SPIRITUAL QUALITY (6)
SPIRITUAL QUALITY (6)
SMcC We were pursuing an enquiry elsewhere as to quality in persons in the Acts and it occurred to me that this afternoon we might pursue that further, with the service of God in mind in a general way, in Luke’s gospel. The chapter that we have read is rather lengthy but it was suggested that we should read the whole chapter to get the full bearing of the scripture, on the subject of our enquiry. It will be obvious that in the time we have, we cannot go into all the details of the chapter, but it is in mind to keep before us certain persons as setting out certain positive qualities, such as John the baptist, Mary and Elizabeth and finally Zacharias. It is important that we should see what the Lord is aiming at in the present time in view of the completing of the dispensation, that He has quality in the saints in mind. The assembly is a great vessel, a vessel of great quality, being heavenly in origin and heavenly in destiny, and I think we can all see, if we look into the ministry, that the Lord is aiming at bringing us in our souls more and more into the substantial good of the greatness of the truth as to Christ and the assembly that has been brought so much before us. No doubt the emphasis recently on the truth as to the Spirit and as to the sisters is all bearing upon this matter of quality in the vessel that is to share with Christ in administration in the day of glory in the world to come. Luke has the service of God in mind in a special way. When we refer to the service of God we are not thinking exclusively of Lord’s day morning, but we are thinking of the whole position relating to it, such as we are in this afternoon. The service of God is in mind in relation to our subject,
and Luke stresses the moral side, and the priestly side, and I think it is a great thing, dear brethren, that that should always be strengthened with us. We should see that the Lord has constantly in mind to strengthen the moral element in our souls, because the enemy has a great object of attack in any part of the world where the saints may be marked by particular and peculiar interest in the truth, and there is no doubt that he seeks, and will seek, to assail it, especially on moral lines, if by any means he can entrench himself on the position in any of our souls, to rob us of joy and buoyancy in the service of God, because that is a distinct feature of spiritual quality in Luke’s gospel, the feature of joy and buoyancy, running through from beginning to end. I mention all this to indicate the general lines upon which our enquiry may proceed, but of course as we feel our way no doubt our enquiry will be enlarged in regard to other features that may be indicated, as in a subject, dependent way we pursue the enquiry together.
John is the first personality that we should think of, as representing according to Luke how the moral line is intensified and has in mind to be strengthened, as is said of him in verse 14, “He shall be to thee joy and rejoicing, and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the sons of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn hearts of fathers to children, and disobedient ones to the thoughts of just men, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people,” verse 14 - 17. Now this is unique to Luke’s gospel, we do not have it with the other evangelists, Matthew or Mark or John, so there must be some special intent why it appears in Luke’s gospel.
Another thing that might be just noted in passing is that Luke has in mind, as one who companied with Paul, the economy of local assemblies and a confirming of the truth relating thereto, especially in the personnel that form the local gatherings.
ELE Would you think that we see the feature of buoyancy and joy marking John the baptist before he was born? “He leaped in the womb.”
SMcC A very interesting thing, showing how early the feature of buoyancy is seen with him, and with his mother, Elizabeth, a very choice vessel in the section that we are referring to, based upon the principle of Nazariteship.
MSS Would you link that too with verse 15, “He shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb,” the Spirit in that way giving us the thought of joy and what it means in these verses referred to?
SMcC I am sure that is right and that enters into our enquiry, among the many other things. On the line of quality, especially in relation to the moral side bearing on the truth, it is important that we should learn to make room for the Spirit, and to use the Spirit as in the line of the testimony.
LAC We notice that the expression “being filled with the Holy Spirit” occurs three times in the chapter. First in connection with the child, then in connection with the woman, and finally in connection with the man.
SMcC That is a very interesting thing because the child, the woman and the man, represent the component parts of the assembly. They set out the elements that compose the assembly, as we know. We have it referred to elsewhere in the gospel as the moral side of exercise is intensified, as in Luke 8, for instance, the man, the woman and the child. It is important to see that Luke has in mind to focus our attention, not on one component part, but on the three component parts of the gatherings of local assemblies - the man, the woman and the child. Because if the children are wrong constitutionally, there will be an element of defection entering into the line of the testimony as it proceeds. I am thinking of the wine and strong drink which has a constitutional bearing - our children kept free from the elements and principles of the world, as held on the line of devotedness to God and His interests.
AT There is joy and buoyancy in response to the sovereignty of God?
SMcC Well, I would say that that is one feature of the truth and an important one, but another important feature that goes along with that is the moral side in our souls. That is, if the moral side is not clear, the element of joy and rejoicing, buoyancy, will necessarily be affected. Luke has that in mind in the priestly way he writes his gospel.
HOE It is noticeable that in this gospel we get the Lord Jesus saying, while yet a Child, “Did ye not know that I ought to be occupied in my Father’s business?” chapter 2: 49.
SMcC Very good, and I think it fits into our subject very well, because it is the only gospel that gives us that statement. We are to note with the evangelists, the distinctive features that appear in each, and the Lord in saying that at the age of twelve, becomes a great example in regard to the element that we have been referring to.
RS Would you say that all these references to “child” would suggest that we are to take up these things at the earliest possible time and not to put them off to a later date?
SMcC I think that is important, that they should have it in mind from the earliest, and we should have it in mind. Of course the children are natural, new birth has to take place, they have to take their own stand eventually in confession of the Lord, but we should have it in mind from the outset in their training as part of the testimony, because our children are different, “else were your children, unclean, but now are they holy,” Paul says, referring to them positionally.
CB Do you mean that the environment should be conducive to the Spirit to operate, to produce what we have before us?
SMcC Exactly, that is what is in mind, and now that you have mentioned that word, it is important to see this whole environment in Luke 1, that is why we read the whole chapter, to get some little idea of the environment that the truth appeared in. Because we have the incoming of Christ, the incarnation, before us in this chapter, and the whole environment is divinely sterilised in view of the quality that is to appear in “the Holy Thing” which is to be born - the stress is on the quality, “the Holy Thing.”
ELE That itself suggests what is priestly “the Holy Thing.”
SMcC Exactly, and the need for the exclusion of every and any extraneous element that would interfere with this kind of quality and these kind of conditions.
NM “Joy in heaven over one sinner, that repenteth.” Would buoyancy be in receiving the Spirit?
SMcC Well, joy is a great feature of Luke 15, both in regard to the shepherd, and in regard to the woman, and in regard to the father, the thought of buoyancy is in mind all the way through in that section, I think it is especially helpful to see in this immediate part that we are considering, how it is linked with this kind of service and ministry that speaks of the spirit and power of Elias. We might think that Elisha would bring in the elements of joy and rejoicing and buoyancy, but it is the spirit and power of Elijah before us here: the powerful authoritative ministry of one who sought to recover the people to the rights of God.
MSS Is that very encouraging too as relating to the conditions prevailing publicly?
SMcC That is what I thought, especially as finding a certain analogy in our time. It is a great thing to take account of the spirit and power of Elijah, because it represents in John the baptist the element of mystery. The Lord said in Matthew, chapter 11: 14, “If ye will receive it, this is Elias,” there is an element of mystery about John the baptist that we have to understand and we are to see the bearing of it in principle in our time and in the teaching.
CB You mean to us it would be the spirit of Elias? Not him personally now but the spirit of Elias?
SMcC That is it, the spirit and power of Elias. Another interesting thing in Luke’s gospel is to follow through the idea of “power” in the gospel. It is a remarkable thing that the gospel that gives us the Lord Jesus as touching humanity at its lowest point in the babe in the manger, begins with the thought of power and ends with the thought of power.
VB Would you say that what follows in that verse (17) “to turn hearts of fathers to children, and disobedient ones to the thoughts of just men,” would bear out what you say as regards power?
SMcC I thought so, it is the effective power of the ministry. John the baptist belonged to another dispensation, but we are thinking of the principle of ministry of this character that makes way for the Lord’s coming in, as that is our great expectation, we are being prepared as a people waiting for the Lord to come in.
CBl In that way we would be making room for the Spirit amongst us, would you say?
SMcC Well, it is a great matter that the Spirit should be made room for, made room for in us individually as well as in the gatherings. Luke is emphasising persons in whom the Spirit has a right-of-way, not just that He is there but that He has a right-of-way. I suppose that most here have the Spirit, but has the Spirit got a right-of-way with us? It is important in view of spiritual quality being arrived at.
AKH Would you say a little more as to the analogy you referred to in connection with Elijah’s day and our own?
SMcC I was thinking especially of “the thoughts of just men, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.” John’s ministry seems to be paving the way for the incoming of Christ. And of course all ministry that comes from heaven will make way for Christ. If in ministry way is not made for Christ there is a defect in it. So there is a certain analogy in that, and of course, Elijah’s ministry had to do with apostate times.
ELE Luke is the only one who gives us the names of all those political authorities, Philip the tetrarch, Lysanias, and Herod, he gives them all in connection with the birth. What do you think of that?
SMcC Well, I think it is very interesting to notice what you now refer to. He first refers to the days of Herod, those who were more local to Judaea and the territory around there, but then in the second chapter he extends farther abroad to Caesar Augustus, and then in the third chapter he opens up the diversified forms of government both in districts and otherwise. I think it is to help us to see that whatever form the government might take the line of quality in the testimony is going through, and I think it helps us at the present time in view of the current situation that we have to do with, to see that whatever may be transpiring in the diversified forms of government,
that this is going on, we may say, in mystery alongside of it.
RS Have you in mind that even in countries and places where governments are not in keeping with the mind of God, for all that the testimony must go through, inasmuch as He has promised to Philadelphia an open door to the overcomer till He comes?
SMcC Oh, I think so, I think it is a great comfort to take account of the fact that God is thinking of the assembly. He is thinking of the testimony. However weak some may think the western nations are, God has got His eye on the assembly in that position, and He will keep His hand over matters definitely until the church is translated.
AT Does the spirit and power of Elias stand for recovery?
SMcC Exactly, as it says, “to turn hearts of fathers to children, and disobedient ones to the thoughts of just men, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.” It is a great thing that we should have the thoughts of “just men,” men that are right with God, right before God, just men. It is stressing the moral side.
WT Do you not think that the conversation on the hill country was a very pleasant one, Elizabeth going up to visit Mary would call for much agility?
SMcC It would. So it is a great matter that in our contacts and conversation, the heavenly side, the elevated side, should be maintained. The Lord is aiming constantly to keep us on the heavenly line, elevated above all that is connected with this poor world.
HOE Is that what you meant by using the word ‘sterilised’ just now?
SMcC Exactly, that by divine action the realm here is kept clean from any alien or extraneous influence that would impair the great transaction that was taking place.
HOE In the naming of John, it is very noticeable that Zacharias said, “His name is John” and that settled it, all the natural relations had to retire.
SMcC Exactly, and it is noticeable how definite they are about the matter, because that was a matter of light from heaven. The naming of John was contrary to all that was traditional, to all that was native to the Jewish mind, but heaven is intervening in the matter and Elizabeth is in full accord with heaven, and Zacharias is in full accord with heaven and the light shining out of heaven, and so they say, “His name is John.”
RS Is not that in keeping with Luke too, the positive way in which the thing is stated, his name is John? He had written to Theophilus, “most excellent Theophilus,” about things well believed among us, that he might have the certainty of them.
SMcC Showing the quality that is in mind, do you not think, in this gospel. Accuracy is a great thing in regard to quality. We know how it is stressed at the present time in so many different ways, in so many different fields, but it is a great matter in regard to the truth that there should be accuracy in it, and Luke has it in mind.
NM Would you define for us “the spirit and power of Elias” and how it is seen in the local company?
SMcC Well, I am thinking of the principle of it as appearing generally in the wonderful work of recovery that we have to do with in our day, that there is this kind of thing, there is this kind of recovery going forward, where our hearts and our minds are being recovered to what Elijah’s ministry had in mind - the spirit and power it had in mind. Because Elisha really is a counterpart of Elijah.
RAE Is Elijah’s ministry referred to again in chapter 7 where the mourning and the dancing is spoken of? Does Elijah’s ministry produce the mourning and does that lead on to the buoyancy that you are speaking of?
SMcC Exactly. Elijah’s ministry, do you not think, would thoroughly search us on the moral line, and I do not think that we can emphasise that too much, because what the enemy has sought to assail in all the local gatherings throughout the world is the moral line in the souls of the saints. He has not been able to diverge us on cardinal features of the truth, for instance those as to the Spirit, and as to the sisters, but he will assail the position along the moral line, as we know he has done, especially where there is vigour in the testimony in relation to youth and the like.
CB You mean the enemy has no power against these moral features seen in the saints because they are features that were seen in Christ, which he could not overcome.
SMcC I think that is the point. We want to see the idea of the environment here and to keep in this environment because there are those that can help us. There is Zacharias and these women, Elizabeth and Mary, they were in the house of Zacharias, but were they overcome by the disability of Zacharias? Not a bit! They were a great means of help to Zacharias in the disability under which he was suffering in the government of God.
CB That is the value of an environment that is so powerful that it brings about adjustment of any defect.
SMcC Exactly. And so the Lord is stressing the sisters, and especially that the sisters should be vessels in whom the Spirit has a right-of-way. It is a great matter that in our houses, and in our contacts in a general way, the sisters should be vessels of the Spirit to maintain this kind of environment.
BStJ And we notice that both Zacharias and Elizabeth were advanced in years.
SMcC Well, I think it is to show us that age is not a disadvantage in the things of God. Some of us were looking the other day at Caleb, he says, “I am this day eighty-five years old,” and he says, I am as strong this day as I was then, showing that age is not a disadvantage in the things of God. I should say that age is a distinct advantage in the things of God. Although in Zacharias we have a certain defection appearing, yet his wife Elizabeth represents one in whom the line is maintained, so that he comes under the power of the environment, and breaks forth.
WH Would you say that the quality in Elizabeth is because she is of the tribe of Aaron, the priestly family?
SMcC Well, that would intensify the thought, I am sure.
HLH So that Zacharias’s liberty came when the period of exercise was completed, that is to say, the time came for her to bring forth a son. It was the completion of a period of exercise.
SMcC Very good. Showing the necessity, which Luke would stress (it is a feature of his teaching throughout) of the completing of moral exercises. And it is a great matter with each of us, brothers and sisters alike, that moral exercises in our souls should be completed in view of our own practical gain, and in view of the gain of the gatherings in which we are set.
HLH So the fulfilment of God’s thoughts in connection with John was connected with the completion of an exercise?
SMcC That is right, and so on this road, as we might refer to it, this moral road, quality in the sisters is stressed. It says of Mary in verse 38, “And Mary said, Behold the bondmaid of the Lord;
be it to me according to thy word.” Now it is very interesting how this reflects over against Zacharias, he had doubted the word of Gabriel, he said in verse 18, “How shall I know this, for I” (notice the emphatic “I” in this passage) “for I am an old man and my wife advanced in years.” Now notice how Gabriel takes this up, “And the angel answering said to him, “I ...” (the emphatic “I” over against Zacharias’s “I”) “I am Gabriel who stand before God, and I have been sent to speak to thee, and to bring these glad tidings to thee.” But Zacharias failed in regard to the authority of the light in his soul, but Mary represents a counteraction to that, she said, “Be it to me according to thy word.” Not according to God’s word, but according to thy word. Of course it was God’s word through Gabriel.
ELE It reminds us of what Elijah said, There shall be neither dew nor rain, but according to my word.
SMcC Exactly. It is the authority of heavenly light in the ministry bearing on particular exigencies, or on given circumstances.
HLH And as coming through vessels, it is the recognition that God has decreed to give an authoritative ministry through vessels.
SMcC That is it, exactly. That is the thought, it is “thy” word. It is the authority of the word, the ministry, in those who have been commissioned in the matter.
RS And so there was the case when a woman said to Elijah, “The word of Jehovah in thy mouth is truth,” 1 Kings 17: 24.
SMcC Very good. In thy mouth - the importance of oracular ministry. It is a great matter to be at the meetings where the brethren are together, because we get the truth coming out orally, by word of mouth.
ELE If any one speak - as oracles of God; 1 Peter 4: 11.
SMcC Exactly.
HOE And Mary shows the capability to take on things, as recognising God’s sovereignty.
SMcC Exactly, and so Mary says, “Behold the bondmaid of the Lord.” It is almost an indirect reference she makes as she calls upon Gabriel to behold the bondmaid of the Lord. A wonderful thing that in Mary’s soul, that she could call upon Gabriel to behold the bondmaid of the Lord, “Be it to me according to thy word.” I think Mary had arrived at something very definitely.
ELE Yes, she was entirely at the disposal of the Lord, she held herself for Him.
SMcC Exactly, and that is one great side of “strengthening” on the moral line, obedience complete, obedience as bondmanship would signify, do you not think?
SK Would you say that we see what great results come from faith and obedience to the word, when Peter told the Lord, “At thy word,” Luke 5: 5.
SMcC Very good. Luke intensifies that side, “at thy word we will let down the net.” We know that Peter was not the most passive kind of a man, because the Lord in another section of Acts, chapter 10, had specially to help him, but it is interesting to point out in that touch that he had in Luke 5, the obedience that was there, “At thy word.” And the centurion in Luke 7, “Say a word.” He had a sense of the Person that was there and what could be done, the importance of the word of Christ as regulating matters.
RAE So would you say that our moral state has a great bearing on our ability to be able to discern the mind of God?
SMcC Well, it certainly has, it is not just a question of keen mind in any of us that can follow the truth through the literal reading of the ministry. It is a question of a moral state, as Mary suggests, of active obedience, but yet it is not only active obedience, but obedience all the time, a state of it.
JM There was unbelief in Zacharias and he suffered from it.
SMcC He did. A very solemn thing, a word to every one of, us, do you not think, as to what unbelief may lead to. We often think of what sin, fornication, stealing and other things may lead to, but think of what unbelief may lead to! The way the sisterhood come in here is important, as providing a channel for the divine right-of-way where disability was present in Zacharias. That is, the line is kept open in these two beloved women.
WR The Lord could say to Thomas, “Blessed they who have not seen and have believed,” John 20: 29.
SMcC Exactly.
LBr So it shows how a local meeting may be kept up by having sisters of quality. There may be disability in the brothers, but it is kept up if there are sisters with such qualities.
SMcC That is the point. Some of us in visiting a certain place the other day were impressed with the features of the work of God in sisters. It refreshes your soul to contact them. And it is a great thing for the sisters to see, in this holy environment, this priestly environment, their part and their place, as making room for the Spirit in view of the maintenance of what is right.
ELE All you are saying now impresses us with the thought that we can no longer talk about being in the right company, and being in the right doctrine, and having the truth, and all that, and still having moral qualities lacking, but without putting all these things aside it is a question of being built up in moral qualities.
SMcC Well, that is the point. The great thing is that we should not occupy ground pretentiously, there is right ecclesiastical ground from the standpoint of the pursuit of right principles, but 2 Timothy 2 stresses the moral side, “follow righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” It is all the intensification of the moral side.
MSS Does that underlie spirituality?
SMcC Oh, I am sure it does.
MSS I was thinking of Mary, how she seems to be specially marked by spirituality, in view of what the angel says in verse 35, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee...” and so on, and then what she says in verse 46 onwards, whether she would not represent special maturity in a spiritual way, adding what is spiritual to what is moral.
SMcC You mean in the substance of her remarks? Yes, I am sure that is right. As has often been noted Elizabeth represents the free action of the Spirit at any given time. Here they are in the house of Zacharias. It is a great thing that in our homes, in the houses of the saints, that we should have this kind of quality, the quality that was seen in Elizabeth and Mary. Elizabeth suggests the free action of the Spirit in given circumstances such as this, in the home circle, and Mary represents the sustained, substantial, contributive side in her thanksgiving.
EM Do you not think the position of the house here, in the hill country, is very noticeable and significant?
SMcC Oh, I think it is. It is a great thing that our homes should be elevated morally above the current matters around us.
JHH In verse 24, it says, Elizabeth after she had conceived hid herself five months, saying, “Thus has the Lord done to me in these days, ...” and so on. I was wondering if the moral side is not stressed there, she hid herself. There were certain things the Lord had done to her, but would the hiding suggest that she was desirous of coming into moral accord with what the Lord had done?
SMcC Very good, I am glad you referred to that. Along the way some have been enquiring how sisters would take part. Some thought that they should take part with brothers in the care meeting, just in an ordinary way, but there is the idea of comeliness - the hiding, the whole environment is charged with comeliness, and Paul’s word as to sisters is to be borne in mind as governing all our public gatherings, that the women are to be silent in the assemblies. And the hiding that you have been referring to speaks of comeliness. While the Lord has been stressing the sisters, we are to remember that comeliness is to mark the whole public position, that the sisters have to recognise their place in the divine arrangement, and comeliness marks it.
LAC Is that borne out in verse 42, “Blessed art thou amongst women, ...” not amongst men?
SMcC Very good, I think it is, showing the position of Scripture in these matters.
LAC Does it indicate too that anything marking us in an outstanding way in the eye of heaven is going to be taken account of as it is in accord with quality that is in accordance with the mind of heaven?
SMcC Exactly, I am sure that is so. Jael, the wife of the Kenite, links on with what you say, does she not? A good deal of allusion has been made to Deborah, and it is interesting to see the intelligence of Deborah. She says, “Blessed above women in the tent,” above women in the tent. She refers to Jael.
HOE You mean she does not get out of her place?
SMcC Exactly, it is an important thing that,
that we should see the comeliness as Paul presents it in his ministry in relation to the sisters.
HOE The order of the assembly under the eyes of the angels.
SMcC Exactly; 1 Corinthians 11 alludes to the particular interest of the angels in the divine arrangement in regard to God, Christ, the man, and the woman.
CBl Sisters who are spiritual and who are enlightened as to divine purpose understand the order suitable to the economy.
SMcC Exactly. But what scope there is for them in the houses, and in the matter even of prophesying, conveying the mind of God, or giving help - because it is a house setting here, it is the house of Zacharias. And another delightful feature which underlies the quality of the sisterhood here is their unjealous relations with one another. It says, Mary saluted Elizabeth. A delightful thing! She did not think that she was spiritually superior to Elizabeth, she salutes Elizabeth. There is a system that would give us to think that Mary is supreme, in the horrible heterodoxy connected with it, that she is supreme among women, but she comes in and she salutes Elizabeth.
ELE And she was a much younger woman, too.
SMcC Yes.
RS Scripture shows too how sisters do have part in conversations. In gatherings such as this, in a public way, their part is in silence, but in the house they have an audible part in the conversations.
SMcC Well, exactly, in our family readings and the gatherings we have from time to time, after the meetings, it is a great thing to get the gain of what the sisters have, and we should not ignore it.
MSS Paul speaks of the younger women ruling the house, does that suggest there is a peculiar scope for the influence of sisters in the house?
SMcC Well, exactly. And then along with that the thought of the elder women, teachers of what is right. Well, someone may say, did not Paul say in 1 Timothy, I suffer not a woman to teach, and now he is saying to Titus that they are to be teachers of what is right? Surely he is not contradicting himself, it is the circumstances that he had in mind, in regard to the women, that the elder women in deportment are to be right, and that they are to be teachers of what is right.
MSS Does one passage (Corinthians) refer to the public setting of the assembly and the other (Titus) the household setting?
SMcC Yes.
LAC Do we get a practical example of a woman prophesying in the house in this chapter? Would it be normal for a sister to express the mind of God with brothers present?
SMcC Well, in the house setting, it is the ability to impart these matters in a comely way, as covered, for the very idea of covering suggests what is comely. It is not just a mere formal, literal idea in itself, although it involves that, but the very idea of a covering suggests what is comely in the sisters’ position, do you not think?
LAC Praying or prophesying, then, being covered?
SMcC Exactly.
CBl What about baptisms?
SMcC Well, if the baptism is in the home, and there is conversation over the Scriptures, why should there not be liberty for the sisters in a comely way, if there is any enquiry into the truth, just as in our morning household readings or in the after gatherings in houses at different times?
HOE In the house of Mary the mother of John, who was called Mark, they were praying about Peter but Rhoda comes in with a message that he was at the door.
SMcC Very good, and she is really the one who is a great help in the matter there because she insists, she stoutly maintained her ground that it was the voice of Peter. Showing what young sisters may do in any given circumstance like that.
ELE Quite so, she was in the good of Peter’s kingdom ministry.
SMcC Exactly. The matter of the naming of the child, the matter of circumcision would all have its significance, it says in verse 59, “And it came to pass on the eighth day they came...”, now who are the “they”? Apparently there are persons coming into this matter and exercising some influence that they should not, and that is what has to be challenged. It says, “they came to circumcise the child, and they (that is, the neighbours and kinsfolk, as it says in verse 58) called it, after the name of his father; Zacharias.” They are going beyond what is comely and proper in the matter. “And his mother answering said, No; but he shall be called John.” Now that is very plain. And so they say (they have got a lot of boldness. You will always find that in elements like this), “They said to her, There is no one among thy kinsfolk who is called by this name. And they made signs to his father as to what he might wish it to be called.” That is, they would put a wedge between Zacharias and Elizabeth. They might get a different answer from Zacharias they thought, but no, it says, “And having asked for a writing table,” he is going to be very plain about the matter, “he wrote saying, John is his name.” The matter is put on permanent record, and then it says, “And they all wondered. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue, and he spake, blessing God.” It is a lovely ending to this exercise as to the matter of quality.
SK The neighbours were wholly ignorant but God was working and in spite of all these contrary elements God is pleased to continue His work?
SMcC That is right, showing us that the moral line is maintained in such as Elizabeth, and then Zacharias comes into it, for he is a just man, we must keep that in mind.
RS So as he is disciplined for unbelief and is recovered, capital is brought out of it and is put on record in writing?
SMcC Exactly, and very clear, no ambiguous expression that would becloud the truth, just simply, “His name is John.” That is a great matter in the truth, that we should be clear and decisive and not go all around the position.
HLH Particularly when the claims of nature are being asserted. In the salutation of Elizabeth to Mary she says the mother of my lord, she does not say, my cousin, as if she puts it on a high level.
SMcC Very good.
JHH The result of Zacharias’s faithfulness produces material for the subject of conversation, it says, “And in the whole hill-country of Judaea, all these things were the subject of conversation.”
SMcC Very good, showing that as we become clear as to the issues in regard to the truth it will furnish a good basis for promoting holy, spiritual, and heavenly conversation.
MSS In connection with the service of God we have a feminine contribution from Mary, and a masculine one from Zacharias, does that show that all these moral exercises are to have their culmination in the service of God?
SMcC Exactly, the service of God is in mind, and its enrichment, and all these exercises, the strengthening of the moral line, are all leading to that - the strengthening of the service of God and the enriching of it.
AKH That is why it says, “we should serve him without fear, in piety and righteousness...”
SMcC Exactly, showing how the moral line is strengthened in Zacharias’s word.
AT I was thinking of what Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour.”
SMcC Very good. Showing that it is a matter of inwardness, do you not think? It is not just a matter of the external behaviour and attitude of Mary, she is inwardly right in things and that is what the gospel according to Romans, Paul’s gospel, has in mind, that in the clearing of the moral side in our souls we are right inwardly.
BA That is why he could say, No, to his name being called Zacharias?
SMcC Exactly, the reason why we are not definite in saying no to these kind of influences is because the moral line is not right and clear in our souls.
Chapman Street, Bridgetown, Barbados.