FULFILLED RESPONSIBILITY
This scripture supposes fulfilled responsibility. There was some conflict over this matter a good many years ago, some thinking it desirable but impossible, but there is no doubt that the scripture supposes that it is within our reach to fulfil responsibility. Having the Holy Spirit, the power for such, “the righteous requirement of the law” is fulfilled in those who walk according to the Spirit, Rom 8: 4. That would be fulfilled responsibility. “He that has my commandments and keeps them” (John 14: 21) would suggest fulfilled responsibility. It is a matter we ought to be concerned about both individually and maybe especially as a company, that we fulfil our responsibilities.
That is what Moses presents attractively to the people here. He puts the words in their mouth: telling them that, having fulfilled the requirement, he says, “and thou shalt say before Jehovah thy God” I have done certain things and not done certain things. They had fulfilled the commandments. The commandment, of course, is simply the expression of the will of God. The will of God covers the commandment and the commandments and the statutes and ordinances, details; all these matters are really the expression of the will of God. And Moses puts this attractively before the people. He says, having done this, you can say to the Lord, “Look down from thy holy habitation, from the heavens, and bless thy people Israel”. Of course, the Lord looks down in any case, but it is a good thing to have a sense of fulfilling the requirement and, you might say, inviting the Lord to look down from the heavens, “Look down from thy holy habitation” and find conditions here in agreement with His holy habitation up there. That is not impossible. That is what fulfilled responsibility has in mind: “Look down from thy holy habitation, from the heavens”. Later on the heavens are spoken of as the settled place of God’s dwelling but then when Solomon built the temple, that also was a settled place of God’s dwelling. We have a settled place in heaven—nothing can shake or alter that—but there is a settled place on the earth and that is what this supposes: “Look down from thy holy habitation, from the heavens” and find conditions in agreement with what is up there, conditions of separation, conditions of sanctification, “thy holy habitation, from the heavens” and find on the earth what is suitable, what is in concert with what is up there. How attractive that idea is! How attractive to the Lord to be able to look down and see these conditions.
Well, we have much to be thankful for, I am sure of that, in our city and in many other localities, but if the Lord looks down on a locality and sees brethren at sixes and sevens, what do you think about that? When he looked down on Corinth and the confusion that was there, it must have grieved the heart of the Lord Jesus; it must have grieved the Holy Spirit to see such conditions. Instead of being in concert with His holy habitation up there, there was confusion down here, party attitude, brethren divided, different views. How sad that is! We need to be concerned that that kind of thing does not come into our locality, that we are able to help one another and consider for the Lord first in every matter. It is very attractive, is it not, saying to the Lord, “Look down from thy holy habitation, from the heavens, and bless thy people Israel, and the land that thou hast given us as thou didst swear unto our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey!” That suggests the Lord’s faithfulness, swearing to their fathers, and finding a resting-place, finding a settled place, finding conditions with which He is pleased down here.
The Lord told His disciples to pray “let thy will be done as in heaven so upon the earth” (Matt 6: 10), heaven and earth in concert, heaven and earth in accord. What an attractive situation that is! It ought to be attractive to every one of us. It is worthwhile going through exercise. It is worthwhile being concerned and to see to all matters that we need to see to that such conditions should exist, eternal life for our enjoyment but also what is pleasing to God. The psalmist says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psalm 133: 1. It is “pleasant” for the brethren; it is “pleasant” for the Lord too as He looks down from His holy habitation and finds conditions of sanctification and of unity down here in our localities. It ought to be so. We have had so much ministry and get so much ministry, so many exhortations we get, so many reminders as to the level at which we ought to be. We need to answer to these things.
The next section is very beautiful. It says, “This day Jehovah thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and ordinances; and thou halt keep and do them with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Thou hast this day accepted Jehovah to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and keep his statutes, and his commandments and his ordinances, and to hearken unto his voice”, v 16, 17. Is that our attitude? Is that our committal? Then it says, “and Jehovah hath accepted thee this day to be a people of possession to him, as he hath told thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments”. It is a thing we are to be committed to. That is, He can look down from His holy habitation; the idea is so interesting and so encouraging. Along with that we need to commit ourselves and if we commit ourselves to the Lord, He will commit Himself to us. It is like a covenant made, the covenant established here. Moses is not going into the land. He would have loved to have gone into the land. He is trying to impart to those who are going in his own feelings, his own appreciation of the land. He was disqualified but he tries to impart to the people his own keenness, his own desire, if only he could have. Well, may the Lord encourage us! It says, “that thou shouldest be a holy people to Jehovah thy God, as he hath said”, v 19. Well, holy is a very elevated word, but I think sanctification comes very near to holiness. Sometimes in the New Testament Mr Darby translates sanctification where it could be holiness, a sanctified people, sanctified persons, a sanctified company, practically in our localities. Well, may the Lord encourage us for our own pleasure and for the satisfaction of the Lord Himself, for His Name’s sake!
EDINBURGH
23rd January 1990
This article is first published here, lightly edited and not revised by
Mr Renton
_____________________