VOL. XXXII November 1949
No. 10 Thanksgiving
for the Coming Kingdom Where
He Leads Me I Will Follow Thanksgiving for the Coming Kingdom"Thou shalt call thy walls
Salvation, and thy gates Praise." - Isa. 60:18. THIS is one
of the songs in which Isaiah thanks God for the Age to come. "In that day," as
he tells us in another place, "this song shall be sung in the land of Judah: We have
a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks." (Isa. 26:1.)
"In that day," a phrase which he repeats perhaps forty times, "thou shalt
say: O Lord, I will praise thee." - Isa. 12:1. Usually
thanksgiving is retrospective. The word remembrance is a natural companion for the word
thanksgiving. Already we have all doubtless been looking back and praising the way God has
led us day by day since Thanksgiving Season of a year ago. But our text suggests another
cause of thankfulness -- the Coming Kingdom. If our faith finds God in the past record of
our lives, that is much. If it sees God in the future, that is even more. All of us should
have within ourselves the thanksgiving of a historian, recounting God's mercies of the
past that have been preserved within our memories. Our hearts should also be in tune with
the thankfulness of the Prophet Isaiah, as he contemplates the glories of the Age to come. "Thou
shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise." These words must have had a
very real significance to the people living in Isaiah's day, for they were constantly
exposed to the perils of war and invasion. There was no safety for them except in the defensed
cities, and even the strongest of these cities had often proved an insufficient defense.
They knew what it was to see a land laid waste by a merciless foe who dishonored its
women, slew every male capable of bearing arms, carried its children away captive to a
foreign shore, seized on all its portable treasures, and burned or otherwise destroyed
what could not be carried off. - 2 Chron. 28. Moreover,
the men to whom his promise was addressed were themselves captives and slaves in a
foreign land. They, or their fathers, had passed through the horrors of an invasion such
as we have just described. There had been no safety, no refuge, for them in any city,
however high its walls, however strong its gates; no, not even in Jerusalem itself,
although both its location and its fortifications had combined to make it well nigh
impregnable. Even this holy and beautiful city, as strong as it was fair, had been
destroyed, its walls battered down, its gates blackened with fire. - 2 Kings 14:12-14. To men in
such hard conditions, and with such bitter memories behind them, what promise could be
more welcome, or more inspiring, than that which the Prophet gave them? -- the promise
that they should be led back to their native country and rebuild their beautiful city; and
that, when once they were restored to their ancestral home, Violence should no more be
heard in their land, nor Wasting and Destruction in their borders; that the governor of
the new city and commonwealth should be Peace, their magistrates Righteousness; and that,
gratefully conscious of their security and joy, in their freedom from all danger and all
fear, they should call their walls Salvation and their gates Praise? But when was this gracious promise to be
fulfilled? When did the Prophet expect to see it fulfilled? This
promise, Isa. 60:18, appears in one of the last twenty seven chapters of Isaiah. Many
grave, critical questions arise when the date and authorship of those chapters are
discussed (see "The Question Box," this issue of the "Herald," page
158); but these questions, though of great importance from the critical point of view, are
of -hardly any importance in so far as the meaning and beauty of the chapters are
concerned. Critics of every school combine to praise them as composing at once the most
spiritual and one of the most, sublime scriptures of the Old Testament, and in affirming
that the main drift of them is so obvious that it can hardly be missed. When was this gracious promise to be
fulfilled? When did the Prophet expect to see it fulfilled? If, as we think,
it was Isaiah who wrote this promise, he doubtless expected that it would have a partial
fulfillment when the Jewish captives were restored to the land of their fathers, following
the captivity -- the Great Babylonian Captivity -- which, as the Lord's Prophet, he had informed Hezekiah would
surely take place. (2 Kings 20: 16-18.) And even if it should prove to be the case, as
others think, that this promise (Isa. 60:18) was written by a later, a second Isaiah,
the expected partial fulfillment would not be different. In either case, the partial
fulfillment would be looked for on the return from the Babylonian captivity. And in some
measure, in so far as those Jews would permit, it was fulfilled in their
experience. Their governor, Ezra, was a man of peace. Their chief magistrate, Nehemiah,
was a friend and servant of righteousness. And though the tribes and nations around them
raged against them, and took counsel together how they might destroy them, yet again and
again, because God was with them, their wall was their salvation, and songs of deliverance
were heard in their gates. If the fulness of the promised blessing never came
upon them, it was because they would not fulfill the inevitable conditions of the promise;
because they did not love righteousness, because they did not seek peace and pursue it,
because they would not have God to reign over them. WHY DO NATIONS RISE AND FALL?Isaiah,
however, was a prophet.
Because of this we
cannot suppose he was looking forward only or mainly to the outward and temporary
conditions of his people. He was looking chiefly to their inward -- their moral and
spiritual -- state, after the manner of a prophet. The Hebrew prophet, we know, was a
forth-teller rather than a fore-teller. He was acquainted with God and knew the moral
principles which underlay God's dealings with the nations-especially with Israel.
Righteousness, he knew, tended to exalt a nation; and just as certainly unrighteousness
had the opposite tendency. (Prov. 14:34.) Looking back over the pages of history, who
cannot see this principle manifested in the rise and fall of nations? The scoffer may
say that God is on the side of the heaviest battalions, and no doubt he can cite specific
instances to prove his point. But the history of nations clearly testifies that God does
not long remain on the side of a wicked nation, no matter how heavy its battalions, or
how many. Such a nation begins to slide and totter. Before long it ceases even to have the
heaviest battalions. A drunken nation pawns its assets in the markets of the world just as
surely as does a drunken man. The process may take a little longer, and he who cannot see
the trend may be deceived. But when Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome get unsound
hearts, they are on their way to dissolution; when Israel forsakes righteousness, she is
on her way to captivity; should the United States depart from the principles
providentially written into its constitution by our founding fathers, principles clearly
enunciated in God's Word, it will betaking the road which leads to destruction. From the
time when God had said to Abram, "I am thy shield, and thine exceeding great
reward," the patriarchs and prophets of Israel, musing on things to come, had
habitually anticipated a time when all people should be lovers of righteousness and lovers
of peace; a time, therefore, in which God would be their shield and their salvation,
whatever the dangers to which they might be exposed, and would make them rich, whatever
they lost. Like Abraham, too, they had learned from the very disappointment of their
earthly hopes, to look for a better country, in which the righteous would dwell securely.
And hence, throughout the Gospel Age, Isaiah's promise has been read,
and properly read, as more than a promise to Israel-as a promise to all men -- as pointing onward to the Kingdom of
Christ, that most true home and refuge of every righteous man, that secure asylum for the
lovers and makers of peace. PRESENT APPLICATION TO THE CHURCHMoreover,
while the promise is for natural Israel restored, and through Israel the whole world of
mankind, in the Millennial Age, its underlying teaching is seen to apply to the Gospel
Age Church. For some of us have learned, and others are beginning to learn, that if we
seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, all other things will be added unto
us according to our need of them. We have learned,. or we are beginning to learn, that if
men are really lovers of righteousness and lovers of peace, God is in very deed their
Refuge and will become their Song.. We, the Gospel Age Church -- under a covenant of
sacrifice to suffer with Him -- do not ask, we do not expect, to dwell in a fortified city
which no adversary or apparent adversary can approach, to sit within gates and behind
walls which will secure us from. every stroke of change and sorrow and loss. God has
provided some better thing for us than that. He himself has become our Salvation and our
Shield -- He who can compel every change to minister to our welfare, and turn all our
sorrows into joy. For such creatures as we are, in such a world as this, to be put beyond
the reach of loss and grief and change would be but a doubtful good; nay, it would be a
very obvious and indubitable harm, for it would rob us of the very discipline by which
we are confirmed in righteousness, and driven to seek for peace (not in the
fluctuations and transitions of outward life, but) in the quiet and indisturbable depths
of a mind stayed on God and conformed to his will. And who can doubt that it is good for
us to know that we are secure amid the shocks of change, the blows of loss, the
chastisements of grief; to know that none of these things can by any means harm us, that
they can only minister to our welfare, since they are all the servants of him in whom we
put our trust. God himself has become our Salvation and our Strength; and if our walls are
Salvation, should not our gates be Praise? Rightly
read, then -- read in the sunshine of that Gospel which was revealed to patriarch and
prophet, but is much more fully revealed to us, these ancient words of promise throw a bright flood
of hope over our life, the life that now is, the life we live in the flesh. They teach us
where we may find an impregnable and fearless Security amid all the insecurities
of time, where we may find a joy unspeakable and inexhaustible amid all its
sorrows, where we may find a sacred and unbroken Peace amid all its conflicts and
cares. FUTURE LITERAL FULFILLMENT TO ISRAEL AND THE NATIONSThis we take
to be the deepest and richest meaning of the Promise-deepest and. richest because the
most inward and spiritual. But we ought not to close this Thanksgiving meditation without
pausing long enough to note that the promise is to have a very literal fulfillment here
on earth. Israel, and through Israel the whole world of mankind -- all the willing and
obedient -- will reach a country eventually in which Violence shall be no more heard
and Wasting and Destruction shall be unknown; a city, the walls of which shall be
Salvation and its gates Praise. The restored earth will itself become a literal paradise.
St. John, in the Book of Revelation, takes up the wondrous tale sung by Isaiah, and
carries it to a still more wondrous close. As he gazes upon the new heaven and the new
earth which are to succeed the former, he says: "I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,*
coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I
heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he
will dwell with them, and be their God; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
and there shall be no more death; neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any
more pain, for the former things are passed away." - Isa. 65:17; Rev. 21:1-4. ----------------------------------- * Not the old
literal city rebuilt, but the new spiritual city. St. John
goes on, as you know, to describe the heavenly city in figures drawn from all that is most
precious and beautiful and splendid among the "former things" - from fountains
and rivers, trees and mountains, gold and gems; sun and moon, pressing them all into his
service as he labors to depict the pure and glorious conditions of the life of the new
city in the new Age. However we may understand his symbols, and they are, of course, only
symbols, no one can read his words, glowing with color, radiant with light, without
becoming aware that he is predicting an utter and most blessed change in all outward
conditions on this earth for Israel and all the other redeemed nations to enjoy. For us,
the Church, it doth not yet appear what we shall be; we do but know (and in this blessed
knowledge rest content) that when our Lord Jesus doth appear, we shall be like him, for we
shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2.) Unless we greatly err, we are, with him, to
constitute this fair and wondrous city, symbolic of the new government -- God's Kingdom
-- then to assume control of earth's affairs. As yet we
may not fully know all that may be implied in the wall of jasper, great and high, on whose
twelve foundations are inscribed the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb; or in the
twelve gates, each a pearl, guarded by angels, and bearing the names of the twelve tribes
of Israel. But of this much we are confident: these and the other symbols related to this
Holy City are intended to represent the glorious relationship that will exist between
our Lord and his Church; and the various characteristics of God's new world order-the
government being centered in Christ and his Bride. It was for this Kingdom, this
government, that our Lord taught us to pray: "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is done in
heaven." For this glorious hope "Our thankful hearts, O God, we raise, and sing
to thee our song of praise." "Glorious
things of thee are spoken, Zion, city of our God. He whose word cannot be broken Formed
thee for his own abode. On the Rock of Ages founded, Naught can shake thy sure repose;
With Salvation's walls surrounded, 'Thou shalt triumph o'er thy foes. "Built
upon this sure, foundation, - P. L. Read. Acceptable SacrificesPart I "Ye also, as lively stones, are
built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up sacrifices, acceptable to God
by Jesus Christ." - 1 Pet. 2:5. AMONG OUR
readers are some who have expressed a desire to see more frequent treatment of what
are usually designated doctrinal subjects in our columns, while there are others who
would prefer that all our limited space should be devoted to the treatment of the more
devotional doctrines, to the exclusion of the strictly "Plan" teachings. The
publishing of this series of articles, or any other similar articles, should not be
construed as taking sides with either group, but merely as a desire to see that each
is given proper consideration. We will hope that each, in the spirit of brotherly love,
will rejoice with his brother reader in that he is receiving the thing that seems to
himself necessary to his spiritual welfare, thus giving a further exemplification of the
beauty of brethren dwelling together in unity. In view of
the fact that the subject of the Sin offering has of late been having the attention of
some of the friends, and we trust with profit, it has been thought well to review some of
the Scriptures bearing on the matter in a short series of articles. And we are making an
earnest appeal to our readers of both viewpoints on this particular subject, that they
enter into this study with us, unprejudiced, and in the spirit of prayer and earnest
searching of the Word. It is with no spirit of strife that we are examining this subject,
and we trust that there will be no tendency through our presentation to "stir up
strife among the brethren." We have as our great desire rather, to be peacemakers,
remembering our Lord's words 'Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the
children of God." - 1 Cor. 13:8, 9; Matt. 5:9. Distinction Between Teachings of Plain Scriptures and Those of InterpretationThe series
is begun with full realization that it is not our province, or that of any other man, to
force any interpretation of Scriptures upon any one. In fact, even the rejection of a
plain statement of the Scriptures would give no license to "begin to smite our
fellow servants." We would, however, charitably hope that the eyes already opened to
see some of the precious truths that sanctify, would later see all those things which we
believe are Scriptural, though in the Lord's providence some were for a time hidden from
them. It would seem to us, however, a wise proceeding on the part of each one to very
conscientiously re-examine any teaching which same other consecrated brethren believe to
be based on plain Scriptures, to ascertain whether or not he may have been unconsciously
changing, by human interpretation, any word or phrase, thus arriving at a "private
interpretation," unwarranted by any Scriptural authority. In studying
the writings of any author, excepting of course the inspired Apostles, a sharp
distinction should always be kept in mind between teachings proved by plain Scriptures and
those which the writer endeavors to establish through an interpretation of Scriptures. In
both instances danger arises because of the imperfection of the mental organism of the
student; 'but in the latter instance, entire avoidance of errors, temporarily held at
least, cannot reasonably 'be hoped for except as it shall be the due time for God to guide
both imperfect instruments into truth. Then, too, all should remember that the time when
the path is to be so plain that the wayfaring man though a fool need not err therein lies
beyond the present dispensation. On the other hand, the picture representative of our time
is one of a tabernacle set in the midst of a wilderness and so swathed in coverings as to
have had every trace of exterior light excluded, leaving those who walked there entirely
dependent upon the inner light. "God, who commanded the light to shine out of the
darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, as it shined in the face of Jesus.' -- (2
Cor. 4:6.) "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord." -
Zech. 4:6. "Not Sufficient of Ourselves"Accepting by
faith the statement that "those things that were written before were written for our
admonition upon whom the ends of the ages are come," we come to our Bibles in high
anticipation of the things to be learned there on this and kindred subjects, not because
we are "wise men after the flesh" (1 Cor. 1:26), but because we have already
learned through the history of the Church and by our own blessed experience that
throughout the Age "God hath revealed unto us by His Spirit" things which
"eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the
things which God hath prepared for them that love him."* To fail to give time to the
study of any subject that gave promise of such revelations as are indicated here, would
seem indisputable evidence of unworthiness of acquaintance with Him whom to know is life
eternal. Whether or not then our searching shall reveal any of the mysteries hidden
beneath the darkening coverings of that tabernacle, if approached in the spirit of true
meekness, it will at least give evidence of our love for Him and our desire to more fully
know Him. --------------------------------------------- *--See
Sermon, "Who may Know God's Secrets," page 5, "Pastor Russell's
Sermons". Let us in
humility confess that we are approaching one of the many subjects of which our knowledge
is meager, and that we have known many well developed Christian characters who differed
with us on this or that point in connection with it. As the Scriptures plainly inform us
that there are due times for the revelation of truths to God's people, are we not safe
in inferring, or may we not say that we have definite evidence that our Great Teacher's
method of dealing with each individual pupil is similar-apportioning each bit of
knowledge according to his preparedness to receive it, and according to his present
needs of strengthening and assistance? Reasoning Together with HimFew subjects
demand greater care in our approach, to the intent we may always bear in mind' that we
are not "sufficient of ourselves to think [Diaglott: "reason"] anything as
of ourselves, but" our sufficiency is of God." (2 Cor. 3:5.) If He shall teach
us "line upon line, precept upon precept," it will be because we are found
"casting down reasonings [Diaglott and margin] and every high thing that exalteth
itself against the knowledge of God, and 'bring into captivity every thought to the
obedience Christ." (2 Cor. 10:5.) Let us come then in acceptance of one of the most
startling invitations ever uttered: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the
Lord." (Isa. 1:18.) It is regarding the washing of scarlet sins until they become as
white as wool that He would have us reason with
Him. How it should humble us to a realization of the uselessness of our reasonings as we bow in the presence of His
perfection. Such humility was necessary that the Apostle might be faithful in the
'performance of his commission, and without it we cannot hope to learn the things he was
appointed to teach us. We would listen to him, and learn of his spirit as well as of his
teachings. "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given,
that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ: and to make all
see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in Christ." - Eph. 3:8, 9. Christ, the CenterIf in searching we should arrive at
any conclusions that, take out of the hands of our beloved Jesus any feature of that
Plan, we may be confident that our efforts to reason together with Him have failed and
that we have (we hope unconsciously), injected some thought of our own. Every finding
should be "according to a plan of the ages [Diaglott], which He purposed in Christ
Jesus our Lord." (Eph. 3:11.) Note that it does not say that it was purposed in the
Logos. We know that the man Christ Jesus was the Logos in His prehuman existence, and that
the identity ever remains the same, but the thought we wish to impress, and which we
believe the passage is intended to convey is this, that God's wonderful Plan of
reconciliation was dependent upon the Logos leaving the glory He had with the Father and
becoming the man Christ Jesus. (See Heb. 2:14-16.) Christ means anointed; and He was not
anointed in heaven but on earth. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus: who, being in a form of God, thought not by robbery to be equal with God; but made
Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became
obedient unto death, even the death of he cross." - Phil. 2:5-8 See Diaglott. That fact that before the foundation
of the world, God had perfected all the details of the Plan of the Ages, every feature of
which centered in Christ Jesus, before the foundation of the earth, must ever lie beyond
the grasp of our feeble intellects. Through this same One, His Holy Arm, God has seen fit
to reveal this Plan. The messages of the Prophets testifying of the sufferings and
humiliation of the Messiah, even to His ignominious death on the cross, were not
believed. Proud of flesh, Israel could not look for such a Savior. No, theirs would be a
great, an honorable, a glorious Messiah, a warrior to lead to the pomp of victory. Their
pride so blinded them that when He came to His own, His own received Him not. The
preaching of faithful Prophets over many centuries had not prepared them for the Messiah
that came. Nor is the preaching of the Apostles and other consecrated saints to
antitypical Israel rewarded with better success. and, the Arm of the Lord, the true
Christ of the Bible, is revealed only to those who are meek and lowly -- to those who are
teachable as Jesus Himself was. Hear Him: "Follow Me, for I am meek and lowly"
-- an invitation the proud of heart cannot hear. His way will have no attractions for
such; but "the meek will He guide in judgment, the meek will He teach His way." "Who hath believed our report?
and to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed? [It is manifest they could not believe] for
He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant [far too tender to find any place in any
human scheming], and as a root out of a dry ground." (Isa. 53:1, 2.) What more
hopeless picture from the human standpoint could there be than this?-nothing but a
shapeless root, no beauty, no sign of life-only death in evidence, and no trace of
moisture in the ground to revive any life that might happen to be there. They say, "He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we
shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him." How apparent it is that it was Jesus'
flesh, His humanity, -- and all which that implies, that hid from the eyes of the people
the Arm of the Lord, the power of His salvation, the means by which Jehovah was
reconciling the world to Himself. Because He was "a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief [Leeser: "disease"]" He was "despised and rejected of men .
. . as one from whom men hide their face He was despised; and we esteemed Him not.
Surely He hath borne our griefs [Leeser: "diseases"], and carried our sorrows;
yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. [Of all the billions of
earth, only a little handful have believed His report. All others have turned away their
face from Him, and even of that little handful, most have at times shamefully neglected
Him but, though it was all foretold before ewer He came to die] He was wounded for our
transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon
Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned every one to His own way; and Jehovah hath laid on Him the iniquity of us
all." - Isa. 53:3-6, R. V. In our studies we will turn to the
tabernacle picture for a corroboration of these findings as to the Father's means of
concealing the true beauties of the "altogether lovely One" until the due time. - P. E. Thomson. Where He Leads Me I Will Follow"Return unto thy rest, O my soul:
for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee." - Psa. 116:7. TO BE always
hopeful and courageous in depressing circumstances is not an easy thing The discipline of
life seems often very hard; and we rebel against it, not because of its hardness alone,
but because much of it seems so unnecessary. Sometimes it is the pettiness of our
ordinary life that weighs us down: and sometimes it is the disappointing ineffectiveness
of our efforts to serve God worthily. Our ordinary concerns look so poor and mean that we
long to be free from them, so as to spend life in a nobler way; but we cannot get free; we
are chained to the drudgery; we cannot rise. "This endless struggle just to
live," we say, "this weary round of uncongenial work day after day, this
endless buying and selling, this ceaseless toil of mere housekeeping, this narrowing down
of my thoughts to the petty details of food
and clothing; this irksome monotony of life where I have the same small things to attend
to day after day, all the year through, unable to get above them or devote my energies to
loftier things-why does God tie -me down to a life like this? Why does he not give me work
to do in which I could better serve him, and at the same time better satisfy my own idea
of what a noble life ought to be?" If we take
such questionings to God in- the still hour of meditation and prayer, however, we shall
get his answer to them clear enough, just as he gave it to Israel by Moses long ago. He
will tell us that what we call the drudgery of our common days is meant to do two great
things that are absolutely indispensable; first "to humble us," and next
"to prove us, and to see whether we will keep his commandments or no. It needs not
only divine teaching, but divine discipline in addition to the teaching, to make us
content with faithfulness in very lowly things, instead of complaining that we
have not greater things to do. We are eager to do great things. Our pride and self
complacency are flattered by our having large services demanded of us. And God understands
us well, and therefore seeks to purge us of this pride by giving us only common and humble
things to do, that ostentation may not tempt the heart. But the
discipline is also meant "to prove us" whether we will keep his commandments or no; to see whether we are seeking
simply to do his will, and are not pursuing our own. There
is hardly one man in a thousand who sets himself steadily and humbly just to do the will
of God with no ulterior aims whatsoever. If we all did that, there would not be a
single unhappy heart in the world! In our impassioned longings for some other kinds of
life than what is God's present will concerning us we are living in the region of dreams;
and men are not sanctified by dreams, but by battles. When that old people of Israel
listening to God at the fiery mount had a bright vision of the great and noble life they
would enter on ere long, they thrilled with devotion to him, and vowed perfect obedience
to his will in everything. But how long was it till
they were bitterly complaining of the tiresome and poor monotony of those wanderings
in the desert by which the vision was to be realized? And where are our vows of obedience
too? Where are' our professions of living only according to his will? To have bright
visions of what a noble thing life might be made to be is not to make it so. But all the time
we are looking at our dream-pictures, God is taking a better way with us, though we see
not what his meaning is -- training us to humble faithfulness by the seeming drudgery of
commonplace duties in an uncongenial sphere: and he shows us this as soon as we get
alone with him. There is
another and a keener discouragement, too, over which
nothing can lift us so easily and so completely as a quiet talk with God-the
discouragement arising not from the pettiness of our lives, but from our disappointing
ineffectiveness and want of success in working for God's righteousness in the
world. The discouragement grows often into despair, and we cry, "Oh that I had wings like a dove,
then would, I fly away and be at rest!" That was the cry of a thoroughly dispirited man, yet
not a worldly' man, nor a
man simply saddened by accumulating sorrows;
rather, a man weary with the vain struggle
against the opposing forces of evil, a man striving to fight against 'the sin around him, and to put down iniquity,
yet finding his efforts thwarted on every hand, and almost giving up the battle in
despair, saying bitterly, "I have spent my strength for nought and in vain. Can God mean that his work shall be only
pain to me and defeat? Has he nothing better to give me than this?" There are
many such hearts in the world today; earnest Christian hearts, zealous for God, yet
saddened by the feeling that all their efforts are in vain; not world-weary, nor sin weary,
nor sorrow weary, but battle weary; looking at the difficulties on every side, thinking of
their own weakness to stem the rushing tide of evil, and looking forward to the long-drawn
fight that is before them still, till their courage fails, and they shrink from the
depressing prospect of useless battle to the very last. For it is not the sharpness of
the conflict, but the weary length of it, that often makes the heart give way. It is the
never-endingness of the fight, the hopelessness of anticipating any triumphant close,
that makes so many who are really soldiers of the King cry, "Oh that I had wings like
a dove, to fly away and be at rest!" But now let
this depression be not nursed in the brooding mind, but taken into the secret place of
communion with God, and how soon a different complexion is put upon the circumstances
that cause it! What has he to say about it? What is his answer to the weary sigh? It is
just to think of Christ. Who had ever so sore a fight as he, or more discouragements
than he? Whoever kept up the fight to the very last as he? It was said of him before he
came, "He shall not fail nor be discouraged till he have set judgment in the
earth," and he will yet fulfill the prophecy. He has been waiting for his victory for
nineteen hundred years, and is waiting for it yet, but waiting undiscouraged as well as
undismayed, "expecting till his enemies be made his footstool." The unfailing
and unfainting hopefulness of Jesus Christ may shame us out of our discouragement while
following him as "fellow-workers with him unto the Kingdom of God." The one
answer to all our despondency is Christ. If he had spoken as we so often speak, and felt
as we so often feel; if he, seeing how small his success was, had folded his weary hands
and given up the conflict, what then? And what was his review of his life when almost
done? "I have glorified thee upon. the earth, I have finished the work thou gayest me
to do." That -was all, but that was enough. Can any of us wish to be able to say
more? "Oh for wings," we cry, "to fly away and be at rest! But if Christ
had said that, where would our redemption have been? Wings await us only as they awaited
him-only when, like him, we have finished the work given us to do, and have fought out the
battle to the end. Armor now; wings, if we are patient, we shall find in due time. Yet, even
meanwhile, the blessing of "wings" is not always denied; not wings with which to
escape all troubles, but
wings with which to rise above them. "They that wait upon
the Lord shall mount up on wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall
walk and not faint." That is not a promise for the far distant future. It is a
promise for the present; and each part of it will be at one time or another, fulfilled to
the "waiting" heart. There will be soaring days, when we get so high above the
world that we can feel as if we had parted company for ever with its sorrows and its
temptations, when we can not only outrun the vexations of life, but outfly them, and feel
as if they did not exist. God means us sometimes to have hours like these; but they are
not the ordinary experience even of the best of men. The ordinary experience is a lower,
and yet equally comforting one -- the fulfillment of the other part of the promise,
"They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Not so
ecstatic an experience as the soaring, but quite as useful and possibly more safe, is
this humbler experience given to those who know that they have no might in themselves, and
wait for 'God's might to strengthen them. And the
order of these three promises is to be noted well, for they are often fulfilled to us just
in that order and no other. It may seem strange that the loftiest attainment should be put
first and the lower last; but this order is the true one for all that. The soaring days of
every Christian generally come at an early stage. At the wonderful time of his "first
love," his first experience of the riches of divine grace, his conversion days, he
often rises wonderfully high above the world. Never, indeed, does he feel so completely
loosed from its thrall, never does he rise to such a height both of joy and of surrender;
his glowing feelings seem then to carry him up to the very gates of heaven. But soon he
has to come down from his ecstasies because God calls him to battle and service below, and
then he learns to be thankful if only he can "run with patience the race set before
him." And later
still he is humbler still. A larger experience of the world and of himself shows him
that constant "running" even is a thing he cannot keep up. He is thankful then
if he can but "walk" with God, leaning upon his everlasting arms, till he comes
to the dark valley at the end of the pilgrim way, and finds that there is no soaring over
it, nor running through it. He is glad of the Lord's staff to keep him from falling, and
will only say, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will
fear no evil." But as he goes leaning on God, he finds that God's strength gives him
the victory as completely as when he was able to soar. Now, the
manifold discouragements of life are sure to oppress -us terribly so long as we are merely
alone with ourselves, brooding over them; but they will quickly disappear when we are
alone with God; for then we look upon them with his eyes, weigh them in his balances,
measure them by his tests; and as we review them in his light, there comes into us a great
hope, a great courage, and a great peace. - Selected. God Seeketh SuchPART 4 "The hour cometh, and now is, when
the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such doth the Father
seek to be his worshipers." - John 4:23, R. V. IN the
closing thought of the last article the suggestion was made that our worship of God, in
its fullest, widest sense was expressed by us in our whole-hearted submission to his
will, and that by that submission, actuated by the spirit and purpose of his Plan, we were
entering into some measure of cooperation with him in the outworking of that Plan. Our
consecrated life, yielded up
in compliance with his
will, is the "worship" that he seeks, and in which he finds supreme delight.
That is the truth of that great matter in its larger, wider sense. But we must
needs bring this wider, comprehensive view down to the level of our common work a day
experience, and seek to understand how it works out there. And, in this closer survey,
the many little things that make up the sum of life may not seem so satisfactory to our
view as that greater, wider, ideal worship seems to be. Perhaps there
is no place in all our life where the spirit of our worship can reveal its temper and
quality as when we meet together in the Name of the Lord. If, in that sacred hour, our
spirit of devotion is cold and merely formal, we may be sure it will be cold and
undemonstrative when we are face to face with daily life. If our spirit of devotion is to
be warm and genial when mingling with "the common round," it must needs be warm
and deeply demonstrative in the upper room -- in the place apart. These two
manifestations must be of one piece (or pattern), though that seen in the "meeting
room" is the germ and substructure of it all. If a satisfactory temperature of
devoted response is manifested there, most likely it will be manifest elsewhere; if it is
not manifested there, then it is unlikely to be manifest anywhere. Our attitude of
respectful reverence before the Lord in that solemn hour, may be taken to be the
thermometric test of our consecrated life of submission to his will. Our sense of the
presence of our Lord in our Church gatherings may with certainty be taken as the indicator
of our sense of his presence in our daily life. If we do not view him as
realistically present with us in the one, neither shall we
visualize him as present with us in the other. What then does his presence mean to us when
we gather in his Name? Many years
ago there came into our lives a wider understanding of the Divine Plan than any other
Bible students had seen since the Apostles fell asleep. It opened up to us many of the
dark sayings of the Holy Book and made its message clear and convincing to our minds.
Its satisfying presentations concerning the ransom and its consequent restitution work
brought solutions to many of our problems and perplexities. In addition, its
soul-inspiring "Call" to follow Jesus in the way of sacrifice, won our hearts,
awakening our deep affections for our Father and our Lord and made us "count it all
joy" to become "dead with him" now, in order that we might live with him
when "caught up" and glorified. Very truly at
that time our understanding took on a most wonderful "length and breadth"! But
has there, in the meantime, been a corresponding
development of "height" and "depth"? Has the "heart" kept
step and balance with the "head"? Has our reverence grown in proportion with
our understanding? From our
general observation of the situation, almost everywhere, as we have been given to see
it, we are reluctantly persuaded that such is not the case. Perhaps it is
not difficult to find extenuating reasons for this lack of step and balance. We are
living in a day which in some sense, bears correspondence with that of the Apostle John.
Former expectations have miscarried, and at this time we have passed beyond what to us
were once well-established landmarks, and now we live on from year to year without other
authentic chronological mile-posts before us. It is not correct (as some would have us
think), that we once accepted the year 1914 as the "beginning" of the "End
period." That year was held to be the terminus of all Gentile power. In that year the
"Kingdom" was due to "come," with Jewry returned to favor and to
power. To the best of that former belief, the "old
world" was there due to pass away and the new and better world begin. And we firmly
believed we would be gathered Home to be forever with the Lord before that better world
began. Today we are stepping forward over what is proving to be uncharted ground, with no
sure landmark or signpost immediately ahead to point the way, or say "how
long" ere the destination will be reached. We know some brethren expect a new landmark a few years hence, but the
arguments adduced do not appeal to this pen. No line of argument yet presented is convincing. All we can
say is that where once expectation was alert and keen, an uncertain outlook now prevails.
Again, as in the days of John, where once intense activity prevailed, an almost total
silence reigns. Amid so much uncertainty, much of the old chronological belief has been
cast overboard by some, with nothing new and sure to take its place-and sad to say, when
once the unloading has begun, the difficulty for some has been to know when to stop. Alas!
that in so many cases "good cargo has been unshipped with the
"unfulfilled," and what was "of faith" has been jettisoned with what
was "of credulity." Are we now
finding fault in referring thus to this lack of certainty, or apportioning blame to any
one for this defect or that? By no means! No one has been to blame because former
expectations were not fulfilled. But -- and this is the query we wish to put -- Did all this baffling and
disappointing experience deepen our reverence for God, and quicken into fiercer flame our
devotion towards his great Name? Undoubtedly some will be able to answer affirmatively,
and say with truthfulness that these frustrating circumstances drove them nearer to the
Lord. But can we all say the same? For some there came an undoubted loss of faith, with
a consequent loss of trust, and an even more deplorable loss of "first love," as
the time-features failed! Then, as if
to accentuate a situation already critical, there came a period of acute controversy and
bitter separation, in which heart and mind lost much of their former peace and poise,
while communion and fellowship became exceedingly difficult all around. We mention this,
only that we may ask, Did all that unhappy experience conduce to a deeper spirituality,
and tend to promote a more careful regard for holy things? Take the
situation of those former days at its very best, from the earliest days of the "truth
activity," what then do we find? Even at the time when that activity reached its
zenith in the Class Extension and Photo Drama work, what real opportunity did we find to
stress or cultivate "the worshipful" and "the devotional" to their
proper heights and depths? In almost every case our witnessing was made in public lecture
halls, in cinemas, in schools, and in numerous other buildings of an entirely secular
nature -- many of them quite drab and unpretentious -- without the least thing about them
to touch the deeper springs of the inner life. True enough they served the evangelistic
purpose then in hand-but were they always all that they might, have been? And furthermore
(the object being what it was) both lecturer and staff were bent upon convincing those
who had come to "hear," and thus, at its best, the atmosphere of the lecture
room or debating theatre tended to prevail. This is not
an adverse criticism of those intensive days-indeed far from it-it is only stated: that we
may note that this impact of mind upon mind-of reasoned argument upon reasoning
(especially if hostile) minds -- did not always tend to stir the deep appreciation of
the heart towards the deeper aspects of the Truth. And then
again, in how many instances did those little Classes, when started on the way, have to
meet, in sheer necessity, in some little dingy room with nothing but coldly secular
associations on every hand. Classes in some larger cities may have been more fortunate,
and had the comfort of better conveniences, but taken in the aggregate, the situation and
atmosphere of the assembly hall was anything but conducive to the reverential and
worshipful pose of mind. Such
disadvantage as there was might have been measurably overcome had all elders and speakers
been possessed of deep devoutness and piety. But were all ministering brethren so richly
blessed? Added to this was the amazingly wide range of truth to be absorbed; and with such
poor, slow minds to "take it in," it is scarcely to be wondered at that our
seasons of communing came to take on somewhat of the nature of a "school" or
"class," in which instruction was imparted by those "quick to
understand" to those not so amply blessed. Nor need we wonder if a quest and hunger
for some fresh "new thought" took pos-n session of many minds and crowded out
the deeper purpose which always ought to characterize our coming together "in his
Name." That it has taken us these many years to come to realize that the first
purpose of our "gathering" should be to worship God, to give thanks and praise
to his worthy name-is readily understandable under the circumstances! It has been thus
with every advance movement of the Truth, and our own experience has been no exception
to the rule. Of course,
we sang our hymns, and prayer was duly made in the course of our "study," or
"service," but how often did the whole company sense and react to the Unseen
Presence "in the midst"? How often did we pray
to "Our Father which art in heaven," and then think and act and speak as though
he actually was there-millions of miles away from our
little meeting-place! Did we always think we were "drawing near" to an
immediate Throne of Grace, from which an All seeing Eye -- like some within -- the vail
Shekinah Light -- was looking down and noting all we said and did? Perhaps to some this
may seem mere imaginative sentimentalism, for we know that this conception of the Unseen
Presence in the midst is not apparent to the coldly critical, rational. mind. Nothing but
the responsive "eye of faith" can see and sense "Him who is
Invisible"; and perhaps it was because our communion belonged more to the plane of
"the reasoning mind" than to that of "faith," that we were not always
sure if we had worshiped God in the manner due to his Holy Name, or had 'been present
merely "at the Class." Perhaps if the eye of faith had been more in evidence, we
may, at times have spoken and acted quite differently from what we did. We have
heretofore sought to find such extenuating reasons, as we rightly could, for our lack of
reverential respect for the Holy Name, but we humbly beg to say, in all sincerity, that
we believe the time has come when our religious life -- or should we rather say spiritual
life -- should take on height and depth, equal to its length
and breadth; and that our God-consciousness should become, at least equal to the breadth
of our truth consciousness. Every reform movement at its beginning has started out with
some broader expansion of truth, leading thus to a wider outlook. The need for depth of
experience to correspond came only at a much later time. It is as though
the heart needs a longer time to ripen and mature than the understanding of the mind. One
wonders if we ought not now to have reached the stage where depth of experience should
balance our breadth of understanding. How His this balancing to be brought about?
Depth of experience calls for two things in particular: (a) more of the private closet
approach; and (b) a more reverential response in the "ecclesia" gatherings.
Regarding -the first, not only do we need to go aside for prayer, we need also to take
the "closet" mood with us wherever we go, so that when disengaged from other
pressing tasks, if only for a mere moment of our time, we can "lift up our
hearts" to make contact with our attendant Lord, and thus find a short season of
comforting communion. This momentary lifting of our soul to him can break the stress and
tension of our modern life for us anywhere, at any time. It conduces to a keener and
more intense spiritual sensitivity and keeps faith and love alert and alive. It thus makes
the presence of our Lord in our life "a living, bright reality" -- a
"help" in time of need; and is well worth trying out by every child of God. As concerns
the second, let us see what Scripture has to suggest: After our Lord had given instruction
how to proceed with the offending brother, even to the point of telling "it to the
Church" (Matt. 18:15-17), he then proceeded to say, "What things soever ye
shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven." Now, while
from the connection with its context this binding and loosing may have to do primarily
with Church discipline (even to the point of censuring or disfellowshiping some
recalcitrant or defiant member of the congregation), it is obviously of much wider
application than that, by reason of the words, "What things soever." This wider
application is also made manifest by the words next following ". . . again I say unto
you ..." Here a new and further declaration begins to
be made, The declaration continues to say, "that if two of you shall agree on earth
as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are
gathered together in my Name, there am I in the midst of them." "Gathering
together in my Name" is thus shown to be of much wider import than
"disciplinary" gatherings alone. It is intended to apply to every kind of
"gathering," duly arranged and agreed, even by so few as "two or
three." The proper
sense of these. words implies that if "two or three" (or any larger number)
agree to come together in his Name, at some certain hour, and in some certain place, such
a "binding" or agreement is duly noted up in heaven, and such agreement is also
"bound" in heaven. Then, when the appointed hour
is come, and we have gathered in his Name, - the heavenly presence also will present itself "in the
midst," and he, unseen yet not undetected, will have come to be a partner in the
"fellowship." That
promissory declaration of our Lord makes our little gatherings (and big ones too)
something exceptional. Because we have agreed to come together in his Name, and because our agreement is
acknowledged and agreed in heaven, the heavenly Visitor will come forth to take his
rightful place "in the midst," in the place, and at the hour by us agreed. Perhaps the
little gathering may be convened in some drab little room down some out of the way back
street -- no matter, "He" will be there! Or perhaps it may be called in some
humble home, where, till the appointed hour, the whole varied round of domestic life
would be in full swing; never mind, "He" will be "in the midst." Be
the meeting large or small, neath lofty dome or humble roof, his promise can be trusted to
stand good, and "there am I in the midst" is a certainty. The coming
of the hour appointed changes the significance of meeting room or auditorium. From that
moment it becomes the "House of God" -- a heavenly Bethel, for he, as well as
we, will be in attendance there. Happy indeed are they who, going to that gathering, expect to find him
there! For these there will be no disappointing absences. Now if it be
thus true that our Unseen Lord punctually presents himself "there," could any
child of God consider it an act complimentary to the Majesty of his dear Name to be late
(needlessly late) at that meeting place? Surely our early arrival, "there" is at
least, a first and primary element in that respectful reverence due to that great Name! A
mere trifle, do you say, even if we are a little late? Unpunctuality is no trifle in an
audience with a King! Now
supposing we have arrived in good and ample time, what shall our demeanor be, and with
what expectations have we come? Supposing at such a gathering some old friend, unseen
for years is there, enhancing thus our joy, would we sit and chatter with our friend in
all the "small talk" and "tittle-tattle" concerning all those years?
Does the pleasure of meeting friends outweigh our expectancy of meeting with our Lord?
Naturally our cup of joy is full, and there is much we want to say, but shall we not
remember the other more distinguished Visitor, who has promised to be there? What then
is the purpose that brings us together in his Name? Is it first and foremost to ponder
and probe some problem of our intellectual faith? to study and discuss the theme or
subject for the afternoon or night? Have we come to listen to some gifted tongue explain
the heavenly verities? Well and good is this, for "hearing" and
"discussion" have their place, but is there not one further reason for our
presence "there"? Have we not come for an audience with our Lord and King? Have
we not come to give thanks and praise to his blessed Name for all his Shepherd care and
tender faithfulness? Have we
not come to thank our 'God and Father for all
his excellent Greatness and wonderful Love? It is here
that the value of some dear "man of God" in "addressing" or
"presiding" at the gathering is of worth untold. If, out of the academic
discussion of an abstract truth, he can bring it (or its application) down and home to the
hearts and circumstances of that. congregation, how true it is that he can cause every
heart to rise up in gratitude to God, and thus send up before his Face that odor of
worship and reverence which is, to him, as incense sweet. At such an
hour and in such an atmosphere the "logical" debater and rabid doctrinaire seem
entirely out of place. Indeed the insistent attempts of such to keep the thread of
argument solely on the "reasoning plane" almost seems to indicate that they
either forget or ignore the presence of the Lord "in the midst," for surely no
member of a congregation would dare intentionally to push matters to a point of wordy
warfare, beneath His piercing Eye. The very consciousness of that blessed Presence,
sanctified and devoted "for their sakes" (John 17:19) would surely preclude such
procedure. Questions there surely would and must be, but in what spirit would they be
asked? Answers there would and must also be, but in what tones would they be made?
Differences also there would and must be -- circumstances being what they are -- but in
what mood would they be approached? In that hallowed atmosphere, both speech and
discussion would take on more respectful reverence, and evoke in both hearer and
participant that deeper response which characterizes the "true" worshiper.
Within that sacred hour, hearts would "burn" with deep appreciation as once they
did on the "Emmaus" way; and departing thence, a sense of deep thankfulness,
born of a vital, living faith, would keep those hearts in perfect peace. This is no
attitude of wishful thinking or of religious sentiment run astray. It has been
experienced and proved ten thousand times by the most saintly of souls in bygone days. And
it is true today, as those who put it to the test repeatedly can testify. The essence
of acceptable "true worship" -- still sought for by our God -- arises mainly out
of two things: first, that never to be forgotten recollection that he is always "in
the midst" of his assembled "two's and three's" (or be the number what it
may); and second, that attention to the little things betokening respect for his Holy
Name. The little Church assembly is the nursery in which the fragrant plant can be raised;
propagated there, it will weather and become indigenous in the wider life. If the Church
life is what it ought to be, the reverential worship which God seeks in his own true child
will permeate and interpenetrate every act of life. If the spirit and the truth of the
great Plan actuates the inner life of the Church, l will surely prompt and activate its
members, while engaged in the daily task and common round. And thus our loving God and
gracious Father will find what he "seeks" in us; and we shall find in him our
"all in all." On the walls
of our homes we sometimes see the motto: "Christ is the head of this house, the unseen
Guest at every real; the silent Listener to every conversation." Per Laps if we
could register a variation of this motto upon our minds (and hearts) even if not upon
the wills of our assembly halls, to read as below, it might help to bring us up more
sharply to a sense of our privileges in Christ in spirit and in truth. Here is the
variation: "Christ is the Head of this Ecclesia; the Unseen Guest in, all our
fellowship; the Silent Listener to every conversation." That deeper
reverence is an essential need of our troubled times. It is the quality to give poise and
balance when disappointment occurs. The chilling influence of dispensational
disappointment has damped the warmth and enthusiasm of many hearts, and with this damping
down has disappeared, in many cases, the quick responsiveness to the Good Shepherd's care.
A disturbed state of mind leads to a disturbed state of heart, which in its turn leads on
to a less reverential and worshipful attitude before the Lord. In this disturbed,
unreverential state, the many tokens of his presence "in the midst" are
overlooked, and become, in time, no longer expected or desired, and the many tender
endearments of the Lord produce no helpful or salutary effect, and joy and happy praise
then very quickly evaporate. Too often we
begin this sad decline by forgetting what he said about .his Presence "in the
midst," while concentrating more upon the definition of the text. A spirit of debate
thus supplants the attitude of worship, and we (and others too) must leave the
presence of the "Presence" unblessed and unhelped. Dear
brethren in the Lord, ought we not to be more mindful of our Heavenly Father's
"search." There are many things for which he has no need to "search" -
they are his of creative right! There are many hearts in this sad world for which, as yet,
he makes no search; they are all steeped in sin, and subject still to vanity. (Rom.
8:20.) He will yet come forth some later day, to seek and exalt all who may then be
"found" in Christ. (Phil. 3:9.) In that final search will be completed the
assembling of his Elect. His "finding" in that final search will be conditioned, in the main, by what he
"finds" today. Today he is
"seeking" such as can and do worship him in spirit and in truth.
Let us be very mindful of what he "seeks" today -- for then we may have good
assurance concerning his "finding" in that later day! Yes, the
disciple whom Jesus loved has the right word for us today:
- T. Holmes, Eng. The Question BoxISAIAH CHAPTERS 40-66Question: The last
twenty-seven chapters of the Book of Isaiah have their historical setting at the close of
the Captivity and the Return from Exile. Please harmonize this with Isaiah 1:1, which
states that Isaiah's vision was seen by him "in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and
Hezekiah," the last of whom died about one hundred and fifty years before. Answer: According to
the scholars, the Book of Isaiah consists of sixty-six chapters, which fall into two
very distinct collections of prophetic discourses, (chapters 1-35 and chapters 40-66) which are separated by a stretch of
narrative or history (chapters 36-39). Each of
these two distinct collections of oracles are themselves the combination of earlier
collections, some of which are entitled Isaiah's while others make no claim to be from his
hand. Quite
evidently the prophecies are not arranged chronologically. An example of this may be seen
in the fact that Isaiah's own commission to be a prophet, which certainly took place prior
to the commencement of his ministry, is not recorded until chapter six. The facts
outlined above, no scholar disputes. However, since the scene of the last twenty-seven
chapters seems to be wholly laid in a time when the Return from the Captivity was close at
hand, and Cyrus, the great deliverer, actually present, many modern scholars have been led
to suppose that these chapters were written by an unknown writer (a second Isaiah), who
lived a century and a half later. Others, of
no less scholarship, however, have given their reasons for holding to the traditional view
that all sixty-six chapters were written by one and the same man, Isaiah, the son of Amoz.
(Isa. 1:1.) Amongst a number of considerations urged, they point out, with good reason we think,
that the first thirty-five chapters would be incomplete without the last twenty-seven. For
example, the words which tell how "the redeemed of the Lord shall walk there, and
come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy" -- words which appear in chapter 35
(verses 8-40), are but the prelude -- a most natural prelude -- which leads on to the yet
more glorious proclamation with which the last twenty-seven chapters open: "Comfort
ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God. . . . Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make
straight in the desert a highway for your God." - Isa. 40:1-3. Those
scholars holding to this traditional view, regard the last twenty-seven chapters as
prophecy, in the restricted sense of prediction; or rather in the sense of a combination
of the essential element of prophecy, namely, forth-telling, with the special or
occasional element, namely, prediction, a fore-telling of things to come. This leads
to a related question which we have next to consider, in the following paragraphs. Question: What was the
function of an Old Testament prophet? Answer Richard G.
Moulton, in "The Modern Reader's Bible" has written very instructively on this
subject. The following is little more than a condensation of his remarks. In
approaching this subject one misconception needs special notice. It seems almost
impossible to eliminate from the popular mind the idea that "prophecy" means
"prediction." Yet this is a purely modern modification of its
meaning. It rests upon a false etymology: the pro in this word is not the pro which
means before hand (as in prospectus), but the other pro which means in
place of (as in pronoun) a prophet is one who speaks in place of another. Where
Moses had been shrinking from the mission to Israel on the ground of his inefficiency as a
speaker, and Aaron was granted him as an assistant in this respect, the words are: "See, I
have made thee [Moses] a god unto Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy
prophet." - Exodus 7:1. As Aaron is
thus the mouthpiece, of Moses, so regularly in Scripture the prophet is the mouthpiece
of God. Of course prophecy, like any other form of literature, can contain, and in fact
does contain, prediction; but such predictions are the accident, not the essence of
prophecy. Yet in traditional interpretation the idea that prophecy must be prediction
has distorted the study of the books; particular passages, often of minor importance, have
been over accentuated, while the spiritual richness of the books when read as literary
wholes, has usually been missed. In this
broad sense every one who stands forth as a representative of God has a claim to the name
of prophet. Moses thus speaks of himself; Deborah is called a prophetess. But there is a
more specific sense to the word. Israel began as a theocracy. The government of God was
exercised through such as Moses and Joshua. Later, when the people insisted upon visible
kings, prophets, who had hitherto appeared sporadically, became a settled order, ready at
any moment to appeal from the secular kings to the Divine Ruler of Israel. They were
prophets as representing the Theocracy. They were not the equivalent of pastors -- they
were statesmen; and not statesmen merely, but opposition statesmen. They did not
minister to sympathetic 'congregations, but flung themselves into active life as
antagonists of the prevailing system. To this must
be added an important distinction between the earlier and the later prophets. The earlier
prophets, such as Elijah, were men of action. There is no "book of the Prophet
Elijah;" men like Elijah and Elisha enter into literature as heroes of stories which
others narrate. But the later prophets, like Isaiah and Jeremiah, without ceasing to be
men of action, are also men of letters. Thus for these later prophets there is a double function. To their own day and
generation they, like their predecessors, are leaders of national action. But beyond this
function their literary gifts have fitted them for a wider and perpetual audience. The
same spiritual message which they have from day to day fitted to passing emergencies, they
now, through these, other literary channels, convey to succeeding generations. This double
function of the later prophets has a bearing upon the interpretation of prophecy. As an
illustration, consider the first chapter of Isaiah. We call it discourse. But in what sense
is it discourse? If it be read side by side with one of the orations of Deuteronomy a great difference will be found. In
every sentence of the latter we are conscious of the presence of a great audience, and the
influence of an audience upon a speaker. The oration was actually spoken by Moses to an
assembly of Israelites. In the chapter of Isaiah we have impassioned oratory, but
without anything to suggest a visible audience or a particular occasion. The matter of
this chapter will no doubt have been used by Isaiah on fifty or a hundred occasions;
used as a whole or in parts; in formal address, or passing
remonstrance, as he labored, in season and out of season, in his prophetic vocation. The
content of the chapter is something different -- the essence of the message, the
concentration of these multiplied prophetic ministrations, stripped of what is accidental
or occasional, has adapted itself to a different literary type, and become universalized
in its appeal. And what is true of so simple a thing as discourse is yet more true in
application to the more elaborated prophecies of the nature of rhapsodies and doom songs.
This should be especially borne in mind when studying the "Rhapsody of Zion
Redeemed" -- a happily phrased caption which Moulton gives to the last twenty-seven
chapters of Isaiah, discussed in the preceding question. Much of what
we have presented foregoing applies equally to the New Testament Prophets. An
instructive paragraph from Scripture Studies, Vol. VI, page 246, is in point here. We quote: "The
word 'prophet' is not generally used today in the broad sense in which it was used in
olden times, but is rather understood to signify a seer, or foreteller. The word
prophet, however, strictly signifies a public speaker -- an orator. A seer of visions or a
recipient of revelations might also be a prophet, in the sense of a declarer of same;
but the two thoughts are distinctly separate. In the case of Moses and Aaron, Moses was
the greater, being the divine representative, and the Lord said to him, 'See, I have
made thee a god (mighty one or superior) unto Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy
prophet' - spokesman, mouthpiece. (Exod. 7:1.) ... Several of the Apostles 'were seers in
the sense that they were granted a knowledge of things 'to come; they were nearly all
prophets too, that is public orators -- especially Peter and Paul." The meaning
of the word does not change even when applied to our Lord. Moses had spoken of the Prophet
which should arise, like unto himself (Deut. 18:15, 18; Acts 3:22); while, when our Lord
came, the-people' said of him: "This is of a truth that Prophet that should come
into the world." (John 6:14.) In the exercise of his office as prophet, our Lord
represented -- was truly in the stead of, the spokesman, mouthpiece, or word of -- God.
As Brother Russell points out today's Manna (This is written September 25) even now our
Lord "gives us, as our Prophet or Teacher, wisdom by his
Gospel." "Jesus,
our Shepherd, Savior, Friend, Our., Prophet, Priest and King, ,Our hearts in
gratitude ascend; Accept the praise we bring." It is in
this same sense of forthtelling, expounding, instructing (rather than foretelling) that
the word applies to the great Prophet of the Age to come. Of that Prophet our glorified
Lord Jesus is to be the Head, the glorified Church, the Body members. For ourselves, we may give thanks that the privilege is
still ours of making our calling and election sure to membership in this company; for the
world of mankind as a whole, we may rejoice at their prospect (all unbeknown to them,
but nevertheless sure) of being granted an opportunity for deliverance from present sin
and death conditions to everlasting life in the Millennial Canaan to which this great
Prophet shall lead them. - P. L. Read Words of EncouragementDear
Brethren: I am sure you
will be interested to learn of the London Convention. I suppose upwards of 400 attended
for the semi-public meeting Saturday night. Probably the average attendance was only half
that number. It was, for these days, a well attended gathering and well representative.
We hope, more we pray, that each may have taken something back home with him. The
addresses were varied in matter and delivery. Brother Thomson's message was much
appreciated. His experience and ability, coupled with the fact of his absolute
consecration, make his talks a' benediction. There is no doubt that-he is called to be an
evangel in our midst, and we pray the Lord-bless-him in hiss stay over this side. He has
learned that addresses are not occasions to show how much one knows, nor are they a
time to open flood gates just as though the speaker has been waiting years to get something off his chest . . . . Too much learning is a weariness to the
flesh. We breathe and love, and these things should be stimulated. Matthew 25: "When
saw we Thee in prison?" -- naked, hungry, etc. -- things to do, comfort to give,
a practical outcome of true religion as James has it. The object of
my letter is to tell you the above and to let you know that we had great joy in receiving
Brother Paul, and also in receiving the messages that came from. all my loved ones on your
side. Is it not wonderful that when we love a person we cannot have too much of his
company? it is as though love transforms and even has the power of extracting good from
others. So that if one does not love, the good that might be done is not done. Jesus said,
"I would have gathered thee as a hen gathers her chicks, but ye would not." 'The
good He could have done was restricted. Yet He went about only "doing good." Please give
our Christian love to all the brethren there, and with it would you couple. Romans 15:13. Since I cannot
reach unto them I pray my Father to. I am still grateful for my privileges enjoyed at the hands of so many of the Lord's own. Yours by His Grace, |
