THE HERALD
of Christ's Kingdom
VOL. VI. September 1, 1923 No. 17
Table of Contents
THE DEATH OF THE LATE UNITED
STATES PRESIDENT
THE CHRISTIAN'S JOY
COMFORTER OF THE BRETHREN
A CO-LABORER IN THE GOSPEL FIELD
DANIEL THE BELOVED OF JEHOVAH
A CHOSEN VESSEL UNTO THE
GENTILES
VOL. VI. September 15, 1923 No. 18
Table of Contents
LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF
JEREMIAH
FORETASTES OF BLESSED REALTIES
LUKE THE BELOVED PHYSICIAN
TIMOTHY, A GOOD MINISTER OF
CHRIST JESUS
A TIMELY SUGGESTION FOR CAREFUL
CONSIDERATION
DANIEL THE BELOVED OF JEHOVAH
VOL. VI. September 1, 1923 No. 17
THE passing away of the President
of the United States has indeed moved the hearts of the people of our, land, in fact of
the civilized world as no other event of its kind has done in many years. This fact is
abundantly attested by the universal expression of sympathy and sorrow. It is probable
that no other character in history was shown an equal amount of respect and honor upon the
occasion of his death as that accorded to Mr. Harding.
The office of the president of
the United States has become in recent times a most unique one-in many respects the most
important position of any of the rulers of the world. From this standpoint, the death of
any president would be an event of international and signal importance; and could not but
have the effect of awakening and drawing the sympathies of all law-abiding citizens or
well-wishers of the country. This sentiment is especially true of all Christians when a
president dies, who in all his public utterances and acts has displayed a disposition to
believe in and recognize a Divine overruling providence in human affairs.
In the case of Mr. Harding's
death there are substantial reasons why it has elicited such unusual sorrow and sympathy:
It appears to be very manifest that he was a God-fearing man, that he not only felt the
need of but sought the assistance of the Lord in connection with the administration of the
government of the United States, as well as in his dealing with the great problems that
came before him during the brief period in which he filled the office of president.
Additionally, it appears most evident also that Mr. Harding was a lover of humankind. His
interest in humanity, his sympathy, and his kindly sentiment expressed toward his
fellow-men had much to do with calling forth in so large a measure the affectionate regard
in which he was held not only by the people of the United States but by many others who
had knowledge of him. Speaking of the horrors of the World-War since his inauguration in
1921, the following statement was made by Mr. Harding before a vast throng and in the
presence of four thousand of the soldier-dead returned from Europe
"1 find a hundred thousand sorrows touching my heart,
and there is ringing in my ears, like an admonition eternal, an insistent call -- `It must
not be again! It must not be again: God grant that it will not be, and let a practical
people join in co-operation with God to the end that it shall not be;'
A LOVER OF PEACE, A
FRIEND TO THE JEWS
In accordance with this
sentiment, the President was evidently a great lover of peace, which no doubt had to do
with prompting the calling of the International Conference in 1921 for the discussion of
the limitation of armaments amongst the nations of the earth. Then later as the issue of
the United States' participation in an International Court of justice for the peaceful
settlement of international disputes, was brought before the people of this nation, Mr.
Harding was found pleading the cause of peace in favor of the International Court. Even
those who do not agree with the former President's position regarding the advisability or
the practicability of such an arrangement under the present order of things, must concede
that his advocacy of the International Court of justice and his defense of the proposition
speaks eloquently of his earnest desire to see war abolished and peace and justice
established throughout the earth.
It is of interest too, in this
connection, that Mr. Harding expressed unusual interest in the Jewish race, and as
opportunity afforded, he used his influence to favor the issue of the home land for the
Jews. This may signify that he was familiar with Jewish prophecy and that he may have had
a measure of faith that the time was rapidly approaching for the fulfillment of those
prophecies which relate to the restoration of Israel.
A prominent Jewish leader in New
York; Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein, in delivering a eulogy on President Harding said:
"The world is indebted to President Harding for calling the conference on
disarmament. The Jewish people. in particular are indebted to him for he made Jewish
history when he signed the resolution favoring Palestine as the home land for all
Israel."
The foregoing observations we
believe we may properly make with regard to an event of the character of Mr. Harding's
death. However much we may differ with the President in regard to the final outworking of
the Divine plans and purposes, we cannot but admire the qualities possessed by him. The
earnest sympathies of all God-fearing men and lovers of law and order cannot but be deeply
aroused and go forth to the one who will the most keenly feel this loss. And when in
addition to the foregoing it is clearly seen, as appears most evident in this case, that a
president's death has been caused or hastened by earnest, honest, and zealous effort to
promote the well being of both his own beloved country and that of the world at large, our
sympathies are greatly intensified.
THE MOST HIGH RULETH
IN THE KINGDOM OF MEN
As followers of the Lord Jesus
Christ, it is ours to be deeply sympathetic with the entire groaning creation; and from
the standpoint of the progress of the Divine Plan all faithful watchers feel an especial
concern in those changes and events that may in anyway affect the trend of the world's
affairs. While we have no grounds for contending that any of the governments of the earth
are God's kingdoms in any sense of the word, or that their rulers reign by the grace of
God, yet as we review the Divine Plan of the Ages, it is clearly recognized that there has
been a providential supervision of the nations of the earth to the extent that God's
purposes for mankind during the reign of sin and death would be fulfilled. The history of
the human race shows therefore, that some times it has pleased God to permit one kind of
character to predominate and rule over men and at other times another kind of ruler has
been in the ascendancy. At one time the ruler has been of most tyrannical and despotic
character and then again the one on the throne has been of most excellent and noble
character. As we read in Holy Writ, "The Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men and
giveth it to whomsoever He will and [at times] setteth over it the basest of men."
Only the infinite wisdom of Jehovah is sufficient to know what manner of government or
affairs in the earth is best suited. to the accomplishment of the Divine purpose so far
`as this life is concerned; that purpose being that humanity shall learn the lesson of the
exceeding sinfulness of sin and through the lessons of this life become prepared for the
great trial-opportunity of the future Age, which blessing was purchased by the death of
Christ.
In the case of the man who has
just been removed from the office of the presidency of the United States, as we have seen,
his general character has been that of a noble and God-fearing man; this does not mean
that we believe that a reverse character is to take his place; but considering the times
in which we are living-times of the rapid succession of events which clearly point forward
to-the new order of things, we cannot but feel that an event such as the sudden and
unexpected death of a president such as Mr. Harding, is in some way significant to an
extent greater than at any other time in the Christian era; even though it is said that
the man who succeeds Mr. Harding holds the same views as respects home as well as
international affairs, and promises to carry out the former President's policies of
government, etc. Just what that significance may be it is not the province of any one to
forecast at this time. As humble watchers for the fulfillment of the "more sure word
of prophecy" it is ours to wait and observe closely, to. see what bearing the event
may have in the fulfillment of our expectations.
A SPECIAL PART IN THE
AFFAIRS OF NATIONS
Considering the history of the
United States Government it is recognized that from its incipiency it has occupied a
unique position amongst the nations of the earth and has played a most important part in
making the history of the past century. We glance briefly at the facts: This favored land
was unknown to civilization, kept hidden, as it were, until the due time -until it was
needed as a home, an outlet for the rapidly overcrowding masses of Europe. More than this,
it opened at a time when the Reformation Movement was agitating "Christendom"
so-called, when the study of the Bible was awakening conscience and character and
Christian common sense. The awakened class was not generally the rich or the titled or the
very comfortable, neither was it the very degraded and ignorant and helplessly poor, but
the middle class of European society. These did the thinking and the protesting, and in
turn endured the suffering under the persecutions engendered. And these were the ones who
needed an asylum. and who found one in this land shadowed, cared for, by the
"wings" of Divine providence.
We look further into the history
of this nation: We are far from claiming that it is perfect: we can see much room for
improvement in every direction, and are willing to admit that Americans can still learn
some things from other parts of the world-particularly from Great Britain; nevertheless no
other nation on earth has such a history. We, as Christians, are opposed to war on general
principles, and yet we must acknowledge that some causes of war are more just than others,
and of this more just class the wars of the United States seem to have been. True,
selfishness has its firm hold upon all the people, and no doubt certain ignoble aims have
actuated some of the people in connection with these wars, yet in general, as wars go,
they have been, so far as the masses were concerned, just wars -wars having some apparent
necessity and not undertaken purely for conquest. In every instance the victory has been
with this favored nation, and in no instance has she treated the vanquished ignobly.
Coming now nearer to these last
days, it is recognized of course that the United States Government has had in the Divine
providence set before it opportunities for assisting the rest. of the world in these
perplexing and trying times such as no other nation has had. Just what part this
Government may yet be called to play or what its mission may be in connection with the
closing scenes of this Age, we may not yet surely know. It would be only reasonable to
suppose, in view of the marked manifestation of God's providence in the affairs of this
nation causing the unusual spread of the knowledge of liberty and truth amongst the
people, that some special part associated with the very closing scenes and events
preceding the establishment of the Kingdom of God, may be assigned the people of this
country.
Some think at the present time
that this Government is failing to realize its present opportunities and failing to see
that it "has been called to the kingdom for such a time as this." No proceeding,
however, on the part of this Government can hinder the Divine purposes; but it may assist
in carrying forward certain features of the Divine Plan before, like all other of earth's
governments, it is removed to make way for God's Kingdom, for which all God-fearing people
pray. .In other words, it is possible for this Government to be removed, not because none
of its people have been seeking to hold up and carry out certain lofty ideals, but rather
because of the prevalence of selfishness and greed on the part of the masses of the people
unwilling to make the necessary sacrifice in order to carry out the high ideals that have
been set before the people; thus eventually the change of dispensation clearly taught in
the Scriptures will come about as a result of the turbulent masses rising up against
established government and in this way bringing about the overthrow of the entire present
order of things.
"MY KINGDOM IS
NOT OF THIS WORLD"
Those who aspire to the promises
of God's Word have their course clearly marked out for them; it is the course of the
Narrow Way of consecration, of separation from the world; and the hope of their calling is
that if faithful unto death, they will share in the membership in the Kingdom of God, the
coming Government of the world for which Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." Our interest in the entire groaning
creation and present governments and their rulers is from God's standpoint, the standpoint
of their eternal welfare in the "world to come."
As a concluding word in this
connection we cite the language of Brother Russell in reviewing the present governments
and their final end in disaster, and in reviewing the relationship of the saints to these
governments "In the midst of this confusion the God of heaven will set up His
Kingdom, which will satisfy the desires of all nations. Wearied and disheartened with
their own failures, and finding their last and greatest efforts resulting in anarchy, men
will gladly welcome and bow before the heavenly authority, and recognize its strong and
just government. Thus man's extremity will become God's opportunity, and `the desire of
all nations shall come' -- the Kingdom of God, in power and great glory. --Hag. 2:7.
"Knowing this to be the
purpose of God, neither Jesus nor the Apostles interfered with earthly rulers in any way.
On. the contrary, they taught the Church to submit to these powers, even though they often
suffered under their abuse of power. They taught the Church to obey the laws, and to
respect those in authority because of their office, even if they were not personally
worthy of esteem; to pay their appointed taxes, and, except where they conflicted with
God's laws (Acts 4:19; 5:29), to offer no resistance to any established law. (Rom. 13:1-7;
Matt. 22:21.) The Lord Jesus and the Apostles and the early Church were all law-abiding,
though they were separate from, and took no share in, the governments of this world.
"Though the powers that be,
the governments of this world, were ordained or
arranged for by God, that mankind might gain a needed experience under them, yet the
Church, the consecrated ones who aspire to office in the coming Kingdom of God, should
neither covet the honors and the emoluments of office in the, kingdoms of this world, nor
should they oppose these powers. They are fellow citizens and heirs of the heavenly
Kingdom (Eph. 2:19), and as such should claim only such rights and privileges under the
kingdoms of this world as are accorded to aliens. Their mission is not to help the world
to improve its present condition, nor to have anything to do with its affairs at present.
To attempt to do so would be but a waste of effort; for the world's course and its
termination are both clearly defined in the Scriptures and are fully under the control of
Him who in His own time will give us the Kingdom. The influence of the true Church is now
and always has been small-so small as to count practically nothing politically; but
however great it might appear, we should follow the example and teaching of our Lord and
the Apostles. Knowing that the purpose of God is to let the world fully test its own
ability to govern itself, the true Church should not, while in it, be of the world. The
saints may influence the world only by their separateness from it, by letting their light
shine; and thus through their lives the spirit of truth reproves the world. Thus-as
peaceable, orderly obeyers and commenders of every righteous law, reprovers of lawlessness
and sin, and pointers forward to the promised Kingdom of God and the blessings to be
expected under it, and not by the method commonly adopted of mingling in politics and
scheming with the world for power, and thus being drawn into wars and sins and the general
degradationin glorious chastity should the prospective Bride of the Prince of Peace be a
power for good, as her Lord's representative in the world.
"The Church of God should
give its entire attention and effort to preaching the Kingdom of God, and to the
advancement of the interests of that Kingdom according to the plan laid down in the
Scriptures. If this is faithfully done, there will be no time nor disposition to dabble in
the politics of present governments. The Lord had no time for it; the Apostles had no time
for it; nor have any of the saints who are following their example."
"Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is
fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore." -Psa. 16:11.
WHEN we consider how much is said
in the Scriptures about joy and rejoicing among God's people, we are deeply impressed with
the thought that our heavenly Father is very solicitous for the happiness of His children,
even in the present life. The worldly minded cannot see this, they look upon the lot of
God's children as a hard and joyless one, and upon God as a hard Master, without concern
for the happiness of His children. This, however, is only because the natural man cannot
receive the things of the spirit of God, because they are spiritually discerned. But the
spiritual-minded have meat to eat that the world knows not of; and their hearts rejoice,
and their joy no man taketh from them.
How strange it seems! says the
world. Why, there was Paul, a man of great talent and opportunity who might have been
somebody in the world: he wasted his talents, was a poor man all his days, homeless,
friendless, knocked about and persecuted, a sort of religious fanatic. But Paul, viewing
the matter from the standpoint of his spiritual discernment, said, "I am exceeding-
joyful in all our tribulations" (2 Cor. 7:4); for he was one of that anointed Body
who, like his Lord and Head, could say, "I foresaw the Lord always before my face;
for He is on my right hand, that I should not be moved. Therefore did my heart rejoice,
and my tongue was glad." -- Acts 2 :25, 26.
So the Psalmist bids all the
anointed Body rejoice, saying, "Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; for praise is
comely for the upright." (Psa. 33:1.) And Isaiah, speaking for the same class, says,
"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath
clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of
righteousness as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and. as a bride adorneth
herself with jewels." -- Isa. 61 :10.
EARTH'S JOYS TRANSITORY AND UNSATISFACTORY
This blessed joy, which so
wonderfully lifts the soul above all the vicissitudes of the present life, is, as the
Prophet expresses it, joy in the Lord, not a joy in earthly possessions, or earthly hopes
or ambitions. These earthly things are all so transitory and so changeable that a single
blast of .adversity may sweep them all from us; but not so is it with those whose hearts
are centered in God and to whom He has shown the path of life. These have learned to
estimate the things of this present life according to their true values; they see that all
of its joys are both transient and unsatisfactory and that the only real value in it is in
the opportunities it affords for experience and discipline and education in the things of
God and for hearing the call of God and making our calling and election sure. In thus
making the proper use of the present life-walking in the path of life which God shows us
through His Word -we have the present joys of hope and faith in the things unseen, but
sure and eternal; knowing also that by and by in the immediate presence of God we shall
have fullness of joy, and pleasures for evermore at His right hand-the chief place of
favor.
But while the fullness of joy in
its widest sense is reserved for that blessed time when we shall be like the Lord and see
Him as He is (1 John 3 :1, 2) and be in His presence at His right hand (in
His chief favor), there is a fullness of joy in the presence and favor of God which is the
privilege of every Christian now. Our capacity for joy now is not what it will be by and
by, but it is possible now to have our little earthen vessels as full as they can hold of
the joy of the Lord. And day by day it is our privilege to realize the presence and favor
of God, if, by walking in the path of life, the path of obedience and loving service, we
draw near to God. "If a man love Me," said our Lord Jesus, "he will keep My
words; and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him and make Our abode with
him."-John 74:23.
In such company as this, can any.
Christian fail utterly to realize some measure of joy in the Lord? No, if his faith grasps
the promise and holds it, the realization of joy in the Lord is sure to follow, and. the
more firmly his faith lays hold upon the promise the more will he realize its fulfillment,
and the more fully will his joys abound; for in the presence of the Lord is fullness of
joy, no matter what may be the conditions and circumstances. In the blessed realization of
this experience and the assurance of faith which it gave, in the midst of all his labors,
Paul exclaimed, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? . . . Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of
God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -- Rom. 8:33-39.
CULTIVATE THE LORD'S
ACQUAINTANCE
It was this strong persuasion,
this confident faith, of the Apostle that gave him such joy in the midst of all his
tribulations. His faith laid hold upon the promises of God with a strong and steady grasp,
and love and gratitude impelled him to prompt obedience to the will of God and ardent zeal
in His service; and evidently the Lord's promise was fulfilled to him in the abiding
presence of the Father and the Son with him at all times and under all circumstances.
This blessed privilege is ours
also, if by faith we enter fully into the Lord's will and favor. And with a blessed
realization of the abiding presence of our Heavenly Father, and our Lord Jesus at all
times, and of their love and favor, and a faith that lays hold of all the exceeding great
and precious promises of God, what soul may not rejoice and be glad, even in the midst of
deep sorrow or great tribulation ? In the Lord's presence, no matter where we are, is
fullness of joy. Let us cultivate the Lord's acquaintance, more, drawing near to Him in
prayer, in the study of His precious Word, in meditation upon all His goodness, His
providential care, the marked manifestations of His grace in our own individual
experiences, and His precious promises which are all yea and amen in Christ Jesus. Thus
"draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you" (James 4:8); He will manifest
Himself to you and take up His abode with you.
It is indeed the will of God that
all His children should be happy in Him, that they should be always rejoicing; and if any
one lacks this blessing, he is living below his privileges. Beloved, let us not be
contented to live beneath our privileges. Let us appreciate the favor of God to the extent
of seeking for it more and more diligently, remembering the exhortation, "Seek and ye
shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you." All the riches of Divine favor
are ours if in faith and humility we claim them and place ourselves in position to receive
them as directed through the Word of God. "Ask and receive, that your joy may be
full." And your joy .can no man take from you, so long as you abide in Him who is our
life, our joy, our rest, our hope.
"Why should the children of the King
Go mourning all the day?" "
Children of the Heavenly King,
As we journey let us sing!"
"He was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of
faith." -- Acts 11:19-30; 4:36, 37.
THE beautiful spirit of oneness,
the oneness of the Body of Christ, the Church, in the Apostolic period, is illustrated by
the fact that the progress of the Truth at Antioch speedily be-came known to `the ears of
the Church at Jerusalem." And herein we are reminded of the Apostle's illustration in
I Cor. 12, where he likens, the Church to a
human body, whose active members are hands, feet, eyes, mouth, etc. The Apostles at
Jerusalem were on the lookout to help, to encourage, to assist in forwarding the Gospel in
every quarter, just as we of today should feel an interest in and give attention to the
progress of the Truth in every quarter. Christianity is not selfish, but the reverse. When
selfishness is seen -- avarice, self-seeking -- it is so much of the Antichrist spirit
creeping in. "To do good and to communicate, forget not," writes the Apostle.
God uses means -- human means so
far as possible. And so He wishes that we, as His representatives, should follow His
example. The decision was to send the new. con verts the help which it was realized they
would need, to encourage them, to forewarn them of dangers, and to assist to 'clearer
knowledge of the Divine Plan, that thus they might become a force for good and not for
evil under the Lord's banner. A disciple named Joseph was chosen, one who had shown great
zeal for the Lord and for the Church and who had given considerable of his property for
the assistance of others. They gave him a new name, Barnabas, which signifies Son of
Consolation. How beautiful! This testimony of itself draws out our love to Barnabas in a
manner that would have been impossible if the record had been to the contrary -- that,
although a follower of Jesus, he was quarrelsome, disputative, a stirrer-up of strife and
contentions.
It may be said that none could
have such discordant character and yet be a Christian at all. We agree that no matured
Christian could be of such a character, yet we know of some who naturally are very
contentious, who, by. the grace of God, have received the Truth. These need to be the more
vigilant in cultivating amiability and humility. And assuredly the brethren should have
considerable patience with such, especially if they note in them loyal-heartedness toward
God, the Truth and the brethren-and particularly if they see evidences that they are
striving to overcome their natural contentiousness. How ever, it would be mistaken
kindness to encourage such or to fail to indicate to them the unloving manner wherein they
injure the cause they wish to serve. Such should never be chosen to positions of
leadership or otherwise encouraged until they show evidences of victory along this line.
Assuredly such should never be chosen as missionaries or representatives of the Church to
others, for they would misrepresent the Lord and His Spirit, which is one of humility,
gentleness and patience, even while strong and resolute for the Truth.
BARNABAS THE FRIEND
OF SAUL
We first hear of Barnabas, a
faithful worker in the early Church; in connection with the "community of goods"
(Acts 4:36, 37), an arrange-ment which on the surface appeared to be good and wise, but
evidently under present conditions was found not to be practicable arid was not continued
for any length of time; seemingly it did not have the Lord's approval, though the
experiment no doubt brought valuable lessons. read, "For he was a learned man, or a
brainy man, and full of self-confidence and a mighty collector of monies for the
Church." His heart was full of the spirit of holiness It was Barnabas also who
assisted the brethren at Jerusalem to accept of the newly converted Saul. Another has
said, "It is no wonder that Saul, when he visited Jerusalem after his conversion, was
received by the Christians with cold suspicion. That the fierce Jewish persecutor should
become a Nazarene seemed too much to believe. Was it not all a stratagem to work himself
into their councils and betray them later?
"Then it was that the
generous Barnabas proved his generosity once more by coming forward and vouching for Saul.
Cyprus is so near Cilicia that Barnabas may have known Saul before this; indeed, the two
young men may have met in the famous schools of Tarsus." And Dr. Hastings adds,
"Barnabas not only receives Paul and believes in his conversion, but he does so at
his own expense. There is no reason to doubt that he recognized from the first that Paul
would to a certain extent supplant him. The beauty of his character is seen in the
gracious spirit with which ho allowed ,himself td be eclipsed by a younger man."
Full consecration was the subject
of Barnabas' preaching for quite a little while, and the result was "much people were
added unto the Lord." We observe another beautiful tribute to Barnabas' character,
and let us each see to what extent we can find these characteristics predominant in
ourselves, and to what extent we can, by God's grace, have them still more abound. We
read, "For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith." What
more could be said to the credit of any child of God? This testimony is far richer than if
we and he was full of faith as respects God's power and God's Truth.
FULL OF THE HOLY
SPIRIT
Mr. Barnes' comment on this
expression is interesting: "'For he was a good
man'--this is given as a reason why he was
so eminently successful. It is not said that he was a man of distinguished talents, or
learning; that he was a splendid or an imposing preacher; but simply that he was a pious,
humble man of God. He was honest, and devoted to his Master's work. We should not
undervalue talent, eloquence, or learning in the ministry; but we may remark, that humble
piety will often do more in the conversion of souls than the most splendid talents. No
endowments can be a substitute for this. The real power of a minister is concentrated in
this; and without this his ministry will be barrenness and a curse. There is nothing on
this earth so mighty as goodness. If a man wished to make the most of his powers, the true
secret would be found in employing them for a good object, and suffering them to be wholly
under the direction of benevolence. John Howard's purpose to do good has made a more
permanent impression on the interests of the world than the mad ambition of Alexander or
Caesar. Perhaps the expression, "he was a good man," means that he was a man of
a kind, amiable, and sweet disposition. Full of
the Holy Ghost -- was entirely under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He was
eminently a pious man. This is the second, qualification here mentioned of a good
minister. He was not merely exemplary for mildness and kindness of temper, but he. was
eminently a man of God. He was filled with the influences of the sacred Spirit, producing
zeal, love, peace, joy, etc. (See Gal. 5 :22, 23; Comp. Acts 2:4). And of faith -- confidence in the truth and
promises of God. This is the third qualification mentioned; and this was another cause of
his success. He confided in God. He trusted to His promises. He depended, not on his own
strength, but on the strength of the arm of God. With these qualifications he engaged in
his work, and he was successful: These qualifications should be sought by the ministry of
the Gospel. Others should, not indeed be neglected, but a man's ministry will usually be
successful only as he seeks to possess those endowments which distinguished Barnabas -- a
kind, tender, benevolent heart; devoted piety; the fullness of the Spirit's influence; and
strong, unwavering confidence in the promises and power of God."
Barnabas perceived the largeness
of the field of opportunity at Antioch and bethought him of Saul of Tarsus, whom he sought
out and brought to the new field of labor. Evidently the Lord had allowed Saul to rest in
quietness for a time to digest certain features of the Truth, to get himself properly
gauged up. No doubt these lessons were needful for the development of humility and faith
and obedience. Now, however, the time had come for Saul to be introduced into the Gospel
work. Again God used instrumentality. Barnabas did not trust to writing a letter, but went
to see him personally, to urge upon him activities in the Master's service and to point
out to him the open door of a still greater work at Antioch, where Saul's learning and
talents would be an additional fortification to the Truth and inspiration to the brethren.
For a year he assembled with the Church at Antioch and taught much people publicly and
privately.
DISCIPLES CALLED
CHRISTIANS
The name "Christian"
was first applied to the Lord's followers at Antioch. Such a name would not be given to
them by the Jews, nor in any place where Judaism was paramount, because the Greek word
Christ is the equivalent to the Hebrew word Messiah. And the Jews would be the last in any
sense of the word to intimate that Jesus was the Messiah, or that His followers were
Christians or Messiahans. We do not read that Christians first assumed this name at
Antioch, but that they were first called it by others. Would that the custom had continued
to prevail, and that still the only name by which the Lord's followers throughout the
world would be known would be His name! Dr. A. McClaren correctly suggests, "If the
men at Antioch had called Christ's followers `Jesuits' that would have meant the followers
of the mere man. They did not know how much deeper they had gone when they said, not
`followers of Jesus' but `followers of Christ'; for it was not Jesus the man, but Jesus
Christ, the Man with His Office, that makes the center and bond of the Christian
Church." The name Christian is an entirely proper one by which to designate the
followers of the Lamb, for it is His name; it is one therefore that will ever stand
approved.
Why should Messiah's Bride, after
taking His name, confuse matters in any degree by adding to it the name of any human being
or institution? We urge them all to stand free
from all human titles and bondages in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. Our
bondage nor Greek or suggests, is to the Head and under His direction, and by His Spirit
we are firmly bounden by all the principles of righteousness and to all who have His
Spirit, His mind, His disposition, as living members of the one Body. To separate
ourselves from these bonds of love and sympathy and fellowship and obedience would mean
our starvation and death, even as a branch cannot abide itself, nor bear fruit, except it
abide in the Vine, in fellowship with the other branches of the same Vine, and as a
participant in the juices (the graces, the blessings) which come to all the true branches
through the root.
THE FRUITAGE OF THE SPIRIT
AT ANTIOCH
In the Lord's providence the
Antioch brethren were advised in advance of impending famine throughout the civilized
world. The scarcity would affect all parts and classes, but especially be severe upon the
poor, by reason of the high prices. Immediately the Antioch brethren bethought them of the
fact that the brethren at Jerusalem, specially poor and persecuted, would be special
sufferers from that famine and they desired to aid them, and made a collection
accordingly. They did not hesitate, because, not wealthy themselves, they would probably
also feel the severity of the famine. The love of God shed abroad .in our hearts overcomes
much of our natural selfishness and tends to make us generous and thoughtful of others.
How beautiful, how Christlike, the spirit! We must love these brethren for this and seek
to emulate their example and to be of willing mind as respects any assistance to be
rendered to any of the fellow-members of the Body of Christ, near and far.
The Apostle truly intimates that
if any professed follower of. Christ see his brother have need and close up his heart of
compassion against him and refuse him aid, this would be an indication that he lacked the
spirit of the Head, the spirit of love, the distinctive feature which our Lord said would
indicate His disciples as different from all others in the world. "By this shall all
men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one for another." -- John 13:35.
Whenever an opportunity for doing
good comes to our attention, it should not be slighted, but reasonably investigated with
the thought that possibly the Lord has brought this matter to our attention as a test of
love for Him or for the brethren. Indeed it will profit us greatly if we can learn to look
at all of life's affairs from this standpoint. If trials and difficulties, joys and
pleasures, are all scrutinized with the thought of the Lord's oversight and guiding care
in respect to our interests and affairs it will greatly increase our faith and our
spiritual joy.
BENEVOLENCE A FEATURE
OF PIETY
In view of the fact that the
condition of the Antioch Church made Barnabas glad, and in view of the instruction and
assistance rendered 'it by Paul and Barnabas, we are not surprised that it was a living
Church, instead of a dead one, and we are not surprised that, an opportunity offering
through a famine especially affecting the vicinity of Jerusalem, this congregation of
believers at Antioch was prompt to make up a relief fund and send it to the Church at
Jerusalem, as an expression of its love and sympathy and oneness of spirit. It is more
blessed to give than to receive, not only as respects the sentiment of the matter, but the
results are still more blessed. No doubt the contributions sent were a comfort and a help
to the Jerusalem brethren, but the blessing to the givers we may be sure was far greater.
The Lord would reward them, and that in proportion as they had given, at some sacrifice as
respects earthly things; luxuries; etc. Few probably have noticed to what extent the
Scriptures encourage us to administer words and acts of comfort, the "balm of
Gilead" to one another; the Scriptures are full of comfort, and there is great need
that all who are truly the Lord's people should see to it that they are more and more sons
and daughters of comfort in the Church, administering to one another the helpfulness and
encouragement and refreshment which the Lord intended.
Considering the times in which we
live and the needs of the Lord's children today the world over, how many opportunities
there are for comforting the brethren. Let all who would aspire to joint-heirship with
Christ to a position of service in the Kingdom of God look well to the present privileges
of helping the brethren, for such privileges are swiftly passing, that they with one of
old may be deserving of the name Barnabas, comforter of the brethren.
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy
might:'-Eccl. 9:10.
AND Barnabas and Saul returned
from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose
surname was Mark." (Acts 12:25.) John Mark is one who has the honor of being
mentioned in Holy Writ as a helper and co-laborer in the work of the Gospel. The record
seems to indicate that he was a son of a sister of Barnabas (Col. 4:10), and son of one of
the Marys at Jerusalem (Acts 12:12, 25). It is also supposed that he was the writer of the
Gospel of Mark, though this is uncertain. The great privilege that came to John Mark was
no less than that of being an attendant of Paul and Barnabas in their travels. This does
not mean that he was set apart as a public minister of the Truth in the sense that Paul
and Barnabas were; for they had been specially designated by the Church as missionaries,
and they in turn had invited Mark to accompany them. Thus he was their attendant, yet not
pretending to be equal to them in office. He was with them as a friend and traveling
companion; perhaps also em-ployed in making arrangements for their needs, for their
comfort, and for the supply of their wants in travel.
In this as in every place the
Scriptures, while teaching that all believers are "brethren" and
"fellow-heirs," nevertheless, repudiate entirely the thought entertained by some
today that all brethren are exactly on an equality in every matter. Very properly Mark did
not say-"If I cannot go on an equality with Barnabas and Paul, I will not go at
all." Very properly he did say that if there is any opportunity for service, if . by
any means I can render any assistance in the journey and affairs of these whom the Holy
Spirit has indicated as special representatives, I shall be most glad to serve them, and
thus serve indirectly the Lord and His cause. And there were opportunities, as there are
always opportunities for those who have a will to serve the Cause; and no doubt Barnabas,
and especially Paul, received many helps from their younger brother who had become their
servant chiefly from his desire to serve the cause of Christ. No doubt also their
opportunities for public ministry of the truth were enlarged and broadened by his helpful
assistance in secular affairs. Paul especially constantly needed a helper, because of his
thorn in the flesh, his weak eyes.
MARK WITHDRAWS FROM
PAUL AND BARNABAS
Mark's faithful service continued
for some time, but for some reason not stated he left the work, and we may judge very
nearly lost his privilege and opportunity in connection with it. Even the young man's
wonderful experiences in Cyprus did not avail to hold him, nor did his affection for his
Uncle Barnabas and his noble friend the Apostle Paul. St. Luke, the writer of the Acts,
does not record the reason for his withdrawal. Possibly because his later life may have
made amends, and Luke may not have wished to set down anything to his discredit. It is
quite probable that it was a lack of faith, and a failure to recognize the Lord's leading
in connection with the Apostle Paul and his leadership as an Apostle of this branch of the
work, that John Mark here deserted the work. No one knows how much Mark may have lost in
spiritual blessing and privilege by his failure to continue at that time.
Later on when Paul and Barnabas
were preparing to go on another missionary tour, the question of taking Mark with them
again was raised and became the occasion of a sharp discussion and disagreement between
Paul and Barnabas, as we read, "And Barnabas was minded to take with him John, whose
surname was Mark. But Paul thought not good to take with them him who withdrew from them
from Pamphylia." (Acts i5:37, 38.) Some have supposed that this disagreement amounted
to animosity, bitterness, and resentment between Paul and Barnabas. We would not be
inclined to take this view of the matter, but would suppose rather that both of these
Christian leaders were possessed of too large a measure of the Holy Spirit to permit
anything in the way of sinful strife or contention. This disagreement, like many that has
happened since that time among Christians, was probably more or less the result of a
difference of temperament and viewpoint and a lack of spiritual development and
discernment on the part of one or the other of the contending parties. In the case of
Barnabas, too, no doubt, through family sympathy with his nephew he was led to take the
position that he did.
We believe, in view of all the
facts and circumstances as we now know them respecting the great Apostle Paul, that in
this contention over Mark, he was in the right; not that the Apostle was holding animosity
or resentment toward John Mark, but rather that remembering distinctly that the young man
had without good reason deserted them in the time of need, he should be given opportunity
to show sorrow and regret for the same, and thus to give evidence that he had learned the
lesson of his mistake. The Apostle Paul would thus have impressed upon the mind of Mark
that it was no light matter to engage in the Gospel ministry and no small item either, to
quit the ministry, or neglect opportunities of continued service. Such an attitude on the
part of the Apostle Paul toward this affair seems to us to have been fully justified.
RECOVERED HIMSELF IN
LATER YEARS
However, years afterwards, John
Mark apparently saw things in a different light and again joined St. Paul's company. Here
is a suggestion to all of us, that no matter what may be the door of opportunity for
engaging in the Lord's service, faithfulness to it is essential to progress; and there is
a further lesson, that if we find we have erred and been unappreciative of our privilege,
the best thing to do is to repent therefor and seek a renewal. of the opportunities, and
thus attest our loyalty by -fresh and increased earnestness.
The remarks made by Mr. Barnes
bearing upon, this incident are of interest here: "In this contention it is probable
that Paul was, in the main, right. Barnabas seems to have been influenced by attachment to
a relative; Paul sought a helper who would not shrink from duty and danger. It is clear
that Paul had the sympathies and prayers of the church in his favor (ver. 40), and it is
more than probable that Barnabas departed without any such sympathy. -- Ver. 39.
"This difference was
afterwards reconciled, and Paul and Barnabas again became traveling companions. (1 Cor.
9:6; Gal. 2:9.) There is evidence that Paul also became reconciled to John Mark. (Col.
4:10; Philemon 24; 2 Tim. 4 :11.) How long this separation continued is not known; but
perhaps in this journey with Barnabas, John gave such evidence of his courage and zeal as
induced Paul again to admit him to his confidence as a traveling companion, and as to
become a profitable fellow-laborer. (See 2 Tim. 4:11.) 'Take Mark and bring him with thee;
for he is profitable to me for the ministry.' This account proves that there was no
collusion or agreement among the Apostles to impose upon mankind. Had there been such an
agreement, and had the books of the New Testament been an imposture, the Apostles would
have been represented as perfectly harmonious, and as -united in all their views and
efforts. What impostor would have thought of the device of representing the early friends
of the Christian religion as divided, and contending and separating from each other? Such
a statement has an air of candor and honesty, and at the same time is apparently so much
against the truth of the system, that no impostor would have thought of resorting to
it."
Another point to be noted in
connection with this controversy between Paul and Barnabas is, that when they disagreed
and separated, they did not commence slandering one another, nor did they to any extent
inject their differences into any of the churches. As they visited the little companies of
the Lord's people they did not pour out to them their tale of grievances and seek to gain
sympathizers and thus try to cause divisions amongst the churches. Such a course would
have been most reprehensible. Alas, that many who have spoken in the name of Christ since
that time seem not to have been possessed of the same measure of the Spirit of Christ and
the spirit of heavenly wisdom, but acting contrariwise and ignobly have seemingly
forgotten what their real mission is here -- the preaching of Christ and the message of
heavenly love, and they have proclaimed amongst the Lord's people their differences and
disagreements with their brethren. Such a course of proceeding, as is well known, has so
often resulted in the spirit of dissension, the party spirit, the sectarian spirit, so
contrary to the Law and Spirit of the great Head of the Church. So far as the record
indicates the matter between Paul and Barnabas was suppressed and not mentioned any
further amongst the brethren. Thus evincing their largeness of heart and Christian
development. Would that all who profess to be ambassadors of the great King could profit
by the lessons derived from these noble examples of the past.
There are reasons for believing
that the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas was overruled for the furtherance of the
Gospel. They went to different places and preached to different people. Paul chose Silas,
and Barnabas, John Mark. Thus there were two sets of missionaries instead of one, and two
missionary journeys instead of one; thus in the end greater results.
THE GREAT LESSON OF
LIFE
Dr. James Hunter, summing up the
results of John Marks' life, has offered the following interesting observations: "We
cannot see the purposes of God in leading, or suffering us to be led, in certain ways. We
are like Mrs. Faber, one of George Macdonald's characters. 'I wonder why God made us,'
says Mrs. Faber bitterly. `I am sure I don't know where was the use of making me. 'Perhaps
not much yet,' replied Dorothy; 'but, then, He hasn't made you; He hasn't done with you
yet. He is making you now, and you don't like it.' No we don't like it! and because we
don't like it we won't have it that our trials are our growing-pains. But .if we cannot
understand what an artist is going to produce after only a few strokes of the brush or
chisel, why should we expect to understand the incomplete work of the great Artificer of
our lives? 'A Christian man's life,' says Henry Ward Beecher, 'is laid in the loom of time
to a pattern which he does not see, but God does; and his heart is a shuttle. On one side
of the loom is Sorrow, and on the other is joy; and the shuttle, struck alternately by
each, flies back and forth, carrying the thread, which is white or black as the pattern
needs. And in the end, when God shall lift up the finished garment and all its changing
hues shall glance out, it will then appear that the deep and dark colors were as needful
to beauty as the bright and high colors.' We will not, then, lose hope in our own future
or that of another in the hour of greatest weakness and wretchedness. God is able and
willing to make our deepest humiliations minister to our highest exaltations. This is the
great lesson of John Mark's life. It is the lesson of the power of man, under God, to gain
self-mastery and to overcome the world. It is a lesson on the method of God in the making
of saints."
"Once like a broken bow Mark sprang aside:
Yet grace recalled him to a worthier course,
To feeble hands and knees increasing force,
Till God was magnified.
"And now a strong Evangelist, St. Mark
Hath for his sign, a lion in his strength;
And through the stormy water's breadth and length
He helps to steer God's Ark.
"Thus calls He sinners to be penitents,
He kindles penitents to high desire,
He mounts before them to the sphere of saints,
And bids them come up higher."
SERIES IX
BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST
"In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand,
and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace
and the king saw the part o f the hand that wrote. Then, the king's countenance was
changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and
his knees smote one against another." Dan. 5 : 5, 6.
IT is difficult to imagine a
scene more startling, more dreadful, more tragical -- indeed more dramatic, than this one
that took place in connection with the sudden and abrupt termination of the great feast of
bacchanalian hilarity and sacrilege; and the grand and solemn climax was introduced as the
aged Daniel entered the banquet hall. All eyes now became riveted with eager, anxious
expectation upon the grave face of the venerable prophet of Jehovah. Poets, painters, and
dramatists, have seized upon this tragic event as one of the greatest scenes of human
history, most worthy to be depicted by their artistic skill. The spacious palace hall,
with its lofty walls; the magnificent architecture and gorgeous furnishings; the
beautiful, yet lewd paintings and idolatrous statuary; the splendid decorations, all
representing the highest type of artistic skill of debased humanity; the immense
assemblage representing the elite of Babylonian society -- all served to add to the
dramatic effect of this grand display of Divine displeasure and omnipotence that now took
place and transformed the drunken reveling into a solemn judgment assize.
All heathen court formalities
were forgotten, laid aside, as the aged Prophet with grave countenance and subdued
expression was ushered into the presence of the guilty monarch. With stammering tremulous
voice, in marked contrast to his usual demeanor on all court occasions, the
fear-distressed king addressed the aged man: "Art thou that Daniel, which art of the
children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my [grand] father brought out of Jewry?
I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and
understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. And now the wise men, the
astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make
known unto me the interpretation thereof; but they could not show the interpretation of
the thing. And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve
doubts; now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation
thereof, thou shah be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and
shah be the third ruler in the kingdom." -- Ver. 13-16.
Daniel's reply is characteristic
of the man -- indeed of every true man of God, when placed under circumstances to proclaim
a message from God: "Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards [margin fee]
to another." Regarding this last expression Mr. Barnes has said that "Gesenius
supposes that the word used here is of Persian origin, and means a gift, and is derived
from a verb meaning to load with gifts and praises, as a prince does an ambassador."
The sense here seems to be, that "Daniel was not disposed to interfere with the will
of the monarch if he chose to confer gifts and rewards on others, or to question the
propriety of his doing so, but that so far as he was concerned, he had no desire for them
for himself, and could not be influenced by them in what he was about to do."
"Yet," said Daniel, "I will read the writing unto the king, and make known
to him the interpretation."
The saying is indeed a true one,
that "truth is stranger than fiction," and it has its illustration in the case
before us. The "great feast" of drunken orgies, which was conducted with such
noisy defiance of Jehovah, in sacrilegiously drinking from the sacred vessels, ended with
a sermon delivered by one of God's faithful preachers unto which, in the Divine
providence, this sinful, presumptuous king, together with all his lords and the elite
representatives of the society of the doomed city, was the willing and eager listener. It
was similar to one of those occasions which years - afterwards the great Savior referred
to, in which some of His servants would be called to deliver discourses to kings. and
princes and judges. The history of the Church of Christ has recorded many of these; as for
instance the experience of Luther before the great assembly of rulers and church prelates
of Rome, and that of John Knox before the king of England.
DANIEL'S ARRAIGNMENT
OF BELSHAZZAR
The sermon of the Hebrew Prophet
was one most thoroughly adapted (although not prepared beforehand) to the occasion. It was
addressed especially to the dissolute king, although full of lessons to the vast
assemblage that heard it, as well as to all who have read. it with proper attention since.
It is introduced by calling the attention of the impious king, Belshazzar, to the fact
that the most high God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, his grandfather, the kingdom, which he,
Belshazzar, by inheritance had been entrusted with. He informs Belshazzar that all the
majesty, all the honor, all the glory that Nebuchadnezzar possessed, was bestowed upon his
grandfather by the same God who was now speaking to him in the mysterious writing
emblazoned on the wall of his palace. The great preacher informs the king that it was on
account of the majesty the most high God gave to his grandfather that all peoples,
nations, and languages trembled and feared before him; and then as if to bring home to
Belshazzar the magnitude of his own sinful pride and irreverence, the Prophet rehearses
how the most high God dealt with his grandfather, when he became lifted up with sinful
pride and vainglory. He tells him that he was deposed from his kingly throne, and that all
this honor and glory and majesty was taken from him. The aged Seer continues with a
description of the terrible punishment that was imposed upon Belshazzar's great ancestor,
and then concludes his introduction by relating how Nebuchadnezzar was brought to view
himself and his great sin in its true light, and to humble himself before the most high
God, and give reverence to Him.
It would be perfectly in accord
with the words which follow to imagine a pause on the part of Daniel, and then with grave
demeanor, fastening his eyes upon the trembling king, and making a pointed application of
this narrative, he said: "And thou his [grand] son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled
throe heart, though thou knewest all this; but
past lifted u˘ thyself against the Lord of heaven." The Prophet next proceeds to
hold up before the king the crowning feature, the culmination of his sinful, dissolute
life, which was that he had caused the sacred vessels of the Lord's house to be brought
into this bacchanalian feast, and to show his contempt and defiance of the Most High he
had drunk wine out of these sacred vessels, and caused his lords, his wives and concubines
to do the same.
"A splendid sermon was
it," one has said. "With what grand and affecting reminiscences of
Nebuchadnezzar did it begin! In what sharp contrast did it sketch the effeminacy and
impiety of Belshazzar ! With what directness did it point out the inexcusableness and
defiant wickedness of its chief hearer! With what solemn and unflinching faithfulness did
it tell the sentence God had written, and make known the doom which was now too late to
escape! It almost takes one's breath to hear.the massive utterances roll from that holy
preacher's lips. The solemnity of the scene almost overwhelms us.
NEGLECTED THE LESSON
OF
HIS GRANDFATHER'S EXPERIENCE
"Transfer yourself into that
royal banquet-hall and listen. There stands the tall and reverent. Prophet. Nothing of the
obsequious courtier is upon him now. He has not a word of sympathy for the king in his.
guilty alarm. His voice, his brow, his words, his composed manner and solemnity, are all
in deep accord with the Spirit which had traced those letters and with the awful sentence
which was in them. He saw that the end of the impious contemner of the Almighty had come.
He knew that he was about to utter [almost] the last words the royal sinner should ever
hear in this world. And he spake exactly as became the occasion. Fixing his eyes upon the
pale and trembling criminal, now ripe for destruction, he measuredly said: `O thou king!
the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and
honor. And for the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, and nations, and languages
trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive;
and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down. But when his heart was lifted
up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took
his throne from him. And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like
the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses; they fed him with grass like oxen,
and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in
the kingdom of men, and that He appointeth over it whomsoever He will. And thou his son
Belshazzar hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast lifted up
thyself against the God of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before
thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines have drunk wine in them; and
thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood and stone, which see
not, nor hear, nor know; and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy
ways, hast thou not glorified. Then was the part of the hand sent from Him; and this
writing was written. And this is the writing that was written, `MENE, MENE, TEKEL,
UPHARSIN."'
Scholars tell us that the word
MENE means simply numbered. The word is
repeated, doubtless for the sake of emphasis. The word TEKEL has the significance of short
weight, lacking. Peres means divided, and in its plural form conveys with it the
thought of broken or crushed to pieces --destroyed. The Prophet's knowledge of the fact
that Babylon's fall was near -- a knowledge that was communicated to him by the revealing
angel (Dan. 7 and 8), enabled him to make a special application of the ominous
handwriting. And it is not difficult to imagine with what intense interest the guilty
monarch and his dissolute court listened to the venerable Prophet, as with slow, measured
tones he said: "This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy
kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL ; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians."
It would seem that neither
Belshazzar nor any of the vast assemblage gathered in the banquet hall realized how near
was the time when the Divine sentence was to be executed. This is seen in the fact that
the guilty monarch immediately gave command that the reward promised should be given to
Daniel, and the proclamation was immediately made to the assembly of his lords and nobles
that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.* The sacred historian, however, informs
us that the judgment came that very same night: "In that night, was Belshazzar the
king of the Chaldeans slain." .It seems evident that even while the Prophet was
pronouncing the doom, the armies of the Medes and Persians were taking possession of the
City. While the feasting and reveling in fancied security was going on, the general of the
united forces of Cyrus and Darius had perfected his plans. The waters of the great River
Euphrates that ran through the center of the city were diverted from their course, leaving
the river-bed dry, and as the armies of the Persian king made their way under the great
walls through the river-bed, they found, as had been foretold 150 years before, the great
gateways at the river's brink (which were usually closed at night) wide open; and the
great City which had been deemed impregnable was soon in the possession of the Median
host. The palace where the great feast was being held was doubtless soon filled with
soldiers, and the last king of the great Babylonian Empire was slain.
__________
*It has seemed
strange to some that Daniel after having stated that he did not desire these gifts, should
accept them when he had complied with the king's request and made known the
interpretation. When the offer was made to him he plainly stated his wishes, declaring
that he did not desire any honor bestowed upon himself; but after he had performed the
duty, it would not have been proper to have resisted the king's command. Knowing Daniel's
character as we do, we may be assured that he did not receive them voluntarily, and that
he would have continued to decline, if it were possible to have done so with propriety.
________________
PROPHETS HAD FORETOLD
BABYLON'S FALL
The Prophet Jeremiah in
foretelling the fall of the City, describes briefly the suddenness of the surprise, indeed
the announcement of the sentinels that the great City had fallen: "The mighty men of
Babylon have forborne to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed
. . . . One post [sentinel] shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another,
to show the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end, and that the passages are
stopped, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are
affrighted." -- Jer. 51 :30-32.
One hundred and fifty years prior
to this, the Prophet Isaiah had foretold the captivity of the Israelitish nation to the
great empire of Babylon; and also prophesied of their deliverance and return again to
their native land. Under Divine inspiration he had even mentioned by name the individual
that would be in command in connection with the capture of the City, and bring about their
deliverance. He was no other than Cyrus the great, mentioned by all historians. The
prophecy reads: "Thus saith the Lord . . . that confirmeth the voice of His servant,
and performeth the counsel of His messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be
inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed
places -- thereof; that saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers; that
saith of Cyrus, He is My shepherd, and shall perform all My pleasure; even saying to
Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. Thus
saith the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue
nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two-leaved
gates, and the gates shall not be shut. I will go before thee, and make the crooked places
straight; I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron;
and I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that
thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For
Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name; I
have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known Me." -- Isa. 44:24-28; 45:1-4.
A SECOND, A MYSTIC
BABYLON
The Prophet Jeremiah, who was
divinely inspired to portray the doom of Babylon, and also to describe some of the events
connected with its fall, was instructed of Jehovah to publicly proclaim it and to write it
all in a book. The closing words of his prophecy are very significant, in that similar
words are used by St. John the Revelator, as he closes the Divine description of the fall
of another, an even greater Babylon-the great false religious system divinely named,
"BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." (Rev.
17:5.) These two great Prophets of God, though living over seven hundred years apart, use
the same figure in foretelling the fall of the two Babylons. The words in Jeremiah are
addressed by the great Jehovah to the Prophet, and read: "And it shall be, when thou
hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it
into the midst of Euphrates: and thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not
rise from the evil that I will bring upon her." (Jer. 51:63, 64.) The words having
reference to the great symbolic Babylon, are vastly more significant to us today, in that
they relate to the great religious system that has existed in the world for over twelve
centuries now-the great mystic Babylon that has corrupted the truth of God and blinded and
deceived the whole world respecting the character and plan of God. The words of the
revealing angel as recorded by St. John are: "And a mighty angel took up a stone,
like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that
great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all." (Rev. 18:21.)
Concerning the connection between literal and symbolic Babylon,, that is the prophecies
concerning the literal city and empire of ancient Babylon, that they have a double
significance, the following words from the pen of Pastor Russell are very significant and
instructive to the Lord's people of the present time
"The thoughtful Bible
student must of necessity have always in view the many correspondencies which the
Scriptures institute between literal Babylon and mystic Babylon, and when studying the
account of the fall of literal Babylon his attention is naturally drawn also to the
foretold fall of mystic Babylon in the end of this Age. Indeed, he must be comparatively
blind who cannot see that the wonderful prophecies which speak of the fall of Babylon
(Isa. 14 :22 ; Jer. 5o and 51) were not wholly fulfilled by Cyrus the Persian. The fall of
literal Babylon, while it was sudden, and while it made a great commotion amongst the
nations, lacks much of filling to the full the prophetic picture. Much of the prophecy
still waits for fulfillment in mystic or symbolic Babylon today; and this fact is
abundantly supported by the prophecies of the book of Revelation, written centuries after
the fall of literal Babylon, which unmistakably refer to symbolic Babylon, and use
language almost identical with that of Jeremiah.-See Rev. 16:19--18:24"
CORRESPONDENCIES
BETWEEN THE TWO BABYLONS
The correspondencies between the
two are very significant. Literal Babylon is represented as being situated on many waters
-the River Euphrates and many canals connected with it; likewise mystic Babylon is said to
sit upon many waters, which are defined as "peoples, nations and tongues." Just
as literal Babylon of old "was captured by the diversion of the literal waters, so
symbolic Babylon is to fall by reason of the diversion of the symbolic Euphrates, which in
Rev. 16:12, it is foretold, shall be `dried up-that the way of the kings of the East might
be prepared.'
"The kings of the East, or
kings from the sun-rising, are, we understand, the kings of Christ's kingdom, who are also
priests -the Body of Christ, the Royal Priesthood. 'Thou hast made us unto our God kings
and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.' From this standpoint of view, Cyrus and his
army, overthrowing literal Babylon, was a figure or illustration of Messiah, King of kings
and Lord of lords, who with His faithful will shortly overthrow mystic Babylon, and take
possession of the world in the name of Jehovah, to establish the Kingdom for which He
taught us to pray, 'Our Father Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is done
in heaven.'
"This likeness of Cyrus to
Messiah is not merely in the particulars [above] noted. It should be remembered that the
name, Cyrus, signifies 'the sun,' and that thus in his
name he reminds us of the prophecy of Christ, 'The Sun of Righteousness shall arise
with healing in His beams.' . . . Through the Prophet Isaiah (44:28) the Lord speaks of
Cyrus as His shepherd, who would lead back Israel, and again (45:1-14) He calls him His
anointed. . . . In this prophecy Cyrus is evidently indicated, and yet just as evidently a
greater than he is indirectly referred to, that is the Prince of the kings of the earth,
who in Revelation is shown as drying up the symbolic Euphrates and destroying symbolic
Babylon, and delivering spiritual Israel. And the time for the fulfillment of the symbol
is clearly indicated, by the drying up of the Euphrates under the sixth vial of the `Day
of Wrath' and the fall of Babylon under the seventh vial, resulting in the liberation of
all of God's people from the thralldom, through false doctrine, which has been upon them
for lo, these many years, is portrayed as resulting.
"Babylon literal fell
because, when tried in the balances by the Lord, she was found wanting: mystic Babylon
falls for a similar reason. Literal Babylon never Was Israel, but the Israelites were for
a time swallowed up in Babylon: likewise, mystic Babylon never was spiritual. Israel,
though for a long time spiritual Israel has been in captivity to mystic Babylon. As the
same Cyrus who overthrew literal Babylon made the proclamation which permitted literal
Israel to return from captivity, so it is the King of kings who, upon taking His great
power as earth's new king will set free all of the Lord's people -- and in advance He
sends the message to those who have ears to hear, saying, `Babylon the great is fallen, is
fallen, and is become the habitation of demons and the hold of every foul spirit, and a
cage of every unclean and hateful bird . . . . Come out of her, My people, that ye be not
partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not
of her plagues.'"
APPROACHING THE FALL
OF MYSTIC BABYLON
Pastor Russell proceeds to unfold
what seems to him a correspondence, more in detail with the events, etc., that occur prior
and subsequent to the downfall of literal and symbolic Babylon. His words are very
interesting and significant, especially to those who at the present time see clearly that
the Divine prophecies indicate the imminency of the final collapse of mystic Babylon, and
her degenerate daughters:
"The great feast which
preceded the fall of Babylon would seem to correspond well with the great denominational
union expected soon, and the season of rejoicing
which will accompany it. The gold and silver vessels of the Lord's house which were
profaned may fitly represent not only the precious truths of Divine revelation, but also
the Lord's consecrated people -- the golden vessels representing the 'little flock,' and
the more numerous silver vessels representing the 'great company.' What may be the
character of the defilement and injury of these [typical vessels by Belshazzar] is of
course problematical, but in any case we remember that these consecrated vessels were all
highly honored, and restored to the temple by Cyrus , and likewise we know that not only
the truths of Divine revelation will all be cared for by the Lord, but also that all that
are His shall be glorified in the spiritual Temple which He will rear shortly."
As we view the religious
condition of the world today, particularly Christendom, who can doubt that the great
Mother system of Romanism and her Protestant offspring, the various sects and
denominations, are in the widest sense of the symbol, pictured in symbolic Babylon the
great? Who, that has a clear apprehension of what constitutes the true Church of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and contrasts it with the great worldly profession of this twentieth century
seen all around us, can possibly doubt that the further language of the writer just quoted
is true: "The spirit of the world has so fully taken possession of. the
ecclesiastical powers of Christendom, that reformation of the systems is impossible; and
individuals can escape their fate only by a prompt and timely withdrawal from them. The
hour of judgment is come." And even now it is seen by the Lord's watchful people that
these great systems are being weighed in the balances of Divine truth and are found
wanting.
"It is indeed a notable fact
that in the judgment of Christendom, even by the world at large, the standard of judgment
is the Word of God.. The heathen hold up the
Bible, and boldly declare, `You are not as good as your book.' They point to its blessed
Christ, and say, `You do not follow your pattern.' And both the heathen and the masses of
Christendom take up the golden rule and the law of love, wherewith to measure the
doctrines, institutions, policy and general course of Christendom; and all alike testify
to the truth of the strange handwriting on her festive walls --'Thou art weighed in the
balances and found wanting.'"
WHAT LESSONS MAY WE
DRAW ?
The chronological order of the
events preceding, or leading up to the utter collapse of literal Babylon, seem in perfect
correspondence to what we learn in the Apocalyptic visions seen by St. John concerning the
same of mystic Babylon. Viewing the matter from this standpoint it seems quite reasonable
to forecast these events as follows: Just as at that time the Lord's faithful servant,
Daniel, was made acquainted with the fact that literal Babylon was doomed, that she was
"weighed in the balances and found wanting," so the Lord's faithful servants of
these days would be made acquainted with the fact that mystic Babylon's doom is soon to
take place-that she is "weighed in the balances and found wanting." Furthermore,
if the great feast of Belshazzar corresponds with the great denominational union and the
rejoicing over it expected soon, as the above writer has expressed as seeming to be the
case, then of course, the great event is still in the future as it is quite evident that
this great union is not yet fully consummated. Other Scriptures seem clearly to teach that
such a Church union may be expected before the final collapse; and many things transpiring
in the Churches today seem to be shaping for such a union.
If it be proper to trace the
correspondence still further, would it not be reasonable to believe that while the
watchful ones of the Lord's people already see clearly that the great religious systems of
Babylon the great and her degenerate daughters are now doomed -- "weighed in the
balances and found wanting"-as was true in the case of Daniel concerning literal
Babylon, even before the great feast of Belshazzar, would it not be reasonable to believe
that the handwriting on the wall would represent some very startling event to occur in the
world subsequent to the consummation of, and the rejoicing over the great federation or
union of Christendom? And to carry the correspondence to its logical conclusion, would it
not be reasonable to believe that this great and startling occurrence, whatever it may be,
will be made known to the great leaders of Christendom by the Lord's people interpreting
it to signify the immediate downfall of Babylon the Great? While there can be no question
that very many prophecies proclaim with startling clearness the complete downfall of
Babylon the great as one of the approaching events, the typical correspondencies above
noted will require the lapse of but a few years, at the most, to confirm their
correctness. However, it is not so much this great event itself that we look for to occur,
but rather that which this event will usher in, namely the Marriage of the Lamb, and the
rising of the Sun of Righteousness with healing for all.
"1 press on toward the goal unto the prize of the
highcalling of God in Christ Jesus."-Phil 3:7 -14; Acts 22; 3, 6 -10.
WHILE waiting at Jerusalem for
the Pentecostal, blessing promised, the eleven Apostles overlooked the fact that they were
not to begin their work, nor to consider that they had the proper endowment of wisdom or
authority from on High for any part of it, until they should receive the promised
blessing. Their selection of Matthias to fill the place of Judas, as the twelfth apostle
was, therefore, a blunder; for although they cast lots, to give the Lord a choice, and the
lot fell on one of the two they had decided upon, they were in this doing something beyond
their authority. The Lord had His own choice for the one who would take the place of
Judas, and this one already had been undergoing special training and discipline "from
his mother's womb." -- Gal. 1 :I5 ; Acts 9 :I5 ; Rom. 1 :1; 11:13 ; 1 Cor. 1:1 ; 9 :1.
The name of the Lord's choice for
the twelfth apostle was, in the Hebrew language, Saul, and the Greek, Paul. Under divine
supervision, and with a view to his future work, without, however, interfering with his
will, the Lord had carefully guided in respect to the birthplace, opportunities,
education, etc., of this one whom He foresaw to be His chosen vessel to bear His message
to the Gentiles. He was well-born, well educated, inheriting the valuable right of a Roman
citizen; was of a very religious cast of mind, a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee.
It was because Paul of Tarsus was
not a bad man, but a good man, laboring under blindness and misapprehension, "an
Israelite indeed," fighting the truth ignorantly, that our Lord favored him in the
miraculous manner related in this lesson. Indeed, we may suppose that the Lord in some
manner favored all "Israelites indeed," as we note, for instance, that He
favored Nathanael, who at first was skeptical respecting His Messiahship, but was granted
convincing evidence because of his sincerity. Similarly we may suppose that some of those
who were converted by the miraculous manifestations of the day of Pentecost and shortly
afterward (numbering thousands), may have been amongst the very ones who, but a few days
previously, had thought of and perhaps had spoken of Jesus as an impostor, and His
disciples as shallow-minded dupes. The Lord had mercy upon Nathanael, and assisted him in
one way, while He assisted others at Pentecost in another way, through manifestation of
the spirit; and now in a still different manner He arrested the attention of Saul,
convincing him speedily that he was doing the very opposite thing from what he intended to
do.
HOW NOBLE HIS
CONVERSION
We must not use the word
conversion in its ordinary sense. We must remember St. Paul's own words to the effect that
he was a strong believer in a true God and fully consecrated to His service, not in a
formal or nominal sense, but heartily, energetically, with a zeal which persecuted the
Church. He had a zeal toward God, but it was not according to knowledge. When God supplied
him with the knowledge, it did not change his heart, his impulse, his devotion; it merely
changed the direction of his activities. The word convert signifies to turn around. Paul,
was not turned from a wrong condition of heart to a right one, but he was turned about in
his course of action. He served the same God, and with the same zeal, but intelligently
and correctly. It is important that we note this carefully, so that we shall not expect
God's dealings to be after this manner with unbelievers. He does not smite them down, but,
as the Scriptures say, draws them. And He draws only such as are in the right attitude of
heart "Feeling after Him." -- Acts 17:27.
St. Paul's experience may find
more of a parallel in the Christian Church, amongst those consecrated to the Lord, but
blinded by superstition. Such may violently persecute those of "this way," and
may do so in all "good conscience," as did St. Paul. There is hope for all such,
that in some manner the Lord will cause the eyes of their understanding to open. We have
more hope of the conversion from error to Truth of those who, in their blindness, are
bitter persecutors of "this way," than we have for those who are cold and
indifferent or lukewarm. The Lord stands pledged to help those whose hearts are right
toward Him. True, many, like St. Paul, may weep bitter tears in future years over their
misdeeds of ignorance, over their failure to give proper heed to the instructions of the
Scriptures, but in the end the Lord will deliver them.
THE ARREST OF THE
"INJURIOUS" MAN
While Saul was engaged in
persecuting the Church, suddenly, in the midst of the noonday brightness, came a still
brighter light, which fell specially upon Saul, and in the midst of which he sank to the
ground quite overcome. Was it a sun-stroke? No! It was a vision "above the brightness
of the sun at noonday"-a vision of the Christ, the Son of God in glory. A voice was
also heard, not only by Saul, but by his companions, though they comprehended not the
words as he did. He heard in the Hebrew tongue the message from the Lord, "Saul,
Saul, why persecutest thou Me?" The bewildered Saul queried, "Who art Thou,
Lord?" And the answer came, "I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest." [The
remaining words, "It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks; and he, trembling
and astonished, said, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" are not found in the old
manuscripts.] "Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must
do."
What an opening of the eyes of
Saul's understanding occurred at that moment, when he lost his natural sight by reason of
the Lord's mercy upon him! We can better imagine than explain what must have been the
course of his reasoning. With a self-righteousness he had been a believer in God against
heresy and heretics. He had thought of himself, doubtless, as having a specially large
degree of Divine approval, because of his untiring zealand now suddenly to be told that
Jesus was really the Messiah! This was the significance of our Lord's first reproof.
"Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?" Saul thought verily that he had been
doing God service in persecuting those whom he believed were a little band of heretics,
amongst whom were not many great, wise, learned or noble. Now, to his astonishment, he
found that the Glorious One of the vision claimed generally the unwise, ignoble, poor as
his brethren, his "members," whose sufferings were a part of his own.
ANANIAS GOD'S
MESSENGER
If one mentioned Ananias in the
Scriptures was convicted of falsity toward the Lord, another of the same name was found
faithful. He resided at Damascus. To him the Lord appeared in a vision directing him fully
as to how he should find Saul and what he should do to him for the opening of his eyes.
Ananias protested that there must be some mistake, because this man Saul had done much
evil to the saints of Jerusalem. He knew also the purpose of his visit to Damascus.
The Lord's commendation of Saul
to Ananias was, "Behold, he prayeth !" Ah! how much of a story is told in those
three words! How sure we may be that those who similarly humbly address the Almighty are
in no injurious mood!
In answer to Ananias' protest, in
the vision the Lord said to him, "Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto Me, to
bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel, for I will show
him how great things he must suffer for My name's sake." Saul was peculiarly fitted
by birth, by education, and by temperament for the service for which the Lord chose him.
Speaking of the matter himself he declares, "I was not disobedient unto the heavenly
vision." He was a chosen vessel, and one of large capacity. And yet he was only a
vessel. The good things that vessel was to carry were the Divine message of love and
mercy. So it is with all the called "members" of the Church. We are merely
vessels. The excellency, the merit, the worth, is of our Lord.
The chosen vessel was to bear the
message of grace (I) To the Gentiles; (2) To Kings; (3) To Israel. We can see the
propriety of preaching to the Gentiles first in order. We can see also that such a person
as St. Paul had special opportunities for serving the Truth, on such occasions as those in
which he appeared and reasoned before Felix, Augustus, Agrippa, and others -- possibly
before the Emperor Nero. (2 Tim. 4:16, 17.) His com-mission also mentioned Israel, and we
remember how his preaching in various quarters was "to the Jew first."
SUFFER FOR MY NAME'S
SAKE
How strangely it sounds,
"For I will show him how great things he must suffer for My name's sake!" Is any
other service than that of our Lord ever entered on these terms -- promises of suffering?
Surely not. Yet how honest for the Lord not to call His disciples under any
misapprehension of the facts! We are called to suffer with Him-to sacrifice ourselves, our
earthly interests -to. share His cross and, by these experiences, to prove that we have
beers begotten of His Spirit, and that it has been shed abroad in our hearts and
constituted us copies of God's dear Son. Faithfulness to this cause insures the reward of
joint-heirship with our Redeemer in His Kingdom; nor can those Kingdom honors be hoped for
on any other terms. The Apostle understood this and seems to give the thought, also, that
the more any of the Lord's followers can share of the sufferings of Christ, in the flesh,
proportionately will be his share in the glory which by and by shall be revealed to us-in
the "members of His Body."
The expression, "For My
name's sake," is comprehensive. It includes everything connected with the Divine
Plan, of which Jesus, the Messiah, is the center.
True to his Divine call the great
Apostle Paul was a faithful ambassador of God-faithful not only in declaring the truth to
the Gentiles, but also to the Jews as every opportunity afforded, counting not his life
dear unto himself.
Surely saintly was the heart
which wrote, For me to live in the world is for a member of The Christ to be living here,
serving by self sacrifice the cause of righteousness -- Truth. Equally true was it that
for him to have died and rested from his labors, to await the resurrection morning, would
have been gain. So far as his own character development was concerned, it was evidently
finished. He remained by God's grace, that he might further serve the Lord's
flock-including us who have since lived. He thus wrote to the Philippians about A.D. 62,
when circumstances intimated that his death was imminent.
Four years later, A.D. 66, St.
Paul wrote his last Epistle to Timothy, who was then Pastor of the Ephesus Church. The
Emperor Nero was showing greater hostility than ever against Christians, and circumstances
indicated that St. Paul was to be a martyr very soon. Sometimes .he addressed Timothy as
"his son" in the Gospel. He evidently felt great confidence in him as a sort of
successor in a general "care of all the churches." Hence to him he now wrote
special warnings and commendations and prophecies respecting the Church's future.
THE CROWN OF GLORY
LAID UP
Faithfulness was enjoined in view
of the fact that the time was nearing when "sound
doctrine" would not be appreciated, nor even be endured by the Church. The reason
for the deflection would be an unsatisfactory condition of heart in the Church, a lack of
faith in the Lord's supervision -- 'itching ears' for something new." They would seek
teachers who could. tickle their ears. They would be more pleased with style and oratory
than with the Truth. They would find such teachers as they were seeking, who would turn
their ears away from the hearing of the Truth to fables. Would Timothy succumb to such
influence? St. Paul hoped not. "Watch, then, in all things; endure afflictions; do
the work of a Gospel bearer; make full proof of thy service to the Lord, for I, Paul, am
now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand." -Ver. 5, 6.
He expressed the hope that the
crown of glory was laid u˘ for him -- awaiting
him -- not at death, but at the time of his resurrection. That crown the Lord would give
to him and to all others in the attitude of heart to appreciate his revelation at the
Second Advent "that day." True, not many at the present time love His appearing.
The majority, not only of the world, but also of Christians, seeking but not finding in
pleasures, riches, honors of men, have certain ambitions along these lines which they
would like to satisfy first, and then possibly they might be willing for the Lord to
establish His Kingdom. But no! by the time their lives have been spent in such pursuits,
they are usually thoroughly. disappointed and bewildered and generally further than ever
from seeking the Kingdom.
St. Paul closes his exhortation
by reciting that in his trial before Nero some in whom he had full confidence had forsaken
him and he concludes that the Lord, nevertheless, stood with him and strengthened him and
that he had every confidence in his care to the end of the way.
VOL. VI. September 15, 1923 No. 18
SERIES I
A MOUTHPIECE OF THE
LORD
JEREMIAH, who held steadfastly to
the truth committed to him by Jehovah in Old Testament times, doubtless has a place
amongst the "great cloud of witnesses" referred to by the writer of the Epistle
to the Hebrews. He was one of the faithful of that Age, and became an heir of the
righteousness which is by faith. Like Abraham and others of those days he died in faith,
not receiving the fulfillment of the promises, but was persuaded of their truthfulness,
and looked forward by faith for the coming of that City (government) which hath
foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God. The light of prophecy indicates that very
soon now that heavenly government, Christ and His joint-heirs, the overcomers of this
Gospel Age, will be established over the world, and Jeremiah and all the faithful of the
days before the First Advent will enter upon their inheri-tance under this New Jerusalem
government, which will be established for the purpose of bringing blessing to all who will
be obedient in those future times.
One special object in having the
experiences of these Old Testament witnesses recorded was that those who are living and
walking by faith in this Gospel Age might be encouraged to profit by their example of
suffering and witnessing. While the inheritance set before them was not the same as that
set before the saints of New Testament times, nevertheless, they trusted in the same God,
and experienced the same difficulties, trials, etc., that are experienced by those who in
these days are endeavoring to follow in the footsteps of Christ, the great Redeemer of
mankind.
In drawing lessons of profit from
Jeremiah, it will be helpful, indeed necessary, to have before our minds three things:
first, the circumstances and conditions that surrounded him in his boyhood days, as well
as his environment when he received his Divine call; second, the peculiar character of the
service that he was called upon to perform; and third, the one important matter connected
with his call and service, which, like that of those called in this Gospel Age, was that
the trials, persecutions, oppositions, indeed all the difficulties encountered in
connection with the performance of his Divine mission constituted a school of training,
designed for the development and crystallization of a character that was to last for
eternity, and fit him for a future station and service to his fellowmen, when Jehovah's
authority in Christ shall be established over all the earth.
IN THE MIDST OF
IDOLATRY
Many years prior to his call as a
prophet, which occurred when he was very young, the nation of Israel had been considerably
moved in their religious life by a revival of the worship of Jehovah. This took place
under Hezekiah the king of Judah, through the very valuable assistance of the Prophet
Isaiah. The beneficial effects of this revival, however, lasted only a brief period.
During the reigns of Manasseh and Amon, which followed that of Hezekiah, and which lasted
over a half century, the nation fell back again into the grossest forms of heathen
idolatry. When Josiah, who succeeded Amon, came to the throne, all classes, including
nearly all of the priests and prophets, "were infected with the abominable vices, for
committing which, the Canaanites had been expelled from the promised land centuries
before. Every high hill had its thick grove of green trees, within whose shadow the
idolatrous rites and abominable license of nature -worship were freely practiced."
Numerous temples for the worship of the heathen gods of Baal and Astarte, as also idol
statues, covered the land. The ten-tribed Northern kingdom was already in captivity under
God's judgment, and the condition of the Southern kingdom was such that pointed to a
similar fate awaiting it. This, in brief, was the condition of things that existed in
Jeremiah's boyhood days.
Jeremiah's father, Hilkiah,
belonged to the priesthood, and was among the few who were in those days faithful to
Jehovah in the performance of his duties. His mother was among those who continued loyal
to the covenant made with the fathers. Jeremiah lived near the holy City, and was enabled
to attend the holy festivals. He was privileged to have the companionship and to enjoy the
associations of those godly families, few in number, who still held fast to the religion
of their fathers. It is very evident that he was deeply moved, as were his parents and
associates, at the sad state of affairs in religious matters that existed all around him.
Such a condition could not be overlooked by Jehovah, and it will be seen that judgment
which could not be averted was hanging like a threatening dark cloud over Jeremiah's
beloved country when he received his Divine call. This judgment, however,, was not for
their destruction. Judah was to be preserved, until Shiloh should come. Jehovah had long
before declared: "As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it
not; for a blessing is in it; so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy
them all. And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my
mountains and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there." (Isa.
65: 8, 9.) Jehovah would still continue to deal with His chosen people, but it would be
for their correction. The nation would continue in the school of discipline.
The moral condition of the nation
as a whole was so bad that Jehovah saw that it would be best for their good and for the
furtherance of His Cause, that they should be punished by becoming a servile people --
servants to the king of Babylon for a period of seventy years. However, from certain
utterances of God's Prophet, it is quite evident that Jehovah's will was that to the
extent and measure His voice would be heeded, the severity of the punishment would be
lessened.
It is evident that in such a
state of affairs amongst a people who had been divinely chosen and called, and who were
being trained and disciplined, Jehovah's voice must be heard. If He must speak, it would
be, as is usually the, case, through human lips. Jeremiah was chosen to be His mouthpiece.
And so we read: "The words of Jeremiah . . . to whom the word of the Lord came in the
days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It
came also in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah king of Judah." -- Jer. 1:1 -3.
ANNOUNCES IMPENDING
JUDGMENTS
In the call and work of Jeremiah
we have an especially encouraging lesson for those who are endeavoring to follow in the
footsteps of Christ in these days. This lesson well illustrates the kind of instruments
God sometimes chooses to perform His work. The human instrument chosen is always one that
He sees is adapted to the kind of work to be accomplished. We invariably find that the
heavenly message is committed to a fragile earthen vessel; indeed to use another figure-to
one like a reed easily shaken by the wind. In chapter 1:10, we have described the kind of
work to be performed: "See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the
kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and
to plant." We are not to understand by these words of Jehovah that Jeremiah was the
instrument that would lead in the destructive work, but rather that he was to declare
God's Word concerning the judgments, and that other instruments would be used to execute
the same. In the case of the overthrow of the kingdom of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar was to be
the instrument used. In the case of the overthrow of Babylon, which event Jeremiah
predicted, the Medes and Persians were the agents used. This applies equally to the work
of "building and planting." As we examine carefully the natural character-istics
and temperament of Jeremiah, we see illustrated in the instrument selected that God's ways
are not as man's ways. For a work of the character to which Jeremiah was called we would
have selected one whose natural make -up, would, in almost every particular, be the very
opposite of that of Jeremiah. In the first place we would most naturally reason that
Jeremiah was too young for such a mission -- that an older, more experienced person would
be required. Indeed, he himself seemed to fully realize this, for we have him saying,
"All, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child."
While looked at from the human
standpoint, his youth and lack of experience would seem surely to be a serious hindrance
to the performance of such a work. Nevertheless, from the Divine standpoint we see in the
fact of Jeremiah's realization of his own lack and his humble acknowledgment of it a
quality that is absolutely necessary to be possessed in the service of God, by both young
and old. It is that of a realization of-our own insufficiency: "Apart from Me ye can
do nothing," are the words of our Lord.
JEREMIAH MODEST AND
SENSITIVE
Jeremiah was also deficient in
speech, and expresses himself as very conscious of it. Furthermore, we learn that he was
naturally of a very timid nature, which would cause him to shrink from the performance of
tasks like those he was divinely called to. Naturally it was far from his desire to place
himself, or to be placed in the foreground; rather would he prefer to keep himself out of
sight, and in order that he might perform his work, it would be necessary that he overcome this naturally timid, shrinking
disposition. Another characteristic that would seem
to disqualify him for the particular service he was divinely called to, was his extreme sensitiveness. Mr. Meyer in his Series on
"Old Testament Heroes," has very beautifully described Jeremiah's character in
this respect:
"By nature he seemed cast in
too delicate a mold to be able to combat the dangers and difficulties of his time. He
reminds us of a denizen of the sea, accustomed to live within its shell but suddenly
deprived of its strong incasement, and thrown without covering on the sharp edges of the
rocks . . . . Many are molded upon this type. They have the sensitiveness of a girl, and
the nervous organism of a gazelle. They love the shallows, with their carpet of silver
sand, rather than the strong billows that test a man's endurance . . . . Yet such, like
Jeremiah, may play an important part on the world's stage, if only they will let God lay
down the iron of His might along the lines of their natural weakness. His strength is only
perfect in weakness. Happy is the soul that can look up from its utter helplessness and
say with Jeremiah, 'O Lord, my strength in the day of affliction.'"
All of these naturally hindering
traits of character showed themselves in Jeremiah all through his life work, and could be
overcome only through his exercise of strong faith in Jehovah's promise to be with him. It
was his faith in God that made him an overcomer, and enabled him to perform the most
difficult and trying tasks that he was called to. As the. inspired Apostle to the Hebrews
informs us concerning all these worthy ones; they overcame through faith and "endured
as seeing Him who is invisible."
The question that very naturally
comes to the mind of those not acquainted with God's ways and plans when these natural
traits in Jeremiah are discovered is, Why call one possessing those characteristics, to
perform such a service, to be entrusted with such a mission for which, from the human
standpoint, he seemed utterly unqualified? The answer is given us by St. Paul-that the
excellency of the power might be of God, and not of man, that no flesh should glory in His
presence. The natural tendency of fallen man is toward a proud and self-.glorifying
spirit. The one who possesses the largest measure of natural gifts and talents is tempted
to look admiringly on himself; to indulge in self-complacency because of what he has made
out of life and its opportunities; to take pleasure in being thought of as a great one; to
harbor a feeling of self-laudation. Those talents and gifts in which men pride themselves;
that dignity, intelligence, the "mastery of the means of honor, fame, influence, and
enjoyment; those fond possessions which distinguish you so highly from the common masses
-all may be wilted and gone before the completion of another hour! It is only by the
unmerited favor of God that they are preserved unto you for a single day, and yet you
would ignore and neglect Him to indulge your vanity." Let man's attainments be what
they may, he holds them in a grasp so weak, so frail, that like the spider's web, it may
be broken any moment.
"BE NOT AFRAID
OF THEIR FACES"
Jehovah, who was to be the source
from whom Jeremiah was to receive his power, was well aware of the character of the
"earthen vessel." He was choosing, and in reply to Jeremiah's excuses said;
"Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and
whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with
thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Then the Lord put forth His hand, and touched my
mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put My words in thy mouth."
We next have described (verses
15, 16) more particularly the nature of the work the Lord had called and anointed him to
perform. He was to become God's mouthpiece in speaking words of stern judgment against the
degenerate nation-the nation He had chosen, and who had forsaken His ways and become
engrossed in the idolatrous worship and practices of the heathen nations. At the same time
the Lord spoke words of encouragement and exhortation to His chosen servant Jeremiah. He
said, "Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I
command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. For,
behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls
against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against
the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. And they shall fight against
thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to
deliver thee." -- Ver. 17-19.
We learn from the foregoing, not
that Jeremiah received by the Divine anointing on this occasion all that was necessary of
wisdom and power to enable him to carry to a completion all the work that he was called to
perform, but rather that he would receive this as it was needed and that there would be
required on his part that he live a life of dependence and trust in Jehovah, for wisdom,
courage, and strength. In other words, it was required of him that he yield himself
entirely into Jehovah's keeping, and daily and hourly learn the lesson of dependence upon
Him for strength and ability to perform the trying and difficult tasks that he was
divinely called to.
CONSECRATED TO GOD'S
SERVICE
We may properly liken his
anointing and call, to what we term today the act of consecration; and his trusting
Jehovah for wisdom and strength as needed, the daily life
of consecration. The same effect, so far as service for God is concerned, is produced
now in the inner life of those who do this, as was produced in Jeremiah. The act of
consecration, together with the crystallizing of that act into the daily life, imparts a
strong inward impulse, or Divine influence, moving one to desire above everything else to
do the Lord's good pleasure; it produces a jealousy for God's honor and a loyalty to His
Word of truth; it imparts, in proportion as the will is yielded up to God, a keen
sensitiveness to wrong conditions amongst the Lord's people, and a strong desire,
producing earnest fervent prayer for heavenly wisdom to enable one to act in particular
cases in a way that will be pleasing to the Lord. It produces in the inner life a
willingness to perform any task, and to go on any errand for God, no matter how difficult
that task or errand may be, or how great the cost. It is a Divine power that enables one
to rise above the natural disinclinations, no matter how strong these may be. Furthermore,
it gives, as it were, a supernatural vision of the Unseen One, which is expressed in the
language of St. Paul when describing one of these Old Testament saints of God, he said,
"he endured as seeing Him who is
invisible." Illustrating the supernatural effects that such a yielding to God
produces and the change that such a life of faith and trust in God brings about, and the
remarkable contrast between those who thus yield themselves and those who do not, the one
above quoted has said:
"Two men may sit together
side by side. The veil of sense may hang darkly before the one, while for the other it is
rent in twain from the top to the bottom. There no thought, no ambition, no desire for
aught beyond the temporal and seen; but here the vision of the presence and care of God,
of the principalities and powers in the heavenlies, of the ministry of angels, and the
opposition of fiends, of the chariots and horses of salvation, of the prize and crown, of
the awards of Christ's judgment seat, and the home beyond the river. Flesh and blood do
not reveal such things, but the Spirit of God. They are hidden from the wise and prudent,
but revealed to babes who love God. Happy are they the eyes of whose heart are opened to
know what is the hope of His calling, what the riches of His inheritance in the saints,
and what the exceeding greatness of His power to usward.
"It is very important that
all Christians should be alive to possess this power of vision. It is deeper than
intellectual, since it is spiritual; it cannot be acquired in the school of earthly
science, but is the gift of Him who alone can open the eyes of the blind, and remove the
films of earthliness, that shut out the eternal and unseen. If you lack it, reader, seek
it at the hands of Jesus; be willing to do His will, and you shall know. It is a thousand
pities to be blind, and not able to see afar off, when all around stand the mountains of
God in solemn majesty, as the Alps around the Swiss hostelry, where the traveler arrives
after nightfall, to eat and drink and sleep, unconscious of the proximity of so much
loveliness. It is related of Ampere, the electrician, who was short -sighted without being
aware of it, that when he became conscious of his defective vision through the casual use
of the eyeglasses of a friend, he burst into tears as he realized how much he had missed
throughout his life of the wonderful beauty and interest of the world around him. With
more reason will many of us have to lament our untold loss through that spiritual
near-sightedness of which the Holy Spirit speaks -- 2 Pet. 1:9, R. V."
THE LESSON OF
DEPENDENCE UPON GOD
The great lessons to be learned
by us as we read Jeremiah's autobiography is that of submission to and dependence upon God
in the daily, even hourly circumstances of life. As we read his life, we shall behold him
coming in contact with adversity and sorrow, with trials and tribulations, with
oppositions and persecutions. We shall see him under trial's pressure -- buffeted, ill
treated, unappreciated and cast into a miry dungeon. We shall see him standing at the gate
of Jerusalem warning the people of coming disaster. We shall see him reproving and
rebuking kings and nobles. We shall see him encouraging some of God's faithful ones, by
predicting good times to come. In all this the earthen vessel would have been utterly and
hopelessly shattered, made unfit for use, were it not that he looked up to Him who was
able to, keep and hold him. It was through learning the lesson of trust, the lesson of
dependence, the lesson of submission, that enabled him to be an overcomer and at last to
come off more than conqueror.
Did Jeremiah learn these lessons
all at once? Did he never once falter in times of danger? Did he never shrink from the
difficult tasks he was called to perform? We shall find as we consider carefully the
record of his life, written by himself, that he did not learn these lessons all at once.
It took days and months and even years for him to learn some of these lessons of faith, of
trust, of dependence, of submission; but we shall find that he learned them at last. He
was a man of like passions as ourselves. More than once was he discouraged, and found
himself questioning the wisdom of God's dealing with himself, as well as with other of the
righteous ones -almost ready to relinquish his work and retire to private life, to spend
his days in his own quiet home at Anathoth. We will doubtless be startled as we hear him
saying that he would no more speak in Jehovah's name. In spite of his weaknesses, his
imperfections, we shall see how kind, how patient, how long-suffering the Lord was with
him and how willing He was to listen to his tried and disheartened servant and encourage
him to faithfulness. We shall behold the manifestation of the Divine power exerted in
behalf of His chosen servant, enabling him to at last come off a victor, an overcomer.
Finally we see displayed in him the love, the pity, the sympathy for his own erring
countrymen that was displayed by the great Savior of men, when looking from the heights of
Olivet and beholding the city of God's choice, He said: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou
that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee; how often would I
have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings,
and ye would not!" How like these words of the Divine Master, are those of Jeremiah
as he beheld the sad condition of his beloved countrymen: "Oh that my head were
waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain
of the daughter of my people! Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring
men; that I might leave my people, and go from them!" (Jer. 9:1, 2.) And as he
beholds at last the fulfillment of Jehovah's words of judgment, which he had himself been
the chosen instrument for long years in foretelling, listen to his Lamentations
"How doth the city sit
solitary, that was full of people! how has she become as a widow !she that was great among
the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary! She weepeth
sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to
comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her
enemies. Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, . . . The ways of Zion do
mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests
sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness . . . . Is it nothing to you,
all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow." -
-See Lamentations 1.
Another has said: "Jeremiah
has always a fascination to Christian hearts, because of the close similarity that exists
between his life and that of Jesus Christ. Each of them was `a man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief'; each came to his own, and his own received him not; each passed
through hours of rejection, desolation, and forsakenness. And in Jeremiah we may see
beaten out in detail, experiences which, in our Lord, are but. lightly touched on by the
evangelist."
SURELY the friends who assembled
at Springfield, September 1-3, realized all that they had anticipated in the Convention
held at that time. How grand and blessed are our advantages above what many of God's
children have had in the past-convenient methods of traveling, liberty of assembling in
the name of the Lord, and freedom of thought and of speech; and best of all a most
satisfactory understanding of the greatest of all truths, that which concerns our Father's
plans and purposes, not only as they relate to the deliverance of the Church, but also as
they pertain to the deliverance of the entire groaning creation. Truly, "the secret
of the Lord is with them that fear Him and He will show them His covenant."
The dear friends assembling at
Springfield rejoiced together in again considering the goodness of the Lord and in
exhorting one another to faithfulness to our Divine Master. Among the lines of thought
that were considered by the brethren and which were discussed at much length during the
various sessions of the our present privileges of partaking of the water of life; the
presence of our Lord; the .Shepherd and His sheep; the Christian's trials, besetments, and
temptations, especially in these latter days. The brethren were reminded of the solemnity
of this hour; the great change of dispensation at hand; the. approaching glorification of
the Church, the Body of Christ. Indeed, what more sublime themes could engage the thoughts
of God's people! And as saith the Apostle "What manner of persons ought ye to be in
all holy conversation and godliness." Surely, "he that hath this hope in him
purifieth himself, even as He is pure." These gatherings while still in this hour of
our pilgrimage are precious foretastes of blessed realities to: be entered into when all
the members of the Church of the Firstborn are assembled in the presence of the Great
King.
There were manifold evidences
during the season of fellowship at Springfield of the presence of the Lord's spirit and of
a deep desire on the part of the brethren to show forth the fruitage of that spirit in
loving helpful words and admonitions. Praise the Lord for the evidence of His guidance and
blessing!
"A friend loveth at all times; and a brother is barn
for adversity:'-Prov. 17:17; Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1; 16:9-15; Col. 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11.
LUKE, the physician, who wrote
the Gospel of Luke, was the author of the Book of Acts. In the latter he takes up the
narrative substantially where he left it in the Gospel -the ascension of Christ. He
recapitulates, however, to the extent of giving us a narrative of the conversation
immediately preceding our Lord's ascension. The account is evidently addressed to a
friend, of the then common name, Theophilus, who was supposed to have been a person of
considerable dignity and influence, inasmuch as he is elsewhere styled "most
excellent," a title which implied a considerable social or political rank. Luke was
not one of the Apostles, and his records are not, therefore, of apostolic authority.
Mr. Barnes observes that
"Luke does not profess to have been an eye-witness of what he recorded. (See chap.
1:2, 3.) It is clear, therefore, that he was not one of the seventy disciples, nor one of
the two who went to Emmaus, as has been sometimes supposed. Nor was he an Apostle. By the
fathers he is uniformly called the companion of
the Apostles, and especially of Paul. If he was not one of the Apostles, and if he was not
one of those expressly commissioned by our Lord to whom the promise of the infallible
teaching of the Holy Ghost was given, the question arises by what authority his Gospel and
the Acts have a place in the sacred canon, or what evidence is there that he was divinely
inspired?"
In reply to Mr. Barnes' question
we would say that such authority as plenary inspiration was not necessary, in the
recording of plain, simple facts such as the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts present.
It requires no inspiration to record a fact, though it does require some ability, and it
is reasonable to assume that since the Lord used Luke's abilities in connection with the
work of recording the facts of that time he was guided
of the Holy Spirit in the ascertainment of the
facts, which his education and natural talents eminently qualified him to state
succinctly. Luke was guided of the Holy Spirit, in the same sense that all of the Lord's
consecrated people are guided by His Spirit, which is to a different degree from that plenary inspiration granted to the twelve Apostles
-- Paul taking the place of Judas.
The first verse in the Book of
the Acts refers back to the Gospel of Luke, as a treatise of the doings and teaching of
Jesus from the time He began His ministry to its close; and some have assumed that the
word "began" might reasonably be understood to imply that our Lord continued His
ministry after His ascension, speaking and acting, through His Apostles, and those
believing on Him through their word. This is true enough whether it was what Luke meant or
not; for the Scriptures invariably teach that the Church- of Christ in the flesh is His
representative: as the Apostle Paul says, we "fill up that which is behind of the
afflictions of Christ, for His Body's sake, which is the Church."
AN INTERESTING
BIOGRAPHY
It will be interesting in this
connection to read what has been styled An outline Biography of Luke, said to be partly
fanciful; it has been prepared by Professor D. A. Hayes from tradition, reasonable
conjecture, and references made to his character in the New Testament
"He was born a slave boy in
the household of Theophilus, a wealthy government official in Antioch. He grew up into
most engaging appearance and most attractive personality. He was of a peculiarly acute
intellect and of a most obliging disposition. He won his master's confidence and then his
personal liking. Theophilus decided to educate the boy at his own expense and at the best
university in the land. So it was that the second capital event in the life of Luke was
his matriculation at Tarsus. Here he studied medicine, where the great masters in that
profession, Aretaeus, Dioscorides, and Athenaeus, had been educated. Just a few miles away
at Aegae stood the great temple of Aesculapius, which furnished the nearest approach to
the modern hospital to be found in the ancient world. From the university lectures Luke
got the theory of medicine; in the temple of Aesculapius he got the practice and
experience he needed. He made the acquaintance of Barnabas and Saul here, and laid the
foundations for a lifelong friendship with these men.
"His education completed, he
returned to Antioch and rendered faithful and most successful service in his master's
family. Then the Gospel was preached at Antioch, and Luke was among the first to hear it
and to accept it. He told his master, Theophilus, about it, and Theophilus himself became
interested and at last converted. Then about the first thing Theophilus did as a Christian
was to give Luke his freedom.
"The first impulse of the
freedman Luke was to get away from all the scenes of his servitude and to test his
new-found liberty by wandering far and wide at his own sweet will. He shipped as a
physician upon one of the vessels plying up and down the Mediterranean Sea, and there he
had manifold experiences. His outlook was broadened as he saw more of the world. He was of
service to many people and he made many friends. On one of his voyages he met some members
of the family of Lucanus the poet, and they persuaded him to accompany them to their home,
in Corduba in Spain. Luke was there when the poet was born, and the baby boy was named
after him. In this household he became acquainted with Gallio and Seneca and many other
notable men. The slave boy had risen to a considerable height, for his native ability and
his excellent education and his goodness of heart enabled him to converse with the best of
men as their equal, and as a freedman and physician he was admitted to terms of intimacy
which otherwise would have been impossible.
"In due time he came back to
Antioch and was resident there when many of the stirring events which he narrates in the
history of the Christian Church took place. Later he removed to Troas and settled there,
where Paul found him on his second missionary journey. He went with Paul to Philippi, and
was left in charge of that Church for seven years. He left Philippi with Paul in A.D.58,
and remained with Paul thereafter until the Apostle's martyrdom.
"Some time after this event
he wrote the third Gospel and the Book of Acts for Theophilus, and he fully intended to
write a third volume continuing the history, but he was swept away into the tide of
Christian evangelism and never found the leisure to do it. He labored as an evangelist in
many lands, and in a ripe old age he fell on sleep and was buried somewhere in Greece.
"Luke was one of the most
respected and best-beloved members of the early Church. His praise was in all the
churches. All women liked him and all men honored him. Apollos and he were the most
accomplished writers, and Paul and he were the most prolific writers of the New Testament
times. Take the writings of Luke and Paul out of the New Testament and it would be less
than half its present size; and of the larger half of the present ,contents Luke wrote
more than Paul. He was a most versatile man-a physician, a musician, a painter, a poet, a
preacher, a prolific author, an intrepid missionary -- a man with many gifts and many
friends and manifold accomplishments. His books are invaluable. Both he and they are worth
our knowing and knowing well."
LUKE THE WRITER OF
THE ACTS
Luke commences the Gospel
narrative with the following interesting statement: "Forasmuch as many have taken in
hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed
among us, even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were
eye-witnesses, and ministers of the word." (Luke 1:1, 2.) This expression clearly
implies that Luke was not an eye-witness of the events of Christ's life, but merely a
collector of information from those who were eye-witnesses of the acts of the Savior. Many
others had written accounts of Christ's life but Luke evidently felt that in conveying
information to his master, Theophilus, he desired it to be in the form of a record
carefully prepared by himself from all the facts that he could gather from those who had
been brought in contact with Jesus. Thus he remarked "that thou mightest know the
certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed."
The book styled the "Acts of
the Apostles" was Luke's second statement to Theophilus, as is clearly indicated in
the expression, "The former treatise have
I made, O Theophilus." It is not to be supposed that Luke himself styled his writings
"The Acts of the Apostles," for he concerned himself in the first part mainly
with Peter and in the second wholly with Paul, merely mentioning John, James, Timothy, and
Cyrus. The entire book is an expansion of Christ's works in Acts I:8 telling how the
Apostles witnessed for Christ successively in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and
unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Another commentator has presented
a most interesting review of the Acts, a portion of which is submitted below
"The Acts of the Apostles
contains a record of the organization of the Christian Church. That Church was founded
simply by the preaching of the truth, and chiefly by a simple statement of the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. The `Acts of the Apostles' contains the highest models of
preaching, and the purest specimens of that simple, direct, and pungent manner of
addressing men, which may be expected to be attended with the influences of the Holy
Spirit. It contains some of the most tender, powerful, and eloquent appeals, to be found
in any language. If a man wishes to learn how to preach well, he can probably acquire it
nowhere else so readily as by giving himself to the prayerful and profound study of the
specimens contained in this book. At the same time we have here a view of the character of
the true Church of Christ. The simplicity of this Church must strike every reader of 'the
Acts.' Religion is represented as a work of the heart; the pure and proper effect of truth
on the mind. It is free from pomp and splendor, and from costly and magnificent
ceremonies. There is no apparatus to impress the senses, no splendor to dazzle, no
external rite or parade adapted to draw the affections from the pure and spiritual worship
of God. How unlike to the pomp and parade of pagan worship! How unlike the vain and
pompous ceremonies which have since, alas! crept into no small part of the Christian
Church.
THROWS IMPORTANT
LIGHT ON APOSTOLIC MINISTRY
"In this book we have many
striking and impressive illustrations of what the Gospel is fitted to produce, to make men
self-denying and benevolent. The Apostles . . . cheerfully forsook all. Paul became a
convert to the Christian faith, and cheerfully gave up all his hopes of preferment and
honor, and welcomed toil and privation in foreign lands. The early converts had all things
in common (chap. 2:44.) ; those `which had curious arts,' and were gaining property by a
course of iniquity, forsook their schemes of ill-gotten gain, and burned their books
publicly (chap. 19:19); Ananias and Sapphira were punished for attempting to impose on the
Apostles by hypocritical professed self-denials (chap. 5:1-10); and throughout the book
there occur constant instances of sacrifices and toil to spread the Gospel around the
globe. Indeed, these great truths had manifestly seized upon the early Christians: that
the Gospel was to be preached to all nations; and that whatever stood in the way of that
was to be sacrificed; whatever toils and dangers were necessary, were borne; and even
death itself was cheerfully to be met, if it would promote the spread of true religion.
This was then genuine Christianity; this is still the spirit of the Gospel of Christ.
"This book throws important
light on the Epistles. It is a connecting link between the Gospels and the other parts of
the New Testament . . . . One of the most clear and satisfactory evidences of the
genuineness of the books of the New Testament is to be found in the undersigned
coincidences between the Acts and the Epistles. This argument was first clearly stated and
illustrated by Dr. Paley. His little work illustrating it, the 'Horae Paulinae,' is one of
the most unanswerable proofs which have yet been furnished of the truth of the Christian
religion.
"This book contains
unanswerable evidence of the truth of the Christian religion. It is a record of the early
triumphs of Christianity. Within the space of thirty years after the death of Christ, the
Gospel had been carried to all parts of the civilized, and to no small portion of the
uncivilized world. Its progress and its triumphs were not concealed. Its great
transactions were not 'done in a corner.' It had been preached in the most splendid,
powerful, and corrupt cities; churches were already founded in Jerusalem, Antioch,
Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi, and at Rome. The Gospel had spread in Arabia, Asia Minor,
Greece, Macedon, Italy, and Africa. It had assailed the most mighty existing institutions;
it had made its way over the most formidable barriers; it had encountered the most deadly
and malignant opposition; it had traveled to the capital, and had secured such a hold even
in the imperial city, as to make it certain that it would finally overturn the established
religion, and seat itself on the ruins of paganism. Within thirty years it had settled the
point that it would overturn every bloody altar; close every pagan temple; bring under its
influence the men of office, rank, and power; and that 'the banners of the faith would
soon stream from the palaces of the Caesars.' All this would be accomplished by the
instrumentality of Jews -- of fishermen -- of Nazarenes. They had neither wealth, armies,
nor allies. With the exception of Paul, they were men without learning. They were taught
only by the Holy Ghost; armed only with the power of God; victorious only because He was
their captain; and the world acknowledged the presence of the messengers of, the Highest,
and the power of the Christian religion. Its success never has been, and never can be
accounted for, by any other supposition than that God attended it. And if the Christian
religion be .not true, the change wrought by the twelve Apostles is the most inexplicable,
mysterious, and wonderful event, that has ever been witnessed in this world. Their success
to the end of time will stand as an argument of the truth of the scheme, that shall
confound the infidel, and sustain the Christian with the assured belief that this is a
religion which has proceeded from the almighty and infinitely benevolent God."
A VALUABLE COMPANION
TO ST. PAUL
"St. Luke must be ranked as
the first Christian hymnologist," says Dean Farrar. "In this Gospel thanksgiving
is prominent. It also gives special prominence to prayer. It is marked mainly by its
presentation of the Good Tidings in their universality and gratuitousness; .it is
pre-eminently the Gospel of pardon and of pity. St. Luke dwells especially on Christ's
ministry to the world. He reveals especially the sacredness of infancy. His is specially
the Gospel of womanhood. He seems to delight in all the records which told of the mercy of
the Savior towards the poor, the humble, the despised. It is specially the Gospel of the
outcast-of the Samaritan, the publican, the harlot, and the prodigal. Lastly, it is the
Gospel of tolerance. It is these characteristics that have earned for this Gospel the
praise of being `the most beautiful book that has ever been written.' Among the miracles
peculiar to St. Luke are the miraculous draught of fishes, the raising of the widow's son
at Nain, and the healing of the ten lepers. Among the parables peculiar to St. Luke are
the two debtors, the good Samaritan, the prodigal son, and the Pharisee and the
publican."
It is not till we reach the 16th
chapter of the Acts that we locate a distinct reference to Luke's association with St.
Paul and others in the ministry of the Gospel. It is noted in connection with the call
from Macedonia and the journey thither by the Apostle and his associates. Having been
blessed with much success in their mission up to this point, the Apostle had in mind a
journey through Asia Minor but apparently things went unfavorable until he concluded that
the Lord was hindering their efforts and in perplexity began to think of other fields of
labor. His moment of uncertainty was the Lord's opportunity for directing him. He dreamed
that he saw a man dressed in the costume of the Macedonians beckoning to him and saying,
"Come over and help us." The Apostle accepted this as of Divine leading and
promptly began the journey which took him into Europe. We have here an evidence of God's
supervision of all the interests of His Church. He was not averse to permitting the
message to go into Asia Minor, for it did go there later, possibly at a more opportune
time. But this was the time for sending the message to Europe.
It is supposed that it was about
this time that Luke, the physician, became attached to Paul's company; inasmuch as he
identifies himself in St. Paul's association by the statement, "immediately we
endeavored to go into Macedonia." A man of education, a scribe, as well as a
physician, the Lord evidently provided him as St. Paul's amanuensis, that thereby the
Apostle's letters should reach many of the churches of that time, as well as the Lord's
people from then until now. Thus it came that Luke wrote not only a version of the Gospel,
but also the Book of Acts and nearly all of St. Paul's epistles. Here we have another
illustration of the privileges of the various members of the Body of Christ. Luke could
not be the Apostle Paul nor could he do St. Paul's work; but he could be used of the Lord
honorably and efficiently in a greater spread of the Truth.
So it is with us. We cannot be
apostles. We cannot do anything very great; but, if filled with the Spirit of the Lord, it
is our privilege to be used to some extent in some service of the truth. And any service
for the Lord and for the brethren, even to the washing of feet and any menial service is,
as our Lord shows, honorable and a privilege.
Philippi, one of the chief cities
of Macedonia, in Greece, appears to have been the first place for the preaching of the
Good Tidings in Europe. As usual, on the Sabbath day the Apostle and companions sought for
some who worshiped God, who hoped for the Kingdom that God had promised, knowing that such
would be the better prepared to receive the message he had to deliver; that Jesus had
appeared as the Redeemer and had laid the foundation for the Millennial Kingdom in the
sacrifice of Himself; that the blessings of His sacrifice would ultimately be made
available to every creature, but that now, in advance of the dealing with the world in
general, the Lord is calling out a spiritual Israel, a "little flock," to be His
kings and priests with Jesus in the administration of the Millennial blessings.
Apparently there was no synagogue
in Philippi, and matters may have looked very unfavorable to Paul and his companions.
However, they heard of a little religious meeting held every Sabbath by the river side,
outside the city gate. It was a prayer meeting principally and place of Divine fellowship.
Not having the facilities of a synagogue they probably had no Scripture parchments, and
hence no reading of the Law, but merely prayer and worship. All this was favorable to the
Gospel message the Apostle had to present. He spoke to those who resorted thither,
commending the importance of their worshipful condition of heart and the importance of
praise to the Giver of all good. Then he proceeded to declare the good tidings of the
sacrifice of Jesus, of His death and resurrection, and His Second Coming in power and
great glory. He showed surely that the invitation now being given was for joint-sacrifices
with Jesus whose reward would be joint-heirship with Him in the Millennial Kingdom, as
members of His Body, the Church.
It seems that it is with good
reason that the claim is made that Luke continued in the Apostle's association to the end
of his earthly pilgrimage. Indeed we may well suppose that Luke's presence with him and
his skilled and sympathetic aid would be most welcome and that he was the most useful of
all the Apostle's companions. We note how affectionately .the Apostle Paul refers to him
in his letter to the Colossians written from Rome: "Luke, the beloved physician, and
Demas, salute you." Again we have another reference in the second letter to Timothy,
"Only Luke is with me." The Apostle is now writing from his second Roman
imprisonment urging his beloved son Timothy to hasten to Rome. Another has appropriately
concluded:
"From the time that Luke
adventured himself with Paul, through weal and woe he remained faithful. He had watched
the breaking up of the little band; he had seen his leader grow prematurely old through
his exacting labors; and he had guessed the issue of the impending trial before Nero. Yet
until the end came he would never be absent for long from the side of the man whom he
loved as his own soul."
"Be thou an example to them
that believe, in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity."-1 Tim. 4:
12; Acts 16: 1-3; Phil. 2: 19-22; 2 Tim. 1 : 1-6; 3: 14, 15.
VERY little can be known of
Timothy outside of the New Testament records. His birthplace was that of either Derbe or
Lystra, though it is not certainly known which. From the account given in Acts 16:1 it is
stated that the Apostle Paul found him in those places and it appears that he had not been
acquainted with Timothy before. His mother Eunice was a Jewess and evidently a woman of
unusual piety as was also Timothy's grandmother, Lois. Though his father was a Greek, he
was evidently not unfriendly to the Jewish religion, for Timothy had been carefully
instructed in the Scriptures. It is claimed that it was about A.D. 51 or 52 when the
Apostle Paul came to Derbe and Lystra and became acquainted with Timothy; and though there
is no way of ascertaining the exact age of Timothy at that time, it is reasonably presumed
that he was then a youth. (1 Tim. 4: 12.) From what is said concerning him he was
undoubtedly a young man of unusual hope and promise and there were some special
indications that he would rise to a place of influence and power as a religious man and
would fill an important position in the ministry of the Gospel. -- 1 Tim. 1 :18.
The records indicate that Timothy
was already a disciple, a Christian convert when the Apostle Paul first met him, but the
means by which he became converted are not known. His mother too had been converted to the
Christian faith before (Acts 16 : 1), so that they seemed well known to the Christians of
the neighboring towns of Lystra and Iconium. It was some six or seven years before Paul
met with Timothy that he and Barnabas had preached the Gospel in Iconium, Derbe, and
Lystra and it is not improbable that Timothy had been converted in the meantime.
QUALITIES SUITABLE TO
THE MINISTRY
Mr. Barnes in a very interesting
way observes several things that "appear to have combined to induce the Apostle to
introduce him [Timothy into the ministry and to make him a traveling companion. His youth;
his acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures; the `prophecies which went before on him;' his
talents; his general reputation in the church; and, it would seem also, his amiableness of
manners, fitting him to be an agreeable companion, attracted the attention of the Apostle,
and led him to desire that he might be a fellow-laborer with him. To satisfy the
prejudices of the Jews, and to prevent any possible objection which might be made against
his qualifications for the ministerial office, Paul circumcised him (Acts 16:3), and he
was ordained to the office of the ministry by 'the laying on of the hands of the
Presbytery.' (1 Tim. 4:14.) When this
ordination occurred is not known, but it is most probable that it was before he went on
his travels with Paul, as it is known that Paul was present on the occasion, and took a
leading part in the transaction. -- 2 Tim 1: 6.
"Timothy having joined Paul
and Silas, accompanied them on a visit to the churches of Phrygia and Galatia, in which
they delivered them the decrees to keep which had been ordained at Jerusalem. (Acts 16:4.)
Having done this, they endeavored to go together into Bythinia, a province of Asia Minor,
on the north-west, but were prevented; and they then went into Mysia, and to the towns of
Troas. (Acts 16:8.) Here Luke appears to have joined them, and from this place, in
obedience to a vision which appeared to Paul, they went into Macedonia, and preached the
Gospel first at Philippi, where they established a church. In this city Paul and Silas
were imprisoned; but it is remarkable that nothing is said of Timothy and Luke, and it is
not known whether they shared in the sufferings of the persecution there or not.
Everything, however, renders it probable that Timothy was with them at Philippi, as he is
mentioned as having started with them to go on the journey (Acts 16: 3) ; and as we find
him at Berea, after the Apostle had been released from prison, and had preached at
Thessalonica and Berea. (Acts 17 : 14. ) From this place Paul was conducted to Athens, but
left an injunction for Silas and Timothy to join him there as soon as possible. This was
done-but when Timothy had come to Athens, Paul felt it to be important that the Church at
Thessalonica should be visited and comforted in its afflictions, and being prevented from
doing it himself, he sent Timothy, at great personal inconvenience, back to that Church.
Having discharged the duty there, he rejoined the Apostle at Corinth (Acts 18:5), from
which place the first epistle to the Thessalonians was written. These transactions
occurred about A.D. 52.
"In regard to the latter
part of the life of Timothy, there is nothing which can be depended on. It has been the
current opinion, derived from tradition, that he was 'bishop' of Ephesus; that he died and
was buried there; and that his bones were subsequently removed to Constantinople. The
belief that he was `bishop' of Ephesus rests mainly on the 'subscription' to the Second
Epistle to Timothy-which is no authority whatever . . . . The supposition that he died at
Ephesus, and was subse-quently removed to Constantinople, rests on no certain historical
basis. "Timothy was long the companion and the friend of the Apostle Paul, and is
often mentioned by him with affectionate interest. Indeed there seems to have been no one
of his fellow-laborers to whom he was so warmly attached. See 1 Tim. 1:2, 18; 2 Tim. 1:2;
2: 1. 1 Cor. 4: 17, where he calls him 'his own son,' and `his beloved son'; 2 Tim. 1:4,
where he expresses his earnest desire to see him, and makes a reference to the tears which
Timothy shed at parting from him; 1 Cor. 16: 10, 14, where he bespeaks for him a kind
reception among the Corinthians; 1 Cor. 16:10, Rom. 16:21, 1 Thess. 3:2, and especially
2:19, 20, where he speaks of his fidelity, of his usefulness to him in his labors, and of
the interest which he took in the churches which the Apostle had established."
SOUND ADVICE FOR ALL
CHRISTIANS
St. Paul's letters to Timothy are
amongst the most valuable of the New Testament writings. Indeed they contain sound advice
to all Christians, especially to such as are young in the truth, and particularly if they
have consecrated their lives to the Lord and His service, and are seeking to be useful
according to their consecration as His ministers or servants --whether in a public or in a
private service, according to their talents and opportunities.
The second letter was written to
Timothy when the Apostle Paul was an old man, a prisoner in Rome, because of his testimony
for the Lord. Nor was Timothy a child in years at the time this epistle was addressed to
him. As already noted, Timothy's mother and himself were converts to the Gospel of Christ
presumably at the time of St. Paul's visit to their home at Lystra and Derbe during his
first missionary tour. It is presumed that at the time of his receipt of this letter
Timothy must have been about forty years of age. Tradition has it that he was about
sixteen years old at the time of his own and his mother's conversion to the Gospel. When
he was about twenty-one years of age, he with Silas accompanied the Apostle Paul on his
second tour through Asia Minor, and from that time on for some sixteen years he was
closely identified with the Apostle in his service of the truth, until left by the Apostle
with the Church at Ephesus, that he might help them over some difficulties into which they
had fallen. It was while Timothy was thus serving the Church at Ephesus that he received
the two epistles which bear his name.
Paul introduces himself not by
calling attention to his personal qualities as a logician, nor by boasting of any service
which he had performed as the Lord's servant and minister of the Truth; but, properly, by
reminding Timothy of his apostleship (one of the Twelve, taking Judas' place) specially
commissioned by the Lord to introduce His Gospel, and specially prepared for the work by
being made a witness of the Lord's resurrection, having been granted a glimpse of His
glorious person on his way to Damascus and commissioned to declare the conditions for the
fulfillment to men of God's promise of life, provided in Christ Jesus.
Although the Apostle had no
natural children of his own, his tender address to Timothy as his "dearly beloved
son," and his invocation upon him of a Divine blessing, shows that he lacked none of
those fine, noble and endearing sentiments, which belong to a true parent. Indeed, the
very fact that he had no natural children seems to have broadened the Apostle's sentiments
to such an extent that figuratively he took into his affections, as his own children, all
who accepted the Gospel. We remember that he frequently used this figure of speech,
"Although ye have many teachers, ye have not many fathers in the Gospel" --
"I have begotten you in my bonds." On another occasion he represents his efforts
for a development of a fully consecrated Christian life amongst the believers under the
figure of a mother travailing for her children. This being true of the Apostle's general
sentiment toward the household of faith, it would be much more true in the case of Timothy
who had so nobly and truly filled the part of a son to him.
ST. PAUL'S CARE OVER
"SON TIMOTHY"
Incidentally the Apostle here
points out the purity of his conscience toward God, before his eyes were opened to a
recognition of the Lord Jesus,, while making mention to Timothy that he prayed for him day
and night with great desire to see him, and a remembrance of Timothy's tears, when they
parted company at Ephesus in the interest of the Truth. It was not according to the
personal preferences of either that they had separated, but both had sunk personal
convenience and preference in the interest of the Lord's cause.
We note with appreciation the
Apostle's care over this younger brother in the Truth, in whom he sees such great promise
of present and future service. He realizes, perhaps better than Timothy does, the snares
of the Adversary, by which one placed in so prominent a position is likely to be assailed.
Would he become heady and high minded? -- Would he lose his faith in the cross of Christ?
-- Would he fall into the snare of some of the philosophies, falsely so-called? -- Would
he become vainly puffed up by a fleshly mind, and get to feeling himself to be a
"somebody?" Or, would he, on the contrary, be a faithful soldier of the . cross,
meek, humble, gentle toward all, an example both in faith and practice to those with whom
he came in contact? And withal, would he hold fast to the Scriptures and be apt to teach
others to look to this Divine source of information? He remembered that heretofore Timothy
had been so close to himself in the work that he had been measurably shielded from many
trials to which he would now be exposed; and yet, no doubt he realized that, if Timothy
would be prepared to take the work of a general minister, which Paul the prisoner and
growing old must shortly lay aside, it was time that he was learning how to stand,
complete in the strength which God supplies through His Word, without leaning so
particularly, as heretofore, upon any earthly prop.
Continued in next
issue.
Our lives are songs; God writes the words,
And we set them to music at pleasure;
And the song grows glad, or sweet, or sad,
As we choose to fashion the measure.
We must write the music, whatever the song,
Whatever its rhyme or meter;
And if it is sad, we can make it glad,
Or if sweet, we can make it sweeter.
The terrible calamity in the form
of an earthquake that has so recently afflicted the country of Japan, causing untold loss
of human life and property, goes down in history as the worst and most disastrous of its
kind that has ever befallen our race. How evident it is that we are still living under the
old order of things-under the reign of sin and death; that the entire groaning creation
still waits the time when the great Life-giver shall stand forth and exercise "all
power in heaven and in earth" that has been invested in Him, and once more command
the raging elements to be in subjection to His power and authority.
Only from the standpoint of the
Divine Plan of the Ages can we understand the reason why such tragic occurrences as
earthquakes, violent storms, etc., are permitted. Back of all the world's present
suffering is the fact that the sentence of death rests upon all our race; all are under
condemnation to death, and various are the means used of the Lord to carry the sentence
into effect. Nor does it matter in the ultimate outcome of the Divine Plan which
particular form may have been used by Divine Providence to execute the penalty of death.
All are on the road to the tomb anyway, except those who now believe and by faith and
obedience escape the condemned state in hope of attaining joint-heirship in the Heavenly
Kingdom. Not until the great Life-giver shall begin to exercise His mighty healing power
will the ravages of death, calamities, accidents, violent storms, etc., cease. How
comforting is the Divine explanation contained in the Word of God that humanity's present
sorrows and sufferings are to be overruled so that they will become largely reformatory
and educational respecting the exceeding sinfulness of sin and will prepare them for the
great trial or Thousand-year Judgment Day, when whosoever will may take of the water of
life freely and walk up the Highway of Holiness unto life eternal. Truly, weeping endureth
for a night, but, thank God, joy cometh in the morning-the morning of the resurrection;
the morning of the Millennial Day; the morning of Christ's reign, when "He shall come
to be glorified in His saints and to be admired in all them that believe in that
day." No wonder those whose hearts have been touched with a sense of that "love
Divine all love excelling" have a burning desire to tell the story of Heavenly Love
to others and to comfort all that mourn.
The recent earthquake in Japan
proving to be such an enormous tragedy has startled the entire civilized world, and many
are in an attitude of wonderment. Again the words of Jesus come home to us with renewed
force, when in answer to certain questions by His disciples respecting the signs of the
New Dispensation and of the coming of His Kingdom, He stated among other things that
"nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be
great earthquakes in divers places and famines and pestilences; and fearful sights and
great signs shall there be from heaven." -- Luke 21:10, 11.
Such as the occurrence of this
recent earthquake becomes an especially appropriate occasion for us to call to the
attention of all thinking people the words of the prophecy of Jesus, and in the same
connection to point out the great Divine remedy for all human ills -the Kingdom of God.
Some interesting suggestions have come from some of the brethren as to how We might at
this particular time proclaim the truth along this line. As an illustration we submit the
following telegram just received from the friends in Toledo, Ohio Toledo, O., Sept. 6,
1923.
"Would
it be possible to republish Earthquakes in Prophecy tract
as reprint from Pastor Russell's pen, in sufficient numbers for general volunteer work?
Toledo is willing to be one of a number contributing one hundred dollars for this purpose.
Also coming from Pastor Russell's pen such articles would appeal strongly to newspapers at
this time.
E. W. V. Kuehn."
We think favorably indeed of the
suggestion, with perhaps a little modification. It seems that it might be well to combine
portions of the sermon above mentioned, Earthquakes
in Prophecy with the tract, Why God Permits
Calamities? and that a more effective production could be made for circulation in this
way than by the use of an exact reprint of any one of Brother Russell's sermons. Believing
that many of the friends throughout the country would desire to co-operate in the project
of getting this matter printed and would like to join in the distribution of a leaflet
containing a comforting message of hope, we are thus placing the suggestion before them
for their careful consideration. We are confident that there is a special blessing for all
those who engage in such ministry of the Truth, regardless of what the results might be in
the way of a response from the people. In this way we would surely be heeding the Master's
admonition too, to let our light shine.
As the friends of the various
Ecclesias may take up the suggestion and give it careful consideration we shall be pleased
to hear from them with regard to what may be their decision, that we may thereby be
enabled to discern what would be the Lord's good pleasure, This applies also to
individuals who are isolated from association in Classes.
SERIES X
MEDO-PERSIA'S PREMIER
"It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred
and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; and over these three
presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and
the king should have no damage. Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and
princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the
whole realm." -- Dan. 6: 1-3.
YHE chapter we now consider
contains a brief summary of the history of Daniel during the reign of Darius the Median.
It closes with a statement that Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius, and also in
that of Cyrus the Persian. The chief event related in the chapter is that of Daniel's
being cast into a den of lions because of his loyalty to Jehovah in a refusal to conform
to a decree of the king which forbade any one to ask a petition of any god or man for
thirty days, save of the king himself. The nature of the punishment imposed for disobeying
this decree clearly attests that a change of government had taken place, which change is
mentioned in the closing verses of the preceding chapter. The capture of Nabonnedus and
the death of Belshazzar ended the rule of Babylon, and began that of the Medes and
Persians.
It was in accord with Babylonian
customs for capital punishment to be usually administered by burning. This was the
punishment which was imposed upon the three Hebrew worthies. The Persians were worshipers
of fire, and regarded this form of punishment as an abomination. Their custom was to
administer death by casting their criminals to savage beasts. This difference in the form
of punishment points to a complete change in the laws and administration of government.
This change is also seen in the fact that the empire was divided into principalities, each
governed by a head or prince, and over them all were three presidents, one of whom was
appointed to be head over the other two. This one was Daniel, who thus stood in his
relation to the throne the same as that of a premier or prime minister today.
DARIUS THE MEDE TOOK
THE KINGDOM
It will be recalled that the
preceding chapter closes with a statement that "Darius the Median took the kingdom,
being about threescore and two years old." Historians, critics, and antiquarians all
fail to agree in identifying this king with any mentioned by secular historians. Skeptics
discard the whole account as fictitious or unreliable, as they do those of the three
preceding chapters. The following from Mr. Barnes respecting this matter is in perfect
agreement with other reverent students of the Bible
"For anything that appears
to the contrary, Daniel may be as credible a historian as Xenophon or Herodotus. No one
can demonstrate that the account here is not as worthy of belief as if it appeared in a
Greek or Latin classic author. When will the world get over the folly of supposing that
what is found in a book claiming to be inspired should be regarded as suspicious until it
is confirmed by the authority of some heathen writer; that what is found in any other book
should be regarded as necessarily true, however much it may conflict with the testimony of
the sacred writers? Viewed in any light, Daniel is as worthy of confidence as any Greek or
Latin historian."
With regard to Darius, the sacred
writings give us the following facts: Darius the Mede is mentioned in Dan. 6:29, as the
immediate predecessor of Cyrus on the throne of Babylon. Belshazzar is the last of the
Chaldean or Babylonian kings. The account of the violent death of Belshazzar contained in
chapter five, has a direct historical connection with the statement in the beginning of
the sixth chapter, that Darius the Mede took the kingdom. Darius the Mede, then must have
been the first foreign king after the fall of the Babylonian dynasty, who directly reigned
in the city of Babylon. "The chronological point, therefore, where the history of
Belshazzar and Darius the Mede coincide, develops itself; the account falls in the time of
the downfall of Babylon, through the Medo-Persian army, and this must be the occasion as
the connecting fact between the fifth and sixth chapters. According to this, Darius the
Mede can be no other person than the Medish king, Cyaxares II, the son and successor of
Astyages, and the predecessor of Cyrus in the rule over Babylon." In this connection
it is well to observe that these ancient kings were frequently known by more than one
name.
It is not necessary, however, to
settle this question in order to be benefited by what is taught us in this sacred account.
All the facts and lessons contained in the narrative of chapter six remain exactly the
same, whether we are able to tell who this Darius the Median is or not. As one has said,
"The fact is, we need never be ashamed to say, 'we do not know,' when we really have
so very slight means of knowing anything certain about a matter, as we have in this
case." Darius the Mede, at any rate, was the embodiment and representative of the
Medo-Persian dominion over Babylon, after it was conquered by Cyrus.
THOUGHT TO SET HIM
OVER THE WHOLE REALM
The words of verses 1-3,
certainly imply that Darius in some way had become aware of the sterling qualities of
character, as also the remarkable wisdom and ability of Daniel both as a man and
statesman. It is very natural to suppose, therefore, that the king would desire to avail
himself of the services of such a man. Good kings as a rule desire to have good and
faithful servants, and even bad men prefer those of better principles than their own. It
is most reasonable to suppose that Darius would not be long in discovering that Daniel was
equal to his reputation, and he would, therefore, soon place him in a position in which
his valuable services would be of worth. Whatever may be the deficiencies of Darius, he
certainly exhibited a shrewdness when he placed Daniel in a position of trust in
connection with administering the affairs of state. He was first made "the chief of
the three presidents over all the other princes and principalities into which the realm
was divided"; and the narrative further implies that the king was well pleased with
the services of Daniel and states that he "thought to set him over the whole
realm."
The whole trend of history,
political, religious, and social, has demonstrated over and over again that a man
occupying so prominent a position, administering the affairs of government with strict
exactness and with freedom from bias, thoroughly honest, not tolerating dishonesty in any
one, and with it all continually growing more and more in the esteem and favor of his
superior, can hardly escape the envy and hatred of those who are belittled by comparison,
and who, possibly because of his standing in the way, are unable to accomplish their own
selfish ambitions. As has been said:
"It is a part of the disease
that is upon depraved humanity to be dissatisfied and unamiable toward the excellencies
and honors of others. It is loath to bear anything above itself. It is the nature of the
Devil to be the accuser of the good and of those who are favored for their worth; and all
his children have the same familiar trait. They are pained, mortified, chagrined, and full
of spiteful resentment, at the superior excellence or prosperity of those above them. It
is their delight to humiliate those who happen to be more favored than themselves. If
compelled to give credit in one direction, they are exceedingly ingenious in finding some
point at which to take it back. Admitting that job, is a just and upright man, they always
have a `but' as to the motives in the case, by which to make it appear a mere sordidness
after all. And this is particularly true in affairs of public office. It seems to inhere
in politicians and aspirants to hate and persecute every man in an official place who
honestly tries to do his duty and seeks to carry ethics into public administrations. Few
men go into those arenas but with sinister and selfish aims, and if one in power will not
share their plans for selfish aggrandizement, flatter their pride, shut his eyes to their
dishonesties and let his conscience go, he is sure to be assailed, to have charges trumped
up against him, to have snares and traps set for him, and subtle plans laid to embarrass,
disgrace or displace him. The greatest personal enemies readily make common cause to get
rid of a man who has the principle and nerve to stand firm against their self-seeking,
their -oppressions, their robberies, and their wicked ambitions. Though they may have been
loudest in trying to put him into place, they will curse and defame him if they are not
made sharers in his successes or cannot use him for their ignoble ends."
ENMITY AGAINST GOD'S
PEOPLE
The jealousy against Daniel was
doubtless increased by the fact that he was a foreigner, a Jew. This seems to be clear
from the words of his enemies to the king when they brought their charges against him.
They gave special emphasis upon the nationality of Daniel: "That Daniel, which is of
the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king." It would seem
that the prejudices of the Babylonians against foreigners, especially Jews, had not ceased
even after a residence among them of seventy years. Notwithstanding the many benefits that
had come to the state through the wise administrations of Daniel, he was still looked upon
by envious ones as a despised Jew, and was taunted and scoffed at as being only a slave,
one of the captives of Nebuchadnezzar. This jealous feeling has continued to exist
throughout their long career. A little later in their history, in the days of Ahasuerus, a
Persian king, Mordecai was viewed with envy, simply because he was a Jew; and it is very
apparent that in modern times the same spirit prevails, and it is well known that
political jealousies have been exercised because a great statesman has been of Jewish
extraction.
Another matter containing a
lesson is suggested in the fact that Darius commended Daniel and showed his appreciation
of the services rendered by him by promoting him to an important position in the
ministration of the affairs of the empire. The thought of some is that it is better to
hold back words of appreciation for services rendered, for the reason that this
commendation might cause one to become puffed up or self-exalted, and thus fall away from
Christian rectitude. However, to the Lord's people, who are on trial for the development
of a character like that of Christ, such commendation should not be injurious. The chief
and paramount element of true Christian character is humility and self-abasement, a very
striking characteristic of which is that of a deep sense of indebtedness to God for all
gifts either natural or acquired; and if one's natural tendencies as a result of the fall
are in the direction of loving the praise of men, he will need-nay, will be compelled to
be brought into places of trial and testing along these lines, and thus have opportunity
to overcome.
There is, however, vast
difference between showing or giving expression of appreciation of help received through
another's ministrations, and that of giving praise to the person for the qualities, gifts,
or talents that are put into use in rendering such service. Those who have come in contact
with this test and have overcome, and have come to understand and experience what is the
true spirit of the Master, will have learned that they are indebted to God for all they
are, and will give all the honor and glory to Him to whom it rightly belongs. Such ones,
no matter how great may be the gifts, abilities, or talents possessed, learn to esteem
others even better than themselves.
JEALOUSY AND ENVY IN
CONTRAST WITH NOBILITY
We may be very sure that the
king's expression of appreciation of Daniel's ability and good qualities had no evil
effect on him. He had fully learned that all these came from God, and he ever recognized
that whatever position of esteem or honor from the viewpoint of the world he might hold,
was one of responsibility to God, and was given him in the Divine providence. His whole
life shows that he realized that only as he kept himself in close and constant touch with
God would he be able to rightly represent the great Jehovah and meet the responsibility in
a way pleasing and acceptable to Him. Daniel was not only wise, gifted, and noble in
character (and on this account his services were very valuable to the King) but
undoubtedly realized and continually acknowledged that all these things came to him in the
Divine providence.
It is very evident that it was
the king's expressing his appreciation of Daniel's usefulness that increased the envy,
jealousy, and malice of the other officers of the realm toward Daniel. The record tells us
that this Daniel was preferred above the
presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought, and
doubtless expressed to both Daniel and all these men, that it was his purpose to set him
over the whole empire. This action of the king had the effect of only increasing the envy,
jealousy, and hatred of these men toward Daniel, and they were no longer able to restrain
themselves from doing him injury.
It was at this point that they
took concerted action and conspired to bring about his degradation. Their first thought
seems to have been to cause him to lose favor with the king, and thus be removed from his
office. To this end they set themselves diligently to work, to find if possible some
evidence that he was unfaithful in administering the affairs of the kingdom-some act of
dishonesty, some abuse of power-anything that would enable them to gain their own personal
ends, and remove him out of their way. The sacred narrative informs us that "they
could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any
error or fault found in him." Much against their desires, they were obliged to come
to the conclusion as expressed in their words, "We shall not find any occasion
against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God."
What a testimony was this! We can
scarcely conceive of a commendation accorded to any man, especially a public man, so
praiseworthy as these evil plotters against Daniel were compelled to give-particularly
when we consider the source from which it came. "It puts the character of Daniel high
above all question of reproach, and thus in the midst of a heathen people, at the head of
a cabinet of dishonest, envious, and plotting officials, and surrounded with all the
temptations which the indulgence of a confiding sovereign threw in his way, he went
through the ordeal, as his three friends had gone through the fires of Nebuchadnezzar's
furnace, without the singeing of a hair or so much as the smell of burning on his
clothes."
This would not mean that Daniel
was absolutely perfect. He must have had as deep a conviction of his own unworthiness as
any of the great Prophets and Psalmists of Israel. It is undoubtedly a fact that the
closer one lives to God, the more will he be overwhelmed, as it were, with a consciousness
of defects. What Job, and David, and Isaiah, and Noah felt, must have been constantly
present in Daniel's consciousness also. This does not in any sense conflict with the
thought that he always preserved a conscience void of offense before his God. "Happy
indeed is the man who lives in such a way that no fault can be found with him, except that
he does what his God commands! Such was Daniel's case; his obedience and prayers obtained
for him the help of God, which enabled his natural `talents' to accomplish these
wonders."
THE CONSPIRACY TO
MURDER DANIEL
Not being able to find anything
against him in connection with his administration of public affairs, Daniel's maligners
were not held back from their evil purpose, but instead, their determination to work his
destruction only increased. They assembled together in secret. They consulted with one
another what should be done next; and finally they concocted a plot that they felt sure
would accomplish their purpose. They were all thoroughly convinced that it would be
useless to try to influence the king against his prime-minister. An effort in this
direction they evidently realized could result only in failure and react to their own
injury. On this account they determined not to mention Daniel's name to the king, to leave
him seemingly entirely out of their proceedings. They reasoned that their plot to destroy
Daniel would be better accomplished by an appeal to the king's love for self-glory and
honor; and when they had finished their wicked plot, with all haste they sought an
interview with the unsuspicious monarch, and being granted one, they addressed him as
follows
"King Darius, live for ever.
All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counselors, and the
captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree,
that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of thee, O
king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign
the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which
altereth not."
To some the question will most
naturally come, How could such a body of men possibly expect of the king that he would put
his signature to such a decree? To understand how this could be possible it will be
necessary that we become acquainted with heathen customs, particularly those of the
Persians; and furthermore that we know something of the superstitious reverence that was
accorded to kings in that country. In ancient times it was not an uncommon thing for
heathen kings to be accorded Divine honors. The custom of placing the kings among the gods
by the Romans in the early centuries of the Christian era is well known to those
acquainted with Roman history. The exaggerative language employed by the Latin poets
respecting the exalted position of the emperors shows this; and especially as we become
familiar with the records of the many Christians who suffered martyrdom because they would
not offer sacrifice to the emperor, do we see this custom prevailing. Pusey, in his work
on Daniel, is authority for saying that the ancient Persians "looked upon their kings
as the representatives of Ormuzd* and as such paid him Divine honor." Sometimes the
king was called "the progeny of the gods," or even "a god." Another
has said: "And when once the apotheosis had been allowed, it would only be a very
short step further to address prayer to the deified man. There seems to be a special
reason why such should have been the case with regard to Darius. Being a Mede, it was
necessary that on ascending a throne which owed allegiance to Persia, he would in every
way give public proof of his willingness to conform to all Persian religious customs.
Accordingly, when the deputation arrived, there was nothing to make him suspicious or to
startle him in the measure which they proposed that he should enact. And perhaps the
people of Babylon were as little disturbed by the decree as was the king himself, for it
is highly probable that the deification of the king was not unknown among the Babylonians.
The Assyrians certainly had a custom not far removed from the apotheosis of the reigning
sovereign." -Deane, Daniel and His Times.
_________
*The supreme deity of ancient Persians.
_________
WON BY FLATTERY
Mr. Barnes, who has given a great
deal of attention in his Notes On. Daniel to
these seemingly (when viewed from the modern standpoint) absurd customs, has given several
reasons in explanation of what may have influenced the king to yield to his crafty
counselors to issue such a decree. He says, "The law proposed was in a high degree
flattering to the king, and he may have been ready at once to sign a decree which for the
time gave him a supremacy over gods and men. If Alexander the Great desired to be adored
as a god, then it is not improbable that a proud and weak Persian monarch would be willing
to receive a similar tribute . . . . It may have occurred to him, or may have been
suggested, that this was an effectual way to test the readiness of his subjects to obey
and honor him. Some such test, it may have been urged, was not improper, and this would
determine what was the spirit of obedience as well as any other. More probable, however,
it may have been represented that there was some' danger of insubordination or some
conspiracy among the people, and that it was necessary that the sovereign should have some
mandate, which would at once and effectually quell it . . . . The haste and earnestness
with which they urged their request would rather seem to imply that there was a
representation that some sudden occasion had
arisen which made the enactment of such a statute proper. Or, the king may have been in
the habit of signing the decrees proposed by his counselors with little hesitation, and
lost in ease and sensuality, and perceiving only that this proposed law was flattering to
himself, and not deliberating on what might be its possible result, he may have signed it
at once."
If any are disposed, even with
the foregoing explanations, to think that a scheme involving the acceptance of such
blasphemous honors by a heathen king would be unreasonable to believe, all that is needed
by such is to call to mind that in so short a time ago as 1870, a great council of
professed Christian dignitaries, in a church that claims to be the true and only Church of
the living God on earth, were. unanimous in solemnly declaring to the whole world that a
feeble old man residing in the city of Rome possessed the attribute of Divine
infallibility. And the Pope with all the solemnity associated with such an occasion
received the honor. "And," says an eminent writer, "if the Pope of Rome is
pleased to accept and appropriate such absurd honors in the name of the sublimest truth
given for human enlightenment, we need not be surprised that these proposals of
Medo-Persia's presidents, -- princes, counselors, and captains proved acceptable to the
vain -- glorious heathen monarch, who then
occupied the Medo-Persian throne."
We will not be surprised then to
learn that the evil plot of these men succeeded. The easily flattered king was induced to
establish the decree by affixing to it his signature; and it became, like other laws of
the Medes and Persians, changeless. The words of his counselors were, "Now, O king,
establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law
of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not." The writing was signed; the
proclamation was made; and it would seem that the king had not the slightest suspicion as
to what was the real object of these men in getting him to enact such a law. The avowed
purpose of the decree was to accord honor and allege rightful glory to the king; the real
purpose, however, was for the "murder of the man who, stood. next to him, and who had
in him more of the Divine than all the kings, presidents, and princes of Media and Persia
put together. It had a heathen lie for its basis; it was a huge hypocrisy in its
suggestion; and it was nothing but a scheme of cold -blooded murder to destroy the
greatest, best, and purest man in the kingdom" -indeed, one who was specially singled
out by the Great Jehovah Himself, as a "man greatly beloved" (Dan. 10:11); one
who is mentioned by the great God as having special power because of his piety, to prevail
with Him in prayer. -- Ezek. 14:14, 20.
Again we quote from Mr. Barnes,
one of the most practical Christian writers, who has drawn several
pointed and profitable lessons from this chapter
"We have [in ver. I-g] an
instance of what often occurs in the world -- of envy
on account of the excellency of others, and of the honors which they obtain by their
talent and their worth. Nothing is more frequent than such envy, and nothing more common,
as a consequence, than a determination to degrade those who are the subjects of it. Envy
always seeks in some way to humble and mortify those who are distinguished. It is the
pain, mortification, chagrin, and regret which we have at their superior excellence or
prosperity, and this prompts us to bring them down to our own level, or below it; to
calumniate their characters; to hinder their prosperity; to embarrass them in their plans;
to take up and circulate rumors to their disadvantage; to magnify their faults, or to
fasten upon them the suspicion of crime. In the instance before us, we see the effect in a
most guilty conspiracy against a man of incorruptible character; a man full in the
confidence of his sovereign; a man evidently the friend of virtue and of God."
"NO OCCASION
AGAINST THIS DANIEL"
Commenting on Ver. 4-9, this same
writer says we have "a striking illustration of the nature and the evils of a conspiracy to ruin others. The plan here was
deliberately formed to ruin Daniel -- the best man in the realm -- a man against whom no
charge of guilt could be alleged, who had done the conspirators no wrong; who had rendered
himself in no way amenable to the laws. A conspiracy is a combination of men for evil
purpose; an agreement between two or more persons to commit some crime in concert, usually
treason, or an insurrection against a government or state. In this case it was a plot
growing wholly out of envy or jealousy; a concerted agreement to ruin a good man, where no
wrong had been done, or could be pretended, and no crime had been committed. The essential
things in this conspiracy, as in all other cases of conspiracy, were two: (a) that the
purpose was evil; and (b) that it was to be
accomplished by the combined influence of numbers. The
means on which they relied, or the grounds of calculation on the success of their plot,
were the following: (I) that they could calculate on the unwavering integrity of Daniel-on
his firm and faithful adherence to the principles of his religion in all circumstances,
and in ail times of temptation and trial; and (2) that they could induce the king to pass
a law, irrepealable from the nature of the case, which Daniel would be certain to violate,
and to the penalty of which, therefore, he would be certainly exposed. Now in this purpose
there was every element of iniquity, and the grossest conceivable wrong. There were
combined all the evils of envy and malice; of perverting and abusing their influence over
the king; of secrecy in taking advantage of one who did not suspect any such design; and
of involving the king himself in the necessity of exposing the best man in his realm, and
the highest officer of state, to the certain danger of death. The result, however, showed,
as is often the case, that the evil recoiled on themselves, and that the very calamity
overwhelmed them and their families which they had designed for another."
Commenting on the words, "We
shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning
the law of his God," we have this writer saying: "We have a striking instance of
what often occurs, and what should always occur among the friends of religion, that no
occasion can be found against them except in regard to the law of their God-on the score
of their religion. Daniel was known to be upright. His character for integrity was above
suspicion. It was certain that there was no hope of bringing any charge against him that
would lie, for any want of uprightness or honesty; for any failure in the discharge of his
duties of his office; for any malversation in administering the affairs of the government;
for any embezzlement of public funds, or of any act of injustice toward his fellowmen. It
was certain that his character was irreproachable on all these points; and it was equally
certain that he did and would maintain unwavering fidelity in the duties of religion.
Whatever consequences might follow from it, it was clear that they could calculate on his
maintaining with faithfulness the duties of piety. Whatever plot, therefore, could be
formed against him on the basis of either his moral integrity, or his piety, it was
certain would be successful. But there was no hope in regard to the former, for no law
could have been carried prohibiting his doing what was right on the subject of morals. The
only hope, therefore, was in respect to his religion; and the main idea of their plot-the
thing that constituted the basis of their plan was, that
it was certain that Daniel would maintain his fidelity to his God irrespective of any
consequences whatever. This certainly ought to exist in regard to every good man;
every man professing religion. His character ought to be so well understood; his piety
ought to be so firm, unwavering, and consistent, that it would be calculated on just as
certainly as we calculate on the stability of the laws of nature, that it will be found
faithful to his religious duties and obligations. There are such men, and the character of
every man should be such. Then indeed we
should know what to depend on in the world; then religion would be respected as it
should."
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