PILLARS

Jim Gray

2 Chronicles 3: 15, 16; Galatians 2: 9

It is evident that I wish to speak about pillars. The passage in 2 Chronicles relates to the building of the house: then pillars are made, pillars to go in the entranceway. They seem to be decorative, refined work attached to them. Solomon is given the credit for building them: "he made two pillars", that is Solomon. If you went along to the house, the temple, in Jerusalem at that time, you would notice these two pillars. He set them up in front of the temple. It does not seem that they are for strength in the house. They are an addition to the house. Christ is the great Builder, dear brethren. It says in Hebrews 3 that He is Son over the house (v 6) "but he who has built all things is God", v 4. Christ is the Son over the house, but He is also the Builder. Matthew's gospel brings Him out as the Builder: "I will build my assembly", chap 16: 18.

But in addition to the house He in the type makes the pillars. He must have something in mind in two pillars. They are there as a testimony to the One who built the house. It says that the meanings of their names are 'He will establish' and 'In Him is strength'. That is, the pillars are a testimony to the Builder, a testimony to the One who built, that is Christ: these pillars represent persons. Two is quite often witness in scripture. As you pass those pillars, they are a witness to the work of God, to what the Builder has in mind. 'He will establish' and 'In Him is strength': there they are, persons at the entrance to the house. The Lord would have us to be those kinds of persons, dear brethren, persons that are for adornment. Their strength is in Another, 'He will establish' and 'In Him is strength': that is in Christ, but it is wrought out in the pillars. The work of God in us belongs to God but it is worked out in ourselves and it is a refined work. It is something that comes on to view. There is something in the saints that comes on to view and is meant to come on to view for our consideration. The glory would be His. The glory would be the glory of the Builder; nevertheless it is wrought out in man. The great thought in the divine mind is men: it is worked out in men. So that as coming into the house of God, you come in contact with persons in whom there is a divine work, in whom there is refinement. There is also a capital, the crowning touch, which would suggest the Philadelphian thought: ''that no one take thy crown", Rev 3: 11. There is a crowning touch, that adorns the house of God, adorns the doctrine.

In Galatians we have it illustratively. It was quite an exercising time concerning the matter that Paul brings up. The truth was at stake, the truth as to whether Christianity was being cumbered by Judaism, cumbered by circumcision. He speaks about conspicuousness. There are two kinds of conspicuousness in the chapter. Earlier on he speaks about “those who were conspicuous as being somewhat – whatsoever they were, it makes no difference to me ...", v 6. That is conspicuous as men, men after the flesh. It speaks about persons who came in to "spy out our liberty" in verse 4 of chapter 2. That is the wrong kind of conspicuousness, dear brethren, not the kind that the pillars represent.

In verse 9, we have "conspicuous as being pillars". That is commendable. It is noticeable too that Peter's name is not given as Peter ; it is given as Cephas, which is instructive, because the Lord brings out, in John's gospel, ''thou shalt be called Cephas", chap 1: 42. It is the work of God in him, so I think it is commendable, "James and Cephas and John, who were conspicuous as being pillars", that is they adorned the doctrine. Acts 15 brings out their conspicuousness as being pillars, how they were able to influence the brethren into the truth and adorn the doctrine. There they were like pillars at the entrance of the house, how God used them to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace" , Eph 4: 3, and the unity of the faith, to maintain the unity of the faith. These men were helped of the Lord to maintain the doctrine, they were conspicuous as being pillars. You could look to them. It was not for their own aggrandisement. There was a witness to what Jachin and Boaz bring out, as we have said already: "He will establish" and "In Him is strength". These men counted on the Lord that He was able to establish the truth and establish the testimony because at the time of Acts 15 there was a serious situation in which there could have been cleavage in the church, but through the influence of these pillars - not just the setting out of the matter doctrinally, although they were helped in applying scripture - setting the truth out in their persons, "conspicuous as being pillars", that is the influence they carried in relation to the work of God in them.

That is why I suggested that Cephas rather than Peter is mentioned. It is the influence of the work of God in persons. What an influence we can have, dear brethren, at the entrance of the house. When persons come in amongst us, what do they see? - conspicuousness as being pillars, I trust, not conspicuousness after the other order of man. That man has been ended in the death of Christ, but the conspicuousness in relation to being pillars, new creation, something shining out testimonially that is God's handiwork, the Lord's handiwork.

So they gave to them "the right hands of fellowship". What a strengthening bond amongst brethren, to be able to extend “the right hands of fellowship", the dignity that attached to it. That is what persons who are conspicuous as being pillars can do, they can extend that hand with all the affirmation that marks it. What an affirmation is in '1he right hands of fellowship", confirmation and affirmation, the signal of the consecration of the heart to Christ.

These are dignified thoughts. I just commend them to the brethren in relation to their gatherings, that this kind of humanity comes into evidence which displays something of the dignity that attaches to the Lord. May it be so for His Name's sake!

 

EDINBURGH

19 March 1996

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PERSONS OF INTEREST TO HEAVEN

John Mitchell

Daniel 9: 1,2,20 -25; Malachi 3: 16-18

I had an impression today as to persons who are of intense interest to heaven. Another has said that heaven has its favourites and, no doubt, we would, each of us, desire to be among those. It is remarkable that currently there are persons on earth who are of interest to heaven. I have read of such persons in the past, first Daniel, an individual, and second, those spoken of in Malachi, who would suggest a company. One's desire is that we should be among those who are of interest to heaven and whom heaven regards. Much is going on in the world and most of it causes a good deal of grief, but nevertheless there are persons that are of great interest to God Himself and that cause great joy to Him. It is said of Daniel that he was "one greatly beloved", v 23. That is said about one man. It shows that heaven is pleased with such a person. It says of him that he "understood by the books", chap 9: 2. He was interested in the welfare of God's people. He was in captivity and it would have been easy for Daniel to have said, 'Well, what is the use? We may as well just go along with the stream of things here in Babylon'. But it is clear from his history (and that of others with him) that he set his face at the very beginning against that order of things, and he maintained in himself the divine thought of manhood right through, until Cyrus, which suggests the recovery.

Think of a man like that. Scripture speaks of him as "this Daniel". The Spirit of God brings him out in a very beautiful way – “this Daniel" - and the king said, "Art thou that Daniel?" That is, that man, a man who, in the midst of all the decline and departure and what really spelt the overthrow in a public way of God's people, maintained the divine thought in his own soul and whose walk and conduct was wholly in keeping with that. Think of such a man. He was feelingly with God about all that had come in and he was interested. You might say he was anxious that these seventy years, of which he read by the book, would be completed and that there would be recovery of God's people. I wonder sometimes for myself how deep the sore departure of the church publicly is in my own soul. As the sorrow of departure is taken on by us we will be kept from pride. Some of us were helped on Saturday about the need of preserving the distinctiveness of Christianity in a broken day. That involves maintaining the truth of the assembly and standing by it and not being afraid to take assembly ground; at the same time feeling the departure is something that would keep us very humble and very sober. We should never forget that we are part of that departure and we should feel that.

I have no doubt that Daniel felt the departure and it had led him into this prayer, this great confession. He speaks about "my sin and the sin of my people". Wonderful that in his own mind his sin comes first. He does not hide behind the failure of the leaders or of others. He takes the matter upon himself. You wonder what Daniel's sin was. From what is recorded of him in this book, you might think he does not have any. I have no doubt that Daniel's sin was what he took upon himself as to the sin of the people. It was his: he made it his own. To use the expression, he eats the sin offering in a holy place. That was Daniel, and he brings out the intense delight of heaven.

He says that "the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision" – “the man Gabriel". We know he was an angel, but it does not say the angel Gabriel; it says “the man Gabriel". That is to bring into focus the sympathy of heaven with this beloved man - a man who was feeling things and agonising before God in relation to God's people. It is very beautiful that he says to God, “thy city and thy people", and when God speaks to him, God does not say, My city and My people; He says to Daniel, “thy city" and thy people", as though Daniel had made the whole matter his own. God gives him credit tor that. I believe there is great room tor such men at the present time. There is great departure on every hand. The truth has been given up. I was quite struck at coming across a remark of another that the Anglican church is the custodian of the doctrine. Think of that! Who would say that at the present time? It shows the terrible decline that has come in and the tendency is for that to come in where there has been recovery to the truth. We need to maintain divine things according to the divine will.

Daniel was such a one and he gets this beautiful touch, “the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, flying swiftly". Daniel had sympathy with God. But what is brought out is that God had sympathy with Daniel in his exercises. What a wonderful thing that there should be men and women at the present time who are carrying God's full thought as to His people, as to His assembly, and feeling the public state of things, in such a way that God can come alongside in divine sympathy. God is looking for such at present. It says, "Know therefore and understand". Such would have divine disclosures of God's mind. What a wonderful thing that is!

Now there is no Daniel in Malachi, no Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. There is no distinctive person in the book of Malachi, but there are persons, in the plural, that were pleasing to God. How many there were we do not know. It looks from the beginning of Luke as though they could have been very few. They were there at the time of the recovery under Cyrus to which Daniel was looking forward. There had been great spiritual and moral energy in the beginning of the revival, but it had waned. That is the situation in the book of Malachi. Is that not the present time, beloved? The initial energy has very soon waned. And yet it says, "Then they that feared Jehovah spoke often one to another". I have been impressed with that today, “they that feared Jehovah". It is one of the most sobering things to see persons who are displaying in their conduct that they have no fear of God. In our conduct, in our walk, in the part that we take in the assembly, let us always be demonstrating the fear of God. The scripture tells us it is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 9: 10). Joseph, in Egypt, when he was dealing with his brethren said, "I fear God" (Gen 42: 18). The fear of God is a great preservative and here are persons who are not prepared to go on with the loose ways marking the generality of those who came back from Babylon. They fear God and are committed to go on with what is right. It does not say that they had meetings: it does not say that they assembled together. I have no doubt they did. It just says simply that they "spoke often one to another". How beautiful that is! How unofficial, how simple. They were marked by the fear of God, and desired to maintain the truth, and spoke often one to another. "Jehovah observed it, and hear, and a book of remembrance was written before him." God is just as interested at the present time. We are being reduced almost daily. Numbers are getting smaller and smaller. Week-night meetings are extraordinarily small. But am I among those who fear Jehovah and speak often one to another?

Well, there is a book of remembrance. That will never be forgotten. Their conduct is recorded in heaven and that can never, ever be erased. Think of heaven having such delight in these persons that there is a record there which can never, ever be erased! It will be there for time and for eternity. There it will be, that record, "a book of remembrance ... for them that feared Jehovah". The fear of Jehovah comes in again, "them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be unto me a peculiar treasure, saith Jehovah of hosts ". That is very affecting. When He brought them out of Egypt he said to them, '1hen shall ye be my own possession" (Exodus 19: 5), despite all that intervened in the period from then until we read of it in Malachi God never gives up His thoughts. He secures them in some who fear Him. And I have no doubt He is securing His thoughts at the present time. May we be among those in whom he is securing them!

 

EDINBURGH

19 March 1996