THE TEMPLE OF GOD - FOURTH READING
THE TEMPLE OF GOD - FOURTH READING
WJH Most of us would know that we have been considering the great subject of the temple, which represents the wonderful work which is the present occupation of Divine Persons. There is what God did at the beginning, when He created the heavens and the earth, and He finished them. There is also what the Father has done hitherto; the Lord says, “My father worketh hitherto” (John 5: 17). That is something entirely different from the works of creation. We have the operations of grace in the Old Testament. Then we have what the Lord did here below. But there is also what the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are doing at present. No intelligent person could accept that Divine Persons could be inactive. Could the Almighty be inactive? It matters, therefore, for us to see what God is doing and to have our part in it. That has been our subject until now. Solomon is the great builder of the house of God,
the temple. It represents Christ in glory, using servants down here to find and assemble the materials.
So we come to this wonderful message, “Send me also cedar-trees, cypress-trees, and sandalwood-trees, out of Lebanon”. Sandals were made from sandalwood. Solomon knows that they are needed; he says, ‘Send me those trees’. He also knows from where he wants them. He does not want any kind of tree, nor trees of whatever provenance. He needs these three kinds and they must be from Lebanon.
M What is the meaning of Lebanon for us?
WJH It is the highest point in the land, with an altitude of more than three thousand metres. It represents a region in contact with heaven and under its influence. Solomon wants trees, which come from there, trees which grow down here under the influence of heaven. That is a thought which tests us. Do we live on Lebanon? Perhaps we live in Egypt or in the cities of the plain near to Sodom. Solomon does not want wood from these places.
Ques Three places are mentioned — Lebanon, Joppa and Jerusalem. What do they suggest?
WJH We have just been speaking about Lebanon; it is an elevated place in contact with heaven. Jerusalem is the city of the great king; there, the authority of the king is absolute. Joppa is beside the sea and the wood had to come down through water, which means that we must accept death here to be available for the temple. If we wish to be characterised, in some measure, by the features of the temple, we have to grow on Lebanon. Our whole life must be subject to the influence of heaven. Strictly speaking, we are not in heaven but we grow under its influence. It is of all importance that there should be such trees; it is not possible to have the temple without them. Where men and women live under the influence of heaven in their families and in their businesses, there is a representation of the trees of Lebanon.
Rem Egypt, on the contrary, is under the influence of the Nile.
WJH And its waters are blood. All who live under this influence will die. Thanks to God, there are trees of Lebanon here. We know brothers and sisters here who live under the influence of heaven. There is nothing sweeter than to enter the house of a brother or sister and to taste there the influence of heaven — “love out of a pure heart” (1 Timothy 1: 5). We need even more, dear brethren, in order to have the character of the temple in increased measure.
M Would you develop a little what you understand by the acceptance of death?
WJH The apostle says, “always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus” (2 Corinthians 4: 10). We have to admit that, as to our bodies, we are going to die, if the Lord should delay His coming. Our families will come to an end; death will claim those whom we love. As to our businesses, we shall leave them; they will not always occupy us. We must accept this so that we do not become too absorbed by these things. Some Christians are too concerned about their health; others, especially sisters, direct all their energy to their families. Some brothers devote themselves entirely to their businesses. But we must realise that all these things are destined to perish; we must live under the influence of heaven.
Rem Would you not say that things must be done in the light of resurrection? These trees were put into the water with the prospect of retrieving them later.
WJH What helps us is to have heard from Solomon, ‘I need these trees; I need them for God’. This is the message, “The Lord has need of it” (Mark 11: 3). He wants us all for His temple. That helps us to accept death down here.
M Do you mean that the temple is not built in the world? It is on the earth but it is not of the world. The house of God is still on the earth. There is a ladder which rises from the house of God to heaven — the angels of God ascend and descend upon it and God stands at the top of the ladder. Think of having, in Valence, a direct communication with heaven. How wonderful to spend a single day in such a house.
I Does the fact that God is at the top of the ladder suggest that He is near to us?
WJH It means that God is in direct communication with His house.
Rem It might be useful to consider more closely these three trees.
WJH Solomon says, “Send me also cedar-trees, cypress-trees, and sandalwood-trees, out of Lebanon”. These trees are found, according to God, only on Lebanon. The cedar is the royal tree — it grows majestically above the others. The cypress is an evergreen — it never withers.
Sandalwood provides the wood for the most beautiful sandals you can wear. We are told that Solomon made the stairs for the house of Jehovah from sandalwood. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that announceth glad tidings” (Isaiah 52: 7). That is what is suggested by sandalwood. Looking at His sandals, John says, “I am not worthy to unloose the thong”. He felt that they were so beautiful that he was unworthy to touch them. If we live under the influence of Egypt, we shall be morally small and contemptible, instead of being cedars. If our roots are in the river of Egypt, our leaves will wither but, if we live under the influence of heaven, our leaves will always be green. If we submit to the influence of Egypt, our feet will be directed towards the paths which go down to hell; but if we live under the influence of heaven, our steps will ascend towards the house of God. One wonders sometimes, why the leaf of a brother or a sister has withered; God might give us to see the cause. It is found that they have radio in their house and they are drinking from the river of Egypt, or they are reading novels secretly or perhaps they are spending a lot of time reading newspapers, in such a way that their leaf is withering. Let us live on Lebanon and remain green like the cypress.
PN That reminds me of what is said about Lebanon and the green cypress at the end of Hosea, “I am like a green fir tree” (Hosea 14: 8).
WJH “What have I to do any more with idols?” (Hosea 14: 8); if we live in relation to idols, we shall soon wither.
Then we see the promises of Solomon for those who engage in this service. That is something wonderful, dear brethren, which we cannot know without having had the experience of it. We see what Solomon puts at the disposal of those who undertake this service. It is wonderful to be able to participate in this service, even without taking account of the recompense. However, Solomon makes promises to those who serve. The Lord is always faithful to His promises. There is a place in God’s building for every Christian on the earth, because it is the greatest thing which God has ever made; it is far greater than the heavens. God made the heavens. He made the earth much more, it says, “but he who has built all things is God” (Hebrews 3: 4) but the assembly of God is the greatest building which has ever been built.
PN As to the wheat which is referred to here, could it be linked to Israel, who could not eat of the old corn of the land until they had crossed the Jordan when it overflowed all its banks?
WJH The wheat alludes to that. Solomon promises “twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat”, wheat with no trace of chaff, “and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil”. That is what is promised to those who serve.
Ques You have said that there is no chaff in the wheat. What does the chaff represent?
WJH What is worthless, destined to be burnt and the world is full of it. Here we have “beaten wheat”, that is, sifted.
JM These provisions were for those who cut down the trees.
WJH It is the part of those who are ready to work, for this service is hard work. This was Phoebe’s part, “minister of the assembly... for she also has been a helper of many and of myself” (Romans 16: 2). The Lord promises to make these things available to whoever engages in the service. He will give the best of the wheat. Wheat corresponds, I think, to an appreciation of Christ in relation to the eternal purpose of God. It is the wheat put in reserve by God from eternity, “which he purposed in himself” before the ages of time. If anyone wishes to have part in this service, God will give him to know Christ in relation to the eternal thoughts of God. That is what is better. Wheat is better than barley.
PG In the book of Ruth, it begins with barley but here it is with wheat.
WJH We shall come to the barley shortly. Here, the Lord promises first of all what is better, “A choenix of wheat for a denarius, and three choenixes of barley for a denarius” (Revelation 6: 6). I think that most Christians are content with a little of the Passover, the food that saves them from the judgment of this world; they will be saved from hell; they will go to heaven, but that is not the wheat. The wheat goes well above that. No one can taste the wheat unless they find an interest in the house of God. I do not think that any Christian knows what the wheat is without definite engagement in the house of God.
PN Could we say that Gideon was a good worker and an overcomer, because he is first presented to us as active in threshing wheat?
WJH In that connection, he was a “mighty man of valour”. If we have a view of Christ according to divine purpose, we are mighty men, because the counsel of God remains. No power, neither earthly nor infernal, can overthrow the purpose of God. “Jehovah is with thee, thou mighty man of valour”, it says (Judges 6: 12). Later, he is seen in the cake of barley bread, tumbling into the camp of Midian. So Solomon says, I will give them “twenty thousand measures of barley”. That is also very good food. It will soon overturn the world, just as the cake of barley bread overturned the camp of Midian. It is said of Paul and Silas, “These men that have set the world in tumult, are come here also” (Acts 17: 6). How were they able to overturn the world? By eating barley — barley is Christ in resurrection. Wheat is Christ in heaven as Son of God. The barley harvest comes first; it comes before the wheat harvest. Barley speaks of Christ out of death; the barley was seen down here for forty days.
This food, assimilated by the soul, overturns the world. The apostle says, “to know him, and the power of his resurrection” (Philippians 3: 10). If we wish to find interest in the house of God, dear brethren, the Lord will give us barley. He will make us to know the power of His resurrection, so that we should live in the resurrection world. It is not in heaven; it is here on the earth.
JM Wheat establishes us in relation to the eternal purpose of God and barley makes us able to be overcomers down here.
GA The time of the barley harvest is therefore a precious moment.
WJH As to ourselves, we begin there. Ruth came to the barley harvest, then followed the wheat harvest. There is great power in resurrection. Nothing can resist resurrection. Think of Christ out of death — for forty days. He was down here, assembling with His disciples, in order to make them know the power of His resurrection — that is the barley. The Lord offers twenty thousand measures to those who work at the house of God, but Christ, as man in heaven, is the wheat, which is even more precious than the barley.
Then, “twenty thousand baths of wine”. It is the good wine of chapter 2 of John — “thou hast kept the good wine till now”.
PN Is it the wine which is spoken of in Song of Songs — “He hath brought me to the house of wine” (Song of Songs 2: 4)?
WJH He has mixed his wine; he has prepared it and he gives it to those who are working. I wonder if we have tasted this wine. Peter had tasted it; he knows “joy unspeakable and filled with the glory” (1 Peter 1: 8), a joy which words cannot express. Ineffable joy is the part of those who are ready to work at the house of God. Paul and Silas felled trees at Philippi. When they were in the prison, their feet in chains, working at this great work, the Lord came to them bringing baths of wine. At midnight, the darkest point, they were praying and singing praise to God. All who wish to work will have this experience.
Ques “I will no more drink at all of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God” (Mark 14: 25). Does that refer to the present time?
WJH I think that it can be applied to the present time. The kingdom of God has arisen in our hearts. I believe that the Lord receives much wine from His own today, the wine “which cheers God” (Judges 9: 13).
What comes last, but which are not least in importance, are the “twenty thousand baths of oil”. Perhaps we have most need of the oil. The effect of the oil, dear brethren, is to make a man’s face to shine. That was Stephen’s portion. He had the wheat, the barley and the wine but he also had the oil. His face was seen “as the face of an angel” (Acts 6: 15). The very light of heaven was shining in his face; that is the effect of the oil. Solomon says, ‘I will give twenty thousand baths of oil, in order to make the faces of all those who take part in the work to shine with heavenly dignity’.
GM “Twenty thousand baths” is not a small quantity.
WJH Let no one think that they will receive of this oil without working. If our faces are not shining, we are lacking in oil.
Ques Can we say that they work “together in unity”, as it says in one of the Songs of Degrees? It adds, “Like the precious oil upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, upon Aaron’s beard, that ran down to the hem of his garments;” (Psalm 133: 2).
WJH “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
These workers were completely united in view of the great objective, the temple.
M The number twenty thousand is frequently repeated.
WJH Twenty is two times ten. Multiples of ten recur in all the measurements here. It seems to suggest what is established in a sphere of responsibility. There is enough wine to fill every heart with joy in this scene of responsibility. I think that, with twenty thousand baths, there is enough oil to make the face of every Christian on earth to shine. It is an allusion to the Holy Spirit as the unction.
M Does a shining face convey happiness?
WJH I think that it is more a matter of heavenly dignity. Joy is linked with wine. These twenty thousand baths, and much more, came on Jesus when He was anointed. The Holy Spirit descended on Him in a bodily form, that is, in totality. We are able to receive only a small quantity of oil but only a few drops of this heavenly oil will make the face of a Christian shine.
Rem It says of Stephen that he was “full of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7: 55).
WJH That is the oil. We need dignity if we wish to be in the temple. Nothing mean will enter the temple — malice, guile, envy, evil speaking will never enter the temple of God. How contemptible all these things are! The world is full of them but the oil gives us the dignity of heaven. So Hiram replies that it is a good proposal and that he accepts it. “And now the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, which my lord hath spoken of, let him send unto his servants” (2 Chronicles 2: 15). The offer is accepted. It is what we want to arrive at now. Let us do the same as Job. He says, “Behold my signature” (Job 31: 35). We have to append our signature as indication that we accept the proposal.
M Why does Hiram reply to Solomon in writing?
WJH It is just what we have been saying — “Behold my signature”. The thing is in writing; we are committed. It is good to see brothers and sisters devoted to God’s interests. Anna in the temple was one such, serving God day and night until the Lord should come. He is coming soon and we want to be found engaged in His interests.
Ques Do we find this commitment with Rebecca when she says, “I will go”?
WJH It is the same thought. There is a difference between saying or writing something and having it in the heart or mind. You cannot draw back from what you have said or written. I am sure that it is for that reason that many young people do not ask to break bread. They do not wish to be bound. When they partake of the bread and the cup, they commit themselves in fellowship. “And Solomon numbered all the strangers that were in the land of Israel, after the account that David his father had taken of them, and there were found a hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred. And he set seventy thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and eighty thousand to be stone-masons in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred overseers to set the people to work.” Ultimately, we have our part on the basis of mercy, for we are almost all strangers, “strangers to the covenants of promise” (Ephesians 2: 12).
Ques Why is there reference to the numbering which David had made?
WJH I think it is right to distinguish them from each other. This latest numbering is not in order to show their strength but to demonstrate the greatness of the divine mercy, which engages the whole of this multitude of strangers in this wonderful work. It is in this way that in Ephesians 2: 11, 12,
the apostle says, “Wherefore remember that ye, once nations in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that called circumcision in the flesh done with the hand; that ye were at that time without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world”.
Rem The Lord said that he had other sheep who were not of this fold.
WJH What feelings these sheep must have when they are brought into His flock! What feelings fill our hearts when we realise that we have part in this great and wonderful edifice! What feelings filled the heart of Paul, the great architect. He says, I was before “a blasphemer and persecutor, and an insolent overbearing man — but mercy was shown me” (1 Timothy 1: 13). The grace of our Lord had overabounded in establishing him in this service. Such are the feelings of strangers, when they go up to the mountain to find wood. At every step they can say, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord” (1 Timothy 1: 12).