in the building?

WJH I think that means that, having loved David, you see Solomon and you come in order to be incorporated into the building. A single stone is not a building; it may be a beautiful stone but one stone is not a building. That is what independent Christians are; they are only scattered stones, not assembled. But the apostle says, “yourselves also, as living stones,

are being built up a spiritual house”. The work of God is continuing.

M Do you mean that “being built up” in this passage signifies that we have some little understanding of what the assembly is?

WJH Instead of saying that I am so happy that I will go to heaven when I die, you realise that you have been chosen for the pleasure of God in His assembly. This idea of eventually going to heaven indicates a lot of selfishness. The temple is for the glory of God; we must hold on to this — “the house of my magnificence”.

M All that had been acquired by David and by Solomon will find a place in the temple.

WJH It is an effect of the Lord’s grace but we ought not, for this reason, to be Abners, Joabs or Sauls, simply because we know that nothing that belongs to the Lord will be lost; that would be a sad point of view. Why not arrive now, with all our heart, at these blessed thoughts? It is well worth it.

Solomon assembled there all Israel — the elders of Israel, all the heads of tribes, the princes of the fathers and all the men of Israel — to be present at this scene of the completion of the work, to see the ark enter its eternal habitation. It was the most magnificent procession ever seen in the universe. They all followed in order to see the ark leave the tent where, in grace, it had sojourned for so many years and enter its eternal habitation. What a wonderful spectacle. All worship as they contemplate it.

This has been developing over recent years — the ark is on its way and all those whose hearts have been touched are following it. I think that all that has been opened up regarding the person of the Lord in His humanity and His deity, the truth as to His deity and as to His sonship, is the beginning of the movement of the ark towards its eternal habitation, and holy worshippers follow it.

“And king Solomon, and all the assembly of Israel, that were assembled to him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen which could not be counted nor numbered for multitude” (2 Chronicles 5: 6). This great movement of the ark towards its own place is the occasion of innumerable sacrifices. Are we contributing to them? I wonder whether we have in our souls a view of this procession, the last stage in the journey of the ark. It will never again be in the wilderness, never again under a tent. This brings sacrifices on the part of each one; it is the last opportunity for sacrifices of this kind. See what happens at this moment, dear brethren. Wonderful sacrifices are offered on the earth today by those who form part of this procession, by brothers and sisters, by youths and maidens, by children. They offer sacrifices because they see the ark in its final movement towards its eternal habitation. I should like to encourage each of us to engage in this.

M There will be no completion until the ark is in its place.

WJH There will not be full completion until the glory fills the house but this is very near; the glory is not far off. The ark will soon be in its resting place. This is what David had in view from his youth. He said, “Arise, Jehovah, into thy rest, thou and the ark of thy strength” (Psalm 132: 8). We shall always see the staves of the ark; they will never be used again. The ark will never be carried again, for it has reached its resting place, but we shall always see the staves. It says that they were seen before the oracle. The journey which the Lord undertook — taking the form of a bondman, being in the likeness of men, becoming obedient even unto the death of the cross, and accompanying His own through the wilderness — this journey is finished but the staves remain there to augment the worship. All who enter the oracle see the staves and that reminds them of the journey. Who could forget the journey of the holy ark?

M The staves remain there, even if they are not being used.

WJH They are always in the affections of the saints; they remain there. This building is made of living stones; each has a heart, a mind, hands and feet, and the staves are in the heart of the saints.

PN Do we have the thought of the staves when the Lord shows Thomas His hands and His side, and later, in the Revelation, when we see the Lamb “as slain”?

WJH It is exactly the same thought, presented in a different way. The marks remind everyone of the Lord’s sufferings. In Revelation 5, it says, “...a Lamb standing, as slain ...” (Revelation 5: 6), not ‘as if He had been slain’. As to time, it is a fact in the past but eternally present in its significance. The Lamb appears as slain, as if it had just happened. This is the way it is seen in heaven.

Ques The ends of the staves were not seen outside. What does that mean?

WJH We have to enter the immediate presence of God to see it. The closer we are to God, the better we understand the meaning of this great journey. Those who are in heaven in Revelation 5 have a better knowledge of the value of the sacrifice of Christ than those who are on the earth, because they are closer to Him.

ThD Those who were not inside said, “Is not this the son of the carpenter?” They had no view of His pathway here below.

WJH It is not seen from the exterior. Only those closest to God can see the staves.

ThD So not all believers see the staves?

WJH One may be in the court, in the holy place or in the holiest but the staves can be seen only if one is in the holiest, and for one outside the court only the door overlaid with bronze can be seen. That is all that a worldly man can see.

“And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah to its place, into the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim; and the cherubim stretched forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its staves above” (2 Chronicles 5: 7, 8). For our help, the Spirit of God enlarges on this place in which the ark is placed; it is “its place”, the place which is proper to it. No one would think that a tent would be good enough for the ark; no one would think that “the fields of the wood” would be good enough for the ark. David says, “...we found it in the fields of the wood” (Psalm 132: 6). The ark was in the world, in this very world, but it is not a suitable place for it. The ark remained under a tent through the desert but David says that that is not good enough for it. The ark is now in “its place”. We are told what this place is — “into the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim.”

That is where the ark will be for ever, in the oracle, where the voice of God is heard. The oracle is the place where God speaks; it is the greatest place in the universe. It is a great privilege for us to speak to God but it is much more wonderful to hear God speak. This is what happens in the oracle; God speaks there. It will be thus for ever. It says that, on the holy mountain. Moses and Elias appeared “in glory” (Luke 9: 31); and the voice from the glory said, “This is my beloved Son — hear him” (Luke 9: 35) since He is in the oracle, in the glory. This will be our occupation — we shall be hearers for ever in the oracle. We do not yet know what God will have to say to us in eternity but all that is said comes from the oracle, where the ark is.

“Into the most holy place”. There are other places, which are holy. The great house, the court, the sea, the lavers, the altar and the door are holy but the most holy place is where the ark is. In the epistle to the Hebrews it says, “For the Christ is not entered into holy places made with hand... but into heaven itself” (Hebrews 9: 24); it is this place, the most holy place.

“Under the wings of the cherubim”. The following verse speaks of the cherubim — “and the cherubim stretched forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its staves above.” I think that means that never again will anyone touch the holy person of Jesus. His face was spit upon down here; the Lord of glory was crucified. Christendom crucifies Him again in apostasy. It says in Hebrews that they crucify “for themselves as they do the Son of God” (Hebrews 6: 6) but no one will touch the ark. It is under the wings of the cherubim for eternity.

Rem Not only the ark, but also the staves are under the wings of the cherubim.

WJH That is very beautiful. They protect divine impressions of the pathway of Christ in the souls of the saints; they can never be touched. The testimonies of this pathway are under the wings of the cherubim.

“There was nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses put there at Horeb, when Jehovah made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt” (2 Chronicles 5: 10). It is wonderful to see that the golden pot, which held the manna seems to have disappeared, as also had Aaron’s rod which budded. These things were found in the tabernacle, because we needed them in the wilderness. We needed the manna, we needed the grace of priestly support and we found them without fail in the wilderness but there is no longer need of them. The time for the manna has passed as has the day of priestly support. All that remains is the holy covenant, God’s wonderful covenant, the eternal covenant. Stone suggests what is eternal. “The two tables” are there for ever. On one table there is what is for God; on the other, what is for men. They are kept in the ark for ever. He is God — it ensures everything for God; He is Man, “the man Christ Jesus”, and this ensures everything for men. The two tables of stone are there for ever in the holy ark.

M Would you say a few words on the feast of the seventh month?

WJH The seventh month represents the end of time. Seven, in Scripture, always means that matters are complete, whether in reference to the seventh day or to the seventh man. Enoch was the seventh from Adam; “God took him” — that is his end. Similarly with the seventh month, it marks the end of time. What remains then is eternity.

What follows in verses 11 and 12 is very beautiful. When this point is reached, the priests no longer observe their courses. The courses are important down here but now everything is done in holy liberty. Every priest is clothed in fine white linen. “Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness” (Psalm 132: 9). Here, they are all dressed in this way. The cymbals, the lutes, the harps and the trumpets are heard. It is a wonderful moment. The cymbal is an instrument, which is played with the hands; it is a matter of what we do with our hands. The lutes and harps have to do with our hearts; they are stringed instruments. The trumpet is related to our spirits; the trumpet is blown. The spirit, the soul and the body are now active in all the priests. It says, “...to make one voice to be heard...” (2 Chronicles 5: 13). This is what God is awaiting — “one voice”. “It came to pass when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one voice to be heard in praising and thanking Jehovah...” The top note seems to be when a single sound is produced by the hands, by the heart and by the spirit, “one voice”. Quite often, there are two or three voices with us. We may hear a brother sound the trumpet but we think about his hands, his business, the activity of his hands; the two are not in accord. We hear him sound the trumpet, he speaks of wonderful things which he has grasped mentally, but his heart has not been touched. His words are dry; there is only one sound but God wants to lead us to the point where the works of our hands, our movements of heart and the worship of our spirit blend into the same voice. God then has the whole being. When there was one voice, then “the house, the house of Jehovah, was filled with a cloud”. It was at that particular moment, then, “the house of Jehovah was filled with a cloud and the priests could not stand to do their service because of the cloud; for the glory of Jehovah had filled the house of God” (2 Chronicles 5: 13, 14). This is what takes place, or does not take place, in our meetings on Lord’s Day morning. When all the instruments merged into one single voice, it was then that the glory filled the house, it was then that the cloud descended. So great was the glory that the priests could not stand in the house to do their service. All that they could do was to prostrate themselves in the presence of God. All formal and official service was at an end and each heart bowed low in the presence of God. This took place at that particular moment.

M I think that it must have taken some time for that point to be reached, where all the instruments merged into one voice.

WJH What emerges is the attainment of a climax. We have one voice, then, to which point we have arrived gradually.

PN You mean that there is a period of formation.

WJH There is something similar in our Lord’s Day morning meetings. You hear a cymbal, then a lute, then a harp and perhaps also a trumpet but they do not merge. Sometimes, however — blessed be God — this point is reached. Sometimes after the Supper, you may hear a cymbal, a lute, a harp or a trumpet and the sound is the same. We then have experience of the cloud and that is something of great importance. The brethren would remember that. If I have a trumpet, I must be careful that the note, which I sound is the same as that of the harp or the cymbal, otherwise, there is discord and God is not the author of that. Whatever the key set by the Chief Musician at that time, each hymn or thanksgiving, as under His direction, will have the same pitch and it is then that we shall have the sense of the divine presence. If we do not reach one voice, we shall not have the cloud.

ThD I think that that is very important, because we often have different sounds and there is no harmony. There must be one voice.

WJH Do we really believe that there is in the assembly a great Musician, the Chief Musician? No one should act, except under the direction of the Chief Musician. It is sometimes the mind of the Chief Musician to bring a note of worship to the Father. He leads in this direction and, under His leading, a note from the cymbal or the harp is heard. I may digress from this and return to Christ’s sufferings on the cross or I may speak to Him of what He was here on earth. That may all be very fine but if the Chief Musician has set a different note, I introduce disorder and we shall not have the cloud. It was when there was one voice that the cloud came down and praise ascended.

M Would you say something about the discernment of the note set by the Chief Musician?

WJH It is said of some of the musicians in David’s time that they played under the direction of the king. This is how it happens in reality; our will does not intrude. It is the king who is supreme. There are sometimes brothers who act, to a certain degree, according to their own will — ‘I have expressed a certain kind of thanksgiving for years and I do not wish to change.’ Such brothers are not under the direction of the king and they bring in disorder.

M On the other hand, it may happen that a brother is genuinely exercised, because he is not sure that the contribution that he wishes to make is in harmony with the direction of the Chief Musician and, in the end, he says nothing, fearful of introducing something which is not according to the Lord’s mind.

WJH I think that is valid. When we feel that the Lord as Chief Musician is leading in a certain direction, and we are conscious that He has given us something in this way, it becomes a matter of placing it under His control and it will then be of use. If, however, what we have in mind does not lead in this direction, even although it may be entirely correct, it is not the time to express it and we must remain silent if we wish to have the cloud, and we very much desire it, for the greatest moment down here is one in the joy of the presence of the cloud. If we have one minute of joy in the presence of the cloud, dear brethren, it will not be forgotten throughout the whole of our lives.

JM What is the thought as to the presence of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun in relation to this?

WJH I think that they are the great leaders of song, the great musicians under the direction of Christ. If the apostle Paul were to be in a Lord’s Day morning meeting, I think that the brethren would feel the need to regard the note set by our David by means of Paul. I think that is what is seen in these three men — they are leaders of song, all set under the direction of the king, for there is only one Chief Musician, the Chief Musician.

I refer to chapter 7 only to show that this same privilege is available to us in the prayer meeting. It was when Solomon had finished his prayer that the cloud descended again. I wonder if our prayer meetings finish in this way. Solomon brought the people into contact with God by his prayer. The cloud descended once again and it says that they “...bowed themselves with their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshipped and thanked Jehovah” (2 Chronicles 7: 3).

M Do you not think that the golden altar has to do with worship on Lord’s Day morning?

WJH It seems to me that the predominant thought in incense is prayer. Praise is also included in prayer. There is no real prayer without praise. The order presented in Scripture is prayer, supplication and thanksgiving (Philippians 4: 6). These elements are blended. They form part of what is mixed to make the incense. The thought before us is that the effect of Solomon’s prayer is to bring the presence of God. That is what we desire for Monday evening. The previous scene comes within our range on Lord’s Day but here we have the great model for Monday evening.

PG Why do you refer to Monday evening in regard of prayer? Is there a moral reason for this?

WJH Don’t you think that you would wish to pray as soon as possible after this scene, before you might lose the sense of it? If the glory had filled the house on Lord’s Day morning, I think that everyone would think, ‘The sooner I pray after this scene the better’. We are certainly not subject to rules but you will notice that the customs, which become widespread among the saints, are generally good customs. Almost universally, Monday evening is the evening for prayer.

Ques Would these passages not indicate that those who break bread would, as far as possible, be present for prayer?

WJH It is very regrettable that brothers and sisters who come to the Lord’s Day morning meeting might not come to the prayer meeting. If we think that we might receive a vision of the glory, I do not believe that many of us would be absent.

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