SECURITY WITHOUT ANXIETY
R.Hibbert
I was thinking especially of verse 5; the note 'f' says 'implying security without anxiety'. My concern for myself and for all of us is that, if we are to be effective in the service of God and in the testimony, we have to learn how to be free of anxiety, free of agitation yet secure. In Psalm 2: 1 it says, "Why are the nations in tumultuous agitation...?" That is what is going on in the world now all around - tumultuous agitation. The devil is behind it, and what he does in the world is liable to be reflected in the assembly. I find he is constantly trying to keep us agitated in one way or another. We should just remember that assembly matters are in the Lord's hands. I do not think we worry so much about secular matters such as communism or other disturbing things because we know that God is over all that and He will deal with it in His own way, but we are inclined to become very anxious about things in the assembly. I do not suggest at all that we should not be concerned, but there is such a thing as being rightly exercised and yet peaceful, so that our part in the service of God and our enjoyment of eternal life, which Satan is out to damage and to destroy, are not damaged. The Psalms are full of this kind of thing. I was looking through them the other day to see how many there are where David is going through this very exercise, being conscious of enemies and of disturbances and yet he finds a sure resource in God. He is kept steady in spite of all the enemies, and all the difficulties. You sometimes wonder why David had to suffer so much of this kind of pressure, which would answer now to assembly pressure, but what is in view in David is the establishment of the service of God, and provision for the building of the house. That requires that we arrive at what you might call a settled condition of restfulness in the knowledge that all is in God's hands. So, as we often have been reminded, in Matthew 11 when the Lord was sorely pressed, it says, At that time - At that time, “Jesus answering said, I praise thee, Father, Lord of the heaven and of the earth" (v 25); and then He says to His own, "Come to me, all ye who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest”. I remember a very good remark; while many believers have peace with God in their consciences not many have rest in their souls. That is an important distinction. We may be free of matters to trouble our conscience, and have peace with God in that regard, but if we do not have rest in our souls we shall be damaged for the service of God and the enjoyment of eternal life. What we had before us in the ministry last weekend, in relation to conditions suitable to the house of God, involves more than what is moral; it involves our being with God and being restful in the sense that no matter how things may appear, He is over all and has everything in hand. We sometimes act as if the Lord was neglecting things in His assembly. He is not neglecting anything. He says "on this rock I will build my assembly", Matt 16: 18 - what a fine word that is, my assembly, not just the assembly "and hades' gates shall not prevail against it".
In this Psalm David says "Jehovah hath set apart the pious man for himself: Jehovah will hear when I call unto him". What a sense to have in the soul that one is set apart by Jehovah! And that is true of the assembly, it is set apart for Christ, as the pious man is for God. Then he says "Be moved with anger"; so we are not to be unfeeling about matters and we might be angry. Matters may arise in the assembly that cause righteous anger. So it is not a question of shutting our eyes to things; but we learn when this verse is quoted in Ephesians that we are not to continue in anger; it says "let not the sun set upon your wrath", chap 4: 26. So that we are to arrive at a judgment of things and it is right that we should, and we might be very indignant about things that occur, but then we are not to remain in a state of disturbance. I think, beloved brethren, that there is a tendency to that in over-activity about matters. The Lord found Simon Peter's mother-in-law in a fever; He stood over her and rebuked the fever. Think of the Lord rebuking! He would say to us, Do not get into a fever about things. Martha was troubled about many things. Well, that was all right in a way, she was serving, active, but she was hindering; it looked like a good thing but she was interfering with the "good part". So there may sometimes be too much activity, too much letter writing, too much telephoning - the brethren will know what I mean. The enemy can get into these things and get the brethren agitated. That is just what he wants to do. We are to be concerned and there is much to cause right concern, but it says "Be moved with anger, and sin not". Anger is a very vulnerable area, if you get angry you are very likely to sin. So we are not to give room for the devil.
Then it says "meditate in your own hearts upon your bed, and be still". What a fine word that is! One minute you are very angry about something and you say, That is not right; but then it says "meditate in your own hearts upon your bed, and be still. Selah". You say there are so many things to be written about so many persons to be seen, and so many persons to be telephoned about, and why would Selah come in here? Selah is like a semi-colon; it is not exactly a full stop but it is a pause. You say, How can I pause in the midst of all these things? You can pause and you can be still too: “meditate in your own hearts upon your bed, and be still". The Lord is very interested in what we do when we are not able to sleep, what we are thinking about, and then that we can be still. Then he says, Selah.
Then you get the service of God: "Offer sacrifices of righteousness, and confide in Jehovah". That is what the Lord said to His own about troublous times that were coming: "See that ye be not disturbed" (Matt 24: 6), and as to circumstances, "Be not in anxiety" (Luke 12: 29); and in the parable of the sower, one of the things that hinders the seed germinating is "the anxious care of this life" (Matt 13: 22). We need thus, beloved brethren, to learn from Him and find rest for our souls.
Then in verse 7 you see the wonderful result: "Thou hast put joy in my heart". In verse 4 he is rightly angry, and now he says "Thou hast put joy in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their new wine was in abundance. In peace will I both lay me down and sleep: for thou, Jehovah, alone makest me to dwell in safety". The secret of it all is the word "alone". It is a question of turning to God first about these matters. Sometimes we have to speak to brethren about them, and it is testing to know how to talk about things in a way that will not cause agitation. It is a fine thing to be a son of peace. The nucleus of a local assembly is a son of peace. In Matthew it is connected with moral worth, it is a man that would be concerned about assembly matters; but in Luke it is the son of peace - one who would have peace in view, not war. War is naturally more attractive to us. I remember a brother saying that professional soldiers like war, it affords opportunity for promotions; and they may get some medals too. It is said that Nelson, by wearing his official uniform with all his medals displayed, afforded a ready target for the French sniper who killed him. If he had just been dressed like an ordinary sailor he would not have been the target that he was. David refused Saul’s armour and went into battle clothed as a shepherd.
We have been reminded, beloved brethren, of two things, and it is my own concern to see what the Lord has in mind in drawing attention to them: humility and sobriety.
Let us be with the Lord about it so that we might arrive at the experience of security without anxiety.
BROOKLYN NY
12 April 1977