ZION AS TYPE OF THE ASSEMBLY
[p. 242] ZION AS TYPE OF THE ASSEMBLY
In undertaking to say a word just now, dear brethren, it is clear that what has already been said should be followed up. The assembly viewed as it is now, that is where we are now, is the temple of God; that is any local assembly, it is not the temple, but “temple”, that is, it is the character of it. So what has been said requires consideration, as it says in 2 Timothy 2: 7, “Think of what I say, for the Lord will give thee understanding in all things”. So as the temple is present, it may well be that we enquire in it. It is the time of enquiry, and also to add to what has been said. In view of this meeting it came to me that I might not have been here because of tomorrow and all that enters it, all that we are expecting. This psalm had force with me because it reminds us of Zion, of what great things are spoken there and how superior it is to the dwellings of Jacob, and had I remained away, it would have been in one of the dwellings of Jacob.
We are reminded of the assembly, how glorious and how superior it is. This first verse says, “His foundation is in the mountains of holiness”; there is what God founds and builds up, as we have just heard of what the ants can do, “a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer” (Proverbs 30: 25); it is quite appropriate for such a time as this; but here it is what God founds, and in view of what I have been remarking, the gates of Zion are to be considered peculiarly, as to what God founded, the holiness of what He founded. “Glorious things are spoken” of her, the “city of God”. It is better for us to take these things in here, and now. We can do this better here than in “all the habitations of Jacob”; even the questions that come up, they are more easily answered in the assembly than in any dwelling one may be in. Zion is glorious and luminous; as Mr. J. N. Darby’s hymn says: ‘And heavenly light makes all things bright, Seen in that blissful gaze’. (12:3) Thus one feels what has already been said may become more luminous, and as in assembly, we go “from glory to glory”.
As I was saying, I am glad I have come, and as here, these thoughts come, and the Spirit is here to take them up and enrich us, and build us up on our most holy faith (Jude 20), and love must have its place, and build us up, for without love there is no building; the assembly is being built up, and here in the temple there is hope of building up and of increase.
Here distinctions are seen, “Rahab and Babylon among them that know me”. It is an advantage to be known and that we should know one another. Our brother has spoken of greeting and saluting, so it says, “Greet the friends by name”, 3 John 14. One would love to be able to greet each one by name, especially as going around, it is more likely as we know one another. I have mentioned Rahab and Babylon, and there is also Rome; we have spoken of this today, and what we have to say as to Rome is to protect the brethren, and how the devil has made it to ensnare the brethren. We spoke of it thus to protect the truth, and also as we are told in Revelation, “God has judged your judgment upon her”, Revelation 18: 20. God has respect to our judgment on the terrible things built up to ensnare the saints. Here we have “Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia: this man was born there”; that is men who have been great in building up things here. So that we can become great in building up, like the Lord Jesus, for there is none like Him; He is so great! “Jehovah will count”, it says; that is it; when He begins to count up, who is worth speaking of? We must speak of Him, who is from the beginning, the Word, “God blessed for ever”, Romans 9: 5. We speak of these things in the temple of God. Great names mean nothing except relatively; each name is mentioned as developed against Him, but we must revolve around Him.
“When he inscribeth the peoples”, and so it is when we speak of John’s gospel, what a Person is there! and what writing! In Luke we have another glorious view, and in Mark, and Matthew, the same, a four-fold witness of the greatness of Christ. In the temple I speak of it now, and feel it much as I speak that I did not stay in the dwellings of Jacob, but am here in the “gates of Zion”, and that is heaven’s authority.
We may well understand “the singers as the dancers shall say, All my springs are in thee”. The singers and the dancers will be there; think of all that could be described there, all that David stands for! Therefore we rest in this, and may all return into the “habitations of Jacob” when God has given us commandment, here in His temple.
These thoughts may be transferred from Zion to the assembly now, at the present time, that is in the Spirit of God, and so we may be comforted in going over the ground, and in thinking of the great ones in this world, and of God’s beloved Son and all that God has worked out in Him and in the coming glory, too.
David said to Solomon, “and thou shalt add to it”, in 1 Chronicles 22: 14; it was a time of counting the wealth and material for the house of God, and so it is for the younger brethren to add to what is already there.