VOL.
LVII. January/February 1974 No. 1
The Destruction of Sennacherib
God's Strength Made Perfect in Weakness
"The Way, the Truth, the Life" A Meditation for the New Year
"God is our refuge and
strength, a very present help in trouble. THERE
is a growing conviction in the minds of thoughtful people that the days in
which we live are marked by an atmosphere of finality. For some time we have
been living in a new era -- one distinct, not only from pre-1914, but from
pre-1938 days; an era which might well be called the atomic era. In
his remarkable forecast of the conditions which would obtain at the close of
the Gospel Age, our Lord Jesus predicted that there would be "upon the
earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which
are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." (Luke
21:25, 26.) And surely there has never been a time when conditions resembled
his forecast more accurately than today. Christians
in these days, however, need not be in darkness as to the meaning of the past
fifty or sixty eventful years, but, through a knowledge of The Divine Plan, and
a daily renewal of their consecration vows, are permitted to occupy an enlightened,
privileged position. Such was the Psalmist's calm confidence, as, under
inspiration of God's holy spirit, he penned the forty-sixth psalm. Though
written, in all probability, to celebrate the deliverance of Jerusalem from
the invasion planned by Sennacherib in the days of Hezekiah (Isaiah 37) there
is little doubt that it has a prophetic significance -- meeting its larger fulfillment
in our day. On this psalm, Luther based his famous hymn, "A mighty
fortress is our God." Let us study it carefully and prayerfully, that the
reassurance the Lord intends us to obtain therefrom may be ours in the
difficult days which lie ahead. Scholars
have pointed out that it consists of three strophes, the conclusion of each
being marked by the Selah, and that of the last two by the refrain. STROPHE
No. 1
In
his Studies
in the Psalms, the spirit of Psalm 46 is summed up by Rotherham as being "that of stouthearted
trust in God. God is nearer than any enemy, and more powerful to relieve from
danger than the enemy to inflict it. The images employed in the psalm are
bold, being formed by depicting such convulsions of nature as are seldom or never
witnessed, yet are easily conceived. The terrible roar of the land in an earthquake, when the mountains are seen staggering into the midst of
the sea, and
the resentful sea is witnessed dashing its mighty waves on the mountains that overhang the shore:
such is the scene which the poet's art presents as a figure of disturbed
nations." Another
writer of note, J. J. Stewart Perowne, commenting on its primary application, submits the following
interesting and instructive paragraph: This
and the two following Psalms are hymns of triumph, composed on the occasion of
some great deliverance. I am inclined to think that they all celebrate the
same event, the sudden and miraculous destruction of the army of Sennacherib
under the walls of Jerusalem. That proud host had swept the land. City after
city had fallen into the power of the conqueror. The career of Sennacherib and
his captains had been one uninterrupted success. The capital itself alone held
out, and even there the enfeebled garrison seemed little likely to make a
successful resistance. The swollen river had, in the language of the prophet,
overflowed all his channels, and risen even to the neck. It was at this crisis
that deliverance came. When there were no succors to be expected, when neither
king nor army could help the city, God helped her. He, the Lord of Hosts, was
in the midst of her, keeping watch over her walls and defending her towers. His
Angel went forth at dead of night and smote the host of the Assyrians, and
when men awoke in the morning, there reigned in that vast camp the silence and
the stillness of death. Such a deliverance must have filled the whole nation
with wonder and joy. The old days of Moses and David would seem to have
returned. The hopes of Prophets, so great and so glowing, yet so often
apparently defeated, seemed now nearer to their accomplishment. The times were
at hand when Jerusalem should be indeed the joy of the whole earth, when all
nations should acknowledge Jehovah as their King. Her towers, her palaces, the
temple of her God, stood in all their beauty, saved by a miracle from the spoiler's
hand. God had made Himself known there as a sure refuge, and henceforth His
Name would be acknowledged in the earth. As
we come to study the psalm ourselves, it is easy to see that much of its
language is figurative. In Bible symbology the word "earth" denotes
an "order of society." The psalmist sees such an order of society
"removed," (or "changed," RSV). Evidently the scene which
the inspired poet seeks to convey to our minds is that of an earthquake,
(though the "land"
should "roar" -- Rotherham)
as the
result of which, a great change takes place in the form of society. The present
heavens and earth are envisioned as being replaced by a new heavens and earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness. (Isa. 65:17; 2 Pet. 3:13.) Moreover the new
earth, according to Hab. 2:14, is to be filled with the knowledge of God. Again,
the word "mountains" represents kingdoms. In Isa. 2:2 the prophet
informs us "It
shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house
shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above
the hills," evidently a reference to the time when Christ shall reign.
(See also Micah 4:1.) Again, as illustrating the use of figurative language to
describe the
changes now taking place in every strata of society, throughout the world, note the words of Isaiah in
40:4: "Every
valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low." This great leveling process, thus predicted by Isaiah, is the very theme portrayed in our psalm. STROPHE
No. 2
In
the first strophe, the fact that these catastrophes of nature are intended as
symbols is not specifically stated. The psalmist doubtless assumes that his
readers will under stand such an elementary matter. But in the second strophe
he applies these natural catastrophes. (Psa. 46:6.) He shows them to be symbols
of nations. And his point may easily be that, if we are able to trust in God,
who is able to control the mighty forces of nature, should we not also be able
to trust in him, as he deals with the mighty forces of kings and peoples? He is
just as able to control them. They may, and doubtless do, seem powerful enough
to us, but to him they are but as "the small dust of the balance . . . all
nations before him are as nothing. " - Isa. 40:15-17. Remembering this, we
shall be able to repose in him, and be at peace in our hearts. However,
before reaching Psa. 45:6, the psalmist has a word of peace to speak to the
Lord's true followers in Psa. 46:4 and Psa. 46:5. His first word concerns a
river-the river of truth and grace, the streams of which bring rest, peace,
comfort. To those who, by faith and consecration, have entered into covenant
relationship with God, and have been given the spirit of sonship--to such is
granted the peace of God, which passeth understanding. (Phil. 4:7.) In the
Millennial Age, at the threshold of which we stand today, these streams will
flow out as a river. Meantime, as rivulets they refresh and stimulate all
those who are walking in the narrow way. Such
refreshment of spirit comes to us particularly in connection with increased
understanding of our Father's word -- and conscious determination, by his
grace, to bring our lives ever more completely into line with his will for us.
Thus, understanding his plans, and watching them mature, even granted the privilege
of being co-laborers with him in some small measure, we find ourselves
realizing the "help" promised in verse 5; which help we confidently
expect to have continued to us, until our resurrection change, "right early," or, as Rotherham translates: "at the approach of the
morning." The
word "tabernacles," in Psa. 46:4, is in the plural, which is
puzzling, until one learns that it is an instance where the figure of speech
known as the plural
of majesty is employed.
This plural, whenever it occurs, simply means that "great" or
"much" or some similar adjective is to be understood as added to the
noun. In this case, not two or more tabernacles, but one very great tabernacle
is the thought; not great in size, but in glory or importance. In
our study of Tabernacle
Shadows, we
have learned, not only that God dwelleth between the cherubims (Isa. 37:16; Psa. 80:1), but that during our time here we are to live in a condition
represented by the "holy" of the tabernacle. There it is that we find
ourselves enjoying the light which comes from the golden candlestick; being
nourished by the bread of presence; and worshipping daily at the golden altar.
Here is the source of our strength, the source of our growth and development as
new creatures in Christ Jesus; and so long as we continue in the holy we are
immune to the fears of the world. "He that dwelleth in the secret place
of the Most High [i.e., in the holy, in the condition of consecration], shall
abide under the shadow of the Almighty." (Psa. 91:1.) The
further word of Psa. 46:5, that "God is in the midst of her," is
surely one that brings a sense of strength and security. It suggests, too, the
true basis of Christian unity. As with the nation of Israel under Moses,
Jehovah was in the center of each encampment, directing its affairs and
resolving differences, so, only in a much higher and grander sense, is he the
center of affairs in connection with spiritual Israel, leading them onward to
final. victory. The thought that our Father directs the experiences of us each,
and that nothing occurs in our lives without his knowledge and permission -
and without him being alongside to help - is very precious to us; surely one
which proves most heartening to us, as we recall it from time to time during
the days of our pilgrimage. Moreover,
the psalmist's additional assurance in this verse (Psa. 46:5) ought not to be
allowed to pass unnoticed. He says that, because God is in the midst of her --
the Church -- "she shall not be moved." Other kingdoms great and
small shall be, but not her. We, the church, are on our way to receive "a
kingdom which cannot
be moved." (Heb. 12:28.) Early in the morning of the Millennial Day we have been
helped and strengthened by our Father, guided through the complexities of this
life, shown his
plan, and preserved from the snares and pitfalls of the Adversary. And soon
the journey will have ended! How delighted are we at the prospect! -- not alone
because it will bring our own deliverance, but also because the opportunity
will be extended to all mankind to be set free from the thralldom of sin and
death. Surely this kingdom for which we have so long prayed: "Thy Kingdom
Come," is the "desire of all nations" spoken of by Haggai (Hag.
2:7), although the nations do not now realize it. In
Psa. 46:6 the psalmist reminds us that, whereas the nations have roared, and
the kingdoms have staggered, nevertheless, when God speaks, his voice is bound
to be heard and obeyed. Louder than the roar of nations is the voice of God. At
the sound of his voice, the earth (the order of society) melts. The
words of the psalmist here find an echo in 2 Pet. 3:10: "The
day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens
shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. But
Peter does not stop there. He has an encouraging word a little further on, in
Psa. 46:13 "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new
heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. " STROPHE No. 3
Are
Wars to Cease?
-- One of our free booklets bears this title. In it the position is developed,
from the scriptures, that wars will cease. Psalm 46:9 of our psalm declares that they are to
cease. They will cease, because God will make them cease. They will cease, when
God has permitted such desolation and horrors that those who wage wars will be
compelled to stay the carnage. Just how and when he will put an end to war, we
are not wise enough to say. It surely must be very soon, or the entire race of
mankind will be destroyed. When he does say "Cease," he will do so in such manner
that all will know that the one speaking is God, and that he must be
obeyed. Then will he be exalted among the nations. Something
of these sentiments must have been in the mind of the poet (Lord Byron) when he
penned those famous lines on "The Destruction of Sennacherib,"
reprinted below. The
psalmist concludes with the familiar benediction: "The Lord of hosts is
with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah." Here, once again, we are
reminded of the infinite power whereby God can subdue the entire universe unto
himself; reminded also of the fatherly love revealed in his word. Knowing that
both his power and love are ever combined on our behalf, our hearts may well
respond in those noble lines of Luther
-
Condensed from an article written by A. L. Muir in collaboration with P. L.
Read -- published in the October, 1961 Herald. Reprinted here by request. . The Destruction of Sennacherib
What Say the Scriptures?Basic Bible Studies No. 4 -The Wages of Sin
"In
Adam all die." - 1 Corinthians 15:22. OUR
three studies introductory to the Scriptures found the seasonings of men
concerning the Creator, the Bible, and Man's origin, largely negative in value.
On the other hand, the Holy Scriptures claim to be the repository of positive
truth, divinely inspired. To receive their testimony is to enter a direct road
to knowledge independent of rational thought; one requiring, however, the rigid
exclusion of human philosophies and speculations, for
The
necessity for this course becomes obvious from the opening page of the Bible,
for its account of man's creation is diametrically opposed to the popularly
accepted Evolution theory. There can be no compromise. We who accept the Bible
as God's inspired Word must follow the principle expressed by St. Paul:
"Let God be true though every man be false" (Rom. 3:4, R.S.V.). We
reject, further, the modern well-meaning effort to reconcile the Bible and
evolutionary biology, by an allegorizing of the Edenic story. No writer of true
history would mix plain matter of fact with allegory in the same continued
narrative, without some intimation of a transition from one to the other. If
the man Adam be accounted allegorical, so must be the woman Eve; and so the
garden, the trees, the rivers, the animals, etc. Continuing up the scale of
creation, we must allegorize the earth and the heaven -- thus reaching an
obviously absurd conclusion. This attempted interpretation solves no problem,
and we are brought back to the inescapable choice--man is either a fortuitous
development from lowly protoplasm, or originally a perfect and direct creation
of divine fiat. God
says: "I have made the earth and created man upon it." - Isaiah
45:12. The
Genesis account specifically states -- "In the image of God created he
him." And this thought of man's original perfection of being, is borne out
by the context, which declares that God looked upon his creature with approval,
seeing him to be "very good." It is borne out also by the general
testimony of Scripture respecting God as a Master workman -- "His work is
perfect" (Deut. 32:4). It is borne out by the statement of the
Psalmist, "Thou madest him [man, Adam] a little lower than the angels,
thou crownedst him with glory and with honor [his moral likeness to his Creator];
thou didst set him over the works of thy hands" -- the beasts of the
field, the fish of the sea, and the fowl of heaven" and didst make him
ruler over them all" -- giving to man the dominion of the earth, with its
lower orders of creation, in the likeness of God's dominion over heavenly
things (Ps. 8:6, 7). It is borne out again by the statement of the Wise Man,
that God made man upright, but he sought out many inventions and defiled
himself. - Eccl. 7:29. Furthermore,
Adam is termed a "son of God" (Luke 3:38); an expression
Scripturally restricted to angelic beings, to Jesus, and to his footstep
followers, justified through faith and led of God's spirit. Additionally,
the historicalness of the account of Adam and Eve is attested to by Jesus, who
quoted from Genesis 1:27 and 2:24 in these words "Have ye not read, that
he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For
this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife;
and they twain shall be one flesh?" - Matthew 19:4, 5. Finally,
there are the multitudinous references from Genesis to Revelation to the
pivotal truth of all Scripture -- the redemptive sacrifice of Christ
-- a doctrine positively confirming Adam's original perfection and subsequent
"fall." We
conclude therefore, that the record concerning the first man and woman is
neither allegory nor fable, but a literal, historical fact set forth and
emphasized through figures of speech to intensify its truthful realities. THE DIVINE COMMAND Following
the account of Adam's creation, the narrative continues: "And
the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom
he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that
is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst
of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.... And the Lord God
commanded the man saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it;
for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." - Genesis
2:8, 9, 16, 17. We
note the simple facts: the provisions of a loving Creator for his noble
creature's welfare in trees of life -- bearing fruit suitable to the
perpetuation of human life; the forbiddance (probably temporary only) of but
one tree; and the extremeness of the penalty. Before the perfect man is now set
a test of obedience. We
are to think of Adam as perfect in the sense of being mentally and morally
fashioned after the likeness of the Creator -- well poised, well balanced --
not prone to sin "as the sparks fly upward," as he subsequently
became, and as the children now are. We are not, however, to think of him as perfect
in knowledge or in character. Knowledge must be acquired, but he was fully
equipped with all the mental and moral apparatus for a rapid acquirement of
knowledge. As for character, in an intelligent being it is a fixity of the
will; and such a fixity can come only with knowledge. In other words, the
perfect Adam was ready to acquire perfect knowledge, and had a perfect Creator,
able and willing to give him the requisite instruction; and as this right
instruction would be received, and this perfect knowledge be attained,
character (good or bad) would be established -- either in favor of the
principles of righteousness already established by God, or in opposition to
the will of God, in unrighteousness. We
are not to think of Adam's condition and trial as an experiment on God's part,
the result of which would be doubtful; but, on the contrary, we are to remember
that the results were fully known to the Almighty before the trial began, and
that he saw the end of his work from the beginning (Acts 15:18), else he would
never have undertaken it. Divine foreknowledge is conceded by a large
proportion of professing Christians who, nevertheless, are sadly confused by certain
false theories which imply that the Almighty's foreknowledge was to the effect
that the vast majority of the posterity of Adam would spend an eternity in most
horrible suffering, and that God prepared the arrangement for their suffering
in advance of their creation. This view is untenable among those who combine
any measure of knowledge of God's character with any measure of reasoning
ability. The Scriptures show conclusively that God had a much more just, reasonable,
and loving plan than that -- that he foresaw beneficent results before creating
our first parents. There
are two methods of giving and receiving instruction. One through precept and
example; the other through experience. Man was not the first of the intelligent
creatures -previously God had created many higher orders - angels, cherubim,
principalities, and powers (Rom. 8:38; Eph. 3:10, etc.). These had all been
instructed by good precepts; they had not had instruction through example,
except on the side of good example: they had no illustration of evil and
its pernicious consequences. That they antedated man is revealed in the remarkable
words addressed to job: "Where wast thou when I laid the foundation of the
earth? . . . When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God
shouted for joy?" (Job 38:4-7). These celestial spectators beheld with
wonder and praise the operation of divine wisdom and power in the work of the
creative "days." But the angelic host did not know that upon this
planet was to unfold a mighty drama which would reveal for all eternity two
other wonderful attributes of God -- justice and love. For the divine purpose
was to bring into being a new order of creature -- humanity -- whose
instruction, it was forearranged, should be along the lines of experience, which
would add to the instruction of God's angelic creatures by way of giving them
an example of sin and its consequences, and of the divine attitude toward sin
and toward sinners. The permission of evil -- its eventual removal and the
means used thereto -- constitutes the great theme of the Bible.* ----------------------------------- * See
our free booklet, "Why Does God Permit Evil?" When
God's wonderful Plan of the Ages is understood, everything in nature and in
experience bears testimony to the overruling of his providence. The heavens
declare his glory and the earth showeth his handiwork -- all speak of an
intelligent designer, wisely adapting means to good and benevolent ends, and
ministering to the necessities of his intelligent creatures. Every leaf and
every sunbeam bears to the thoughtful a loving message of divine care. And
every in harmony of nature, when viewed in the light of God's plan, is seen to
be but a part of that great process whereby God is preparing for the perfect
order of things which shall continue forever, when sin and its entailments
shall have been banished under the successful reign of Christ; and even the
long permitted wrath of man and Satan will eventually be to God's praise. Therefore,
in considering Adam's trial, we first observe that since God is good, all his
providences must be with a view to wise and benevolent ends, either near or
remote; and secondly, that since he made man in his own image -- morally free
-- and with the alternatives of good and evil before him, it would be contrary
to his purpose, thus manifested, to so hedge him about with his providences as
to interfere with his moral free-agency, which is the crowning glory of humanity,
and the right exercise of which gives to virtue all its worth. DISOBEDIENCE AND ITS PENALTY "Now
the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had
made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, bath God said, Ye shall not eat of every
tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the
fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the
midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye
touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely
die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be
opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw
that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she
took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with
her; and he did eat." - Genesis 3:1-6. The
characters in this high tragedy are all worthy the grandeur of the occasion.
They are Jehovah; a fallen rebel of the spiritual universe; and man, an earthly
image of God. The test -- act of the occasion, too -- however men of low
conceptions have sneered at it -- was equal to the character of the parties in
grandeur and dignity. It was indeed the simple taste of fruit; but that tasting
an act of deliberate disobedience to Him whose law is perfect. It
is with no cloudy vagueness that the personal existence of the spirit of evil
is revealed in Holy Scripture. In history, prophecy, and in parable is the
Tempter brought before us, and every quality, every action, every attribute
which can indicate personality, is referred to him in language which cannot be
explained away. The record's of the old dispensation and the writings of the
new, alike depict him as preeminent in power among the angels who lost their
first estate (Jude 6), and as ever compassing the destruction of men. As God
is called "the holy one," so Satan is called "the evil
one." He is the oldest sinner (1 John 3:8); the greatest sinner (Eph.
6:12); and the father of sin (John 8:44). In 2 Corinthians 11:3, St. Paul gives
us a plain, historic version of the beguiling of Eve; and in Revelation 12:9,
we read of the great dragon, "that old serpent, the devil and Satan."
We, then, are neither wise nor prudent to talk of allegories, or rhetorical
personification, or in bolder unbelief to doubt or deny the existence and the
power of the chief of fallen spirits. It were far wiser to recognize our foe,
and to seek the strength with which to contend with him. The
fact of original sin presents nothing strange, nothing obscure; it consists
essentially in disobedience to the will of God, which will is the moral law for
man. This disobedience, the sin of Adam, is an act committed everywhere and
every day, arising from the same causes, marked by the same characters, and
attended by the same consequences as Holy Scripture assigns to it. It is the
way of man -- from God to self and independence. There is first the subtle
questioning of God's love; the suggestion that his commandment is merely
arbitrary, imposed by power. Love being doubted, truth is next assailed and God
is treated as a liar. God's love and truth being denied, the next step is to
take his place openly. God has quite lost his character in the heart of man,
and self now seeks to be "as God." Thus is spiritual perception
destroyed when God is doubted. St.
Paul declares that "Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived
was in the transgression" (1 Tim. 2:14). Mother Eve's involvement in
transgression was wholly apart from her husband's knowledge or complicity; and
he, when he learned of her course, was so full of sympathy and so full of love
for her, that his affection quite overcame his proper sense of duty toward God.
Concluding that his wife's disobedience had forfeited her life, and that the
result to him would mean everlasting loss of her companionship, he deliberately
chose to be with his companion in sin rather than to be separated from her:
therefore he ate knowingly, to share her penalty -- he suicided. He chose the
creature, more than the Creator, who is blessed forevermore. "Unto
Adam the Lord God said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife,
and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not
eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it
all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to
thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt
thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it vast thou
taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." - Genesis
3:17-19. Here
in direct and forceful simplicity the penalty for disobedience to God is
stated to be a return to the previous condition of nonexistence. In the words
of Paul: "The wages of sin is death." And again: "By one man's
disobedience sin entered into the world, and death by [as a result of] sin: and
so death passed upon all men, in that all are sinners [inheritors of their father
Adam's blemishes]." - Romans 6:23; Rom. 5:12, 19. How
strange it seems that this simple Genesis narrative, which contains not a word
respecting eternal torment, should be made the basis of all the fears which
have tormented millions of Christian believers respecting a future of
unutterable woe entailed upon Father Adam, and through him upon his race. How
simple the statement of the Lord respecting what the penalty would be --
death; margin, "dying thou shalt die." How fully this is in
agreement with the experiences which have been upon the race for now six
thousand years -- dying they have died to the number of something like twenty
thousand millions. We would not make light of the original sin; we would have
it appear in its full force as a deliberate, willful disobedience of the divine
command; and yet we assert with all confidence that no reasonable mind can
find anything in this language indicating eternal torment as being the wages of
sin. How could any reasonable mind admit that if eternal torment had been threatened
it would have been a just
penalty for
the crime mentioned -- disobedience in the eating of forbidden fruit? If
to some it may at first appear that death is not a severe sentence, not a
manifestation of divine wrath, not a curse, let them reflect further. Let them
note how all of the dying processes are only parts of death, and that as insane
asylums mark those who become mentally dead before they are physically dead;
and as hospitals mark those who become physically decrepit before they are mentally
decrepit; and as prisons mark those who become morally dead or decrepit before
they are physically dead; so all of the experiences of our race,
"groaning and travailing in pain together," mark "death working
in us." All sicknesses, pains, and sorrows are parts of the dying process
in the human family. The "curse" or sentence of death has resulted
in blighted hopes and loves and ambitions, and is rapidly placing the entire
race in the great prison house of death -- the grave. Surely, the true penalty
of sin was a heavy one, though we must admit it was a just one. Surely, it
involved all of the race of Adam in the most natural manner, because all of his
children are partakers of his sentence; because sharers in his weaknesses, his
imperfection, resulting from his transgression of the divine law. How
unutterably tragic the lot of the human race if this present life were their
only and final portion. Thank God for the golden promise of the Holy
Scriptures -- a glorious restitution age under the reign of Messiah -- a
promise summed up in the Apostle's words in 1 Corinthians 15:21, 22.
- W.
J. Siekman (The subject of the fifth
article in this series will be: "Where Are the Dead?") God's Strength Made Perfect in Weakness "My grace is sufficient
for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." - 2 Corinthians
12:9 THE
words of our text were spoken to the Apostle Paul by his resurrected Lord. As
all will remember, they came to him in response to his urgent, thrice-repeated
prayer. This
personal lesson followed directly the teaching with which he had begun his
first letter to Corinth: "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the
world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to
confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things
which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to
nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. . . . He
that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." -1 Corinthians 1:27-31. Using
himself as an example, Paul was illustrating one rule of God's dealings with
men, the paradox of strength in weakness. He wrote that it had been said of
him, "his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." The
Apostle responded: "Of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities .
. . there was given to me a thorn in the flesh. . . . For this thing I besought
the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, 'My grace
is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.' Most
gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ
may rest upon me ... for when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Cor.
10:10; 12:5-10). God's strength is made perfect in weakness! Thus, he deals
daily in the impossible. When
God wants to do something with his people he starts with the impossible. He
promised Abraham a son. Then, He waited until Sarah was past the age of
childbearing before fulfilling the promise. Having graduated from his
training in the courts of Egypt Moses thought he was ready to help his people.
His attempt to fight for them ended in ignominious flight and an obscure exile
among Jethro's sheep. Forty years of loneliness and unlearning passed before
God called him. He had lost his court polish. "I am not eloquent," he
pleaded. Then God, by means of Moses, freed Israel. When Elizabeth gave birth
to John the Baptist, were there no younger women in Israel? Of course, there
were. But how could they experientially know the depth of their need for God's
power to bear a child, especially the one of whom Jesus was to say:
"Among those that are born of women there bath not risen a greater than
John the Baptist" (Matt. 11:11). So God did the impossible. It cannot be
stated often enough, God has chosen "things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence; --"
that our only boast can be of God. - 1 Cor. 1:21, 27-31. That
Joseph should be the son of an obscure shepherd in Canaan before he became the
governor in Egypt was not improbable enough. He had first to become a slave and
a slave in prison before his condition was impossible enough for God to lift
him up to rulership. Jesus did not wait till Lazarus was sick to cure him; he
tarried until Lazarus was dead and buried before acting! God did not use Saul
the Pharisee, student of Gamaliel, officer of the temple; instead, he took the
blind Paul and made him his emissary to governors, kings, and the imperial
household in Rome. When Samuel went to anoint a king of Jesse's sons, God
passed over all the mature men of the house and took the youngest, a musician,
a poet, a shepherd, and transformed him into the greatest war leader Israel
ever had. Before Samson wrought havoc on the Philistines he was ensnared by a
woman, shorn, chained to a mill, and blinded. Then, he pulled down
Dagon's house of worship. It was only "when Pharaoh drew nigh" that
Moses said, "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord." -
Exodus 14:10, 13, 21. "WAIT MY SOUL UPON THE LORD" The
key to God's perfect strength in us is found precisely in that statement,
"Stand still." So long as our "ceaseless struggling after
life" continues, God waits. Perhaps the hardest lesson in the school of
Christ is found here: "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10).
God takes the nothings of this world to make into the somethings in his world.
It "pleases" God to use the weak, foolish, base, despised of this
world, not so that these can boast but so that all boasting is excluded. Only
such "zeros" can know intimately, from personal experience, that
they can do nothing alone. Only by knowing this experientially and acting on
that knowledge can they do the impossible. Take
the case of God's strange command to Moses: "When Pharaoh shall speak
unto you . . . then thou shalt say unto Aaron, take thy rod, and cast it before
Pharaoh." So Pharaoh's magicians and Aaron "cast down every man his
rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods"
(Exod. 7:9-12). It was only a rod, a dry piece of wood, "as a root out of
a dry ground . . . no form nor comeliness" (Isa. 53:2). Aaron
picked up that rod and it remained dry, detached from its root and dead. Years later in the
wilderness he laid the same dead rod before the tabernacle of witness.
"And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of
witness; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and
brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds." - Numbers
17:8. Only
a dry rod, but laid on the altar of God, it blossomed and brought forth fruit.
Only a persecutor of Christians, blinded and kneeling in the dusty road to
Damascus but he carried God's message to governors and kings and into the
imperial household of Rome. Only the poor, base, nobodies of this world, but
touched by divine fire they make everything else become meaningless,
nothingness, tasteless, and flat. "I
will make the place of my feet glorious," saith the Lord (Isa. 60:13).
What a pity that so few of us are content to remain at the place of his
feet. Israel's first king Saul had once known the beauty of God's feet. He
wandered away never to return to that place. Even Abraham once wandered from
the place of blessing. A famine made him go down to Egypt: A famine in the
land for Abraham; the weight of kingship for Saul and the very means which
brought them to their high destinies, high callings, were abandoned, by Abraham
temporarily, by Saul forever. They turned to the arm of flesh. "The
arm of flesh will fail you, you dare not trust your own." Never was this
law more clearly seen than in the contrasting lives of Saul and David. At no
time were spirit and flesh more in contrast than on that fateful day when the
big boaster from Gath strode up and down the narrow strip of land which lay
between the armies of Israel and Philistia. No man dared to cross that fearful
no-man's-land; but a mere stripling, an unknown youth, did. He wore no armor
that day. None that human eyes could see. No more than human eyes could see the
beauty of that One they esteemed "stricken, smitten of God and
afflicted" (Isa. 53:4). No more than natural eyes can see the glories of
the place of God's feet. But David knew the armor he wore that day. He had
tried it. It had borne the test. It was proved in conflict. He had proven it
experientially. And he said so speaking of Saul's royal armor: "I cannot
go with these; for I have not proved them." Instead "he took his
staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook ... and
his sling was in his hand." - 1 Samuel 17:39, 40. "THE LORD AT THY RIGHT HAND" He
scarcely seemed a man, so young he looked, as he walked beyond the army of
Israel into the "no man'sland" which separated the two armies. His
brother's words still rang in the ears of the Israelites: "Why camest thou
down hither? And with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the
wilderness?" Eliab thought he had fled his shepherding to be a spectator
of the battle. How little he knew! Even David had not known where the simple
errand on which he had been sent, would lead. "Take now for thy brethren,"
Jesse had said, "an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves and
run to the camp to thy brethren; and carry these ten cheeses unto the Both
armies watched as he walked out onto the strip which the giant from Gath had
dominated for forty days. "I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a
man, that we may fight together." Each day that challenge had been flung
in the teeth of God's people. Every day the Philistines rejoiced more and
Israel was more cast down. "Give me a man," and now a boy stepped
out. "Who
is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living
God?" David asked. Almost before he knew it, he had found himself walking
out between the armies, with no other man except the Philistine giant. Only a
boy, a few stones, a staff, a sling, but these came near the giant, "in
the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel." He was
God's champion and he needed no more. " ... I will smite thee, and take
thine head from thee . . . that all the earth may know that there is a God in
Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword
and spear ... " "My strength is made perfect in weakness." "Who
is this lad?" asked Saul of Abner, and Abner could not answer.
"Enquire thou whose son the stripling is." Samuel could have said,
"Saul, this unknown stripling is God's champion. A greater man than you
because no task is too humble for him, because, unlike you, he does not trust
in swords and spears, but in God." What
if David had scorned the servant's task Jesse sent him on? He had not known
God's plans the day he had left his "few sheep in the wilderness." No
mighty goal could be discerned by the young man as he drove the cart of parched
wheat, bread, and cheese. He could have reasoned very plausibly that this was
no service for God as he carried the supplies to the quartermaster. It was a slave's
task, and he had been anointed the future king of Israel by Samuel. But, had he
not gone on this menial service, he would never have "slain his ten
thousands." "THE LORD IS WITH ME" Having
carried out that task, failure was still possible. When David had heard the
Philistine boast and cried out against the giant, men reported his daring words
to the king. Saul sent for him. What a disappointment to find the author of
these brave words only a boy, a stripling. Learning his name was only an afterthought
for Saul. "Thou art not able to go against this Philistine . . . thou art
but a youth." "The
Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the
bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine," replied
David. "Go,
and the Lord be with thee," said Saul. Did he hypocritically think they
were sending him to death? or did he dimly remember a young man who was once,
like this lad, "little in his own eyes"? Did he recall the experience
of having God's hand upon him in the baggage among the asses? If so, the memory
had lost all meaning. Saul weighed him down with his own armor, his helmet of
brass, his coat of mail. But David would not go out against the giant so poorly
protected! "I
cannot go with these . . . I have not proved them. And David put them off
him." He had proved God. God had been put to the test against the lion and
the bear. Now it was in the name of the God whom Goliath had defied that he
went. "So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a
stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the
hand of David" (1 Sam. 17:50). No iron sword. What a fall there is when
one exchanges the sword of the spirit for one of iron! At
least two things were necessary for David's impossible victory. He had to
faithfully discharge small duties which seemed to have little significance for
God's service. He had to take the name of God with him, not the means of men. God
had anointed him while he was a shepherd and he was content to do God's service
as a shepherd until God called him away from the sheep to become Israel's
greatest king. The success or failure of each of his steps to the end of his
days was to depend upon his remaining "in the condition in which he was
called." The Scriptures are filled with this theme. It is a reflection of
the paradox of strength in weakness, of how God works among men. The measure of
our zeal, love, courage, devotion, faith, sacrifice, willingness to serve is
not to be found in great trials, temptations, or crises, alone. For the vast
majority, for almost all the members of his church, the measure of our devotion
to God will be found in much humbler things. It is in the common life lived
uncommonly, that we best display the mercies of him who has called us. To
be continued - L. Iannaccone "The Way, the Truth, the Life"
- Frederick A. Essler "Have Faith in God" THE
LESSON of faith, to those who have become the Lord's consecrated people, is
not merely faith in doctrines and theories, nor, indeed, chiefly this faith.
The chief feature of faith is confidence in God; that what He has promised He
is able and willing to fulfill. This faith grasps not only the things to come,
but also the things present; this faith rejoices not only in the glory that
shall be revealed, but rejoices also in the sufferings and trials and
difficulties and all the rich experiences which an all-wise Father sees best to
permit. Let us therefore, as the Apostle exhorts, rejoice evermore, "in
everything giving thanks." - 1 Thess. 5:18; Eph. 5:20. The
best illustrations of this true faith, this continuous confidence in God, is found, as Ave should expect,
in our dear Redeemer's experiences and their narrative. Realizing that He was
in the world for the purpose of serving the divine plan, He realized also
continually the supervision of divine wisdom in respect to all His affairs:
consequently He not only went to the Father frequently in prayer, and went to
the Word of the Lord for guidance, but every experience through which He
passed, and all the opposition with which He met, He recognized as being under
the divine supervision. He knew that He was fully consecrated to the Father,
and seeking not His own will but the will of Him that sent Him; He knew
consequently that the Father's providential care was superintending all the
affairs of His life. This
is forcibly illustrated in. His answer to Pilate; when the latter said to Him,
Knowest thou not that I have power either to deliver Thee or to put Thee to
death? Jesus answered, "Thou couldest have no power, except it were given
thee of My Father." Again He said, with respect to the cup of suffering
and ignominy, "The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink
it?" Indeed, it was sufficient for Him in any and every matter to realize
that the Father was controlling: this thought gave Him courage to do, to
suffer, and to bear. And
similar confidence in divine Providence is necessary to all who would come off
conquerors through Him who loved us and died for us. If we can feel sure that
we have fully surrendered ourselves to God according to His call, we may also
feel sure that all things are working for our good: we may realize in every emergency of life that the Father has
prepared the cup, and will sustain and bless us while we drink it: our Lord
Jesus, the Father's; representative, oversees our trials and ignominy and
suffering; He permits the cup to be prepared for us by blinded servants of
Satan. This knowledge should not only enable us to take joyfully the spoiling
of our goods (anything that we deemed precious, trade, influence, good name,
etc.), but should enable us also to entreat with kindness and gentleness, and
with a spirit of forgiveness those who prepare and administer the cup of our
sufferings. But none can have this confidence of faith--none should have
it--except one certain, particular class; and it is not a large class as compared
to the world, but a "little flock"-those who have believed in the
precious blood unto justification and who have, as members of the Body of
Christ, consecrated themselves unreservedly to walk in their Redeemer's
footsteps, to suffer with Him, and to be finally glorified together with Him. "What is Faith's Foundation Strong?" In
our text, after the Apostle has urged us to be "content with such things
as ye have," he adds the reason or ground upon which this advice is given,
saying, "For He hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."
Yes, this is the true ground of contentment, the realization of the Lord's
care, and that the Lord's wisdom and grace are being exercised towards us,-and
that such things as He grants are the things which are best for us, and which
we would choose for ourselves, if we had sufficient wisdom and insight into
all. the circumstances of the case. The
Apostle adds, "So then we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, I will
not fear what man shall do unto me." The whole world has wondered at the
intelligent courage of the humble ones of the Lord's people. The secret of
their courage and of their strength is in their confidence that the Lord is
their helper, that He, with wisdom and love which are infinite, is both able and
willing to make all things work together for their good Possibly
some may be inclined to wonder why so much attention has been. given in these
columns of late to themes similar to the one here discussed, and kindred topics
calculated to develop more and more the spirit of love and the various fruits
of that spirit, and to counteract the spirit of selfishness, and the evil
fruits of that spirit. We answer, it is because we believe these lessons to be
specially opportune at the present time. The Lord, by His grace, has removed
many blinding errors from our minds, and given us clearer insight of His glorious
plans, and revealed to us His glorious character in connection with His Plan;
and there has perhaps been more or less danger, that in such a study of theology
the real object of all this knowledge, the object of the Gospel, may be lost
sight of. It is not God's object to merely find an intellectual people, nor to
instruct a people with reference to His plans, but to sanctify a people with
the truth, and thus to make them "meet [fit] for the inheritance of the
saints in light." We are of the opinion that the testings which the Lord
designs for His people are not merely doctrinal tests, and consequently we
expect, more and more, that the harvest siftings and separations amongst those
who come to a knowledge of the truth, will be considerably along the lines of
character, and of the fruits of the spirit. The
Lord's final decision is not, If you be ignorant of certain things you are
none of mine; nor, If you have certain knowledge you are mine; but, "If
any man have not the Spirit [disposition, mind] of Christ, he is none of
His." And if we are right in this, dear readers, it is of paramount
importance that we, as soldiers of the cross, put on not only the intellectual
covering, the helmet of salvation, but also the heart covering, love of
righteousness and truth and goodness and purity, with the shield of faith. The
breastplate of righteousness will be found to be one of the most important
pieces of armor in the battle which is upon us, and respecting which tine are
told that thousands shall fall at our side. - Psa. 91:7; Matt. 24:24; 2 Thess.
2:11. Not
only so, but we believe that the lesson foregoing is of great importance,
because the time is short; and those of the Lord's people who do not soon start
to cultivate a spirit of contentment and thankfulness will not only not be fit
for the Kingdom, but will as sharers of the world's spirit of discontent be in
sore distress with the world very shortly, in the great time of trouble.
Contentment and the faith which it implies, are necessary to godliness: and
whoever is attempting godliness without striving for cultivation of contentment
will surely make a failure of it. Godliness and the fruits of the spirit,
meekness, patience, gentleness, longsuffering, brotherly-kindness, love, will
not grow in the garden of the soul, where the weeds of discontent are permitted
to sap the strength and vitiate the air with their noxious presence and influence. The
sentiment of one of our precious hymns is quite to the point, and we desire,
for ourselves and for all of the Lord's people, that condition of faith and
consecration and contentment which will permit us to sing from the heart, with
the spirit and with the understanding also, the words: --
Who
can tell that the Lord may not ultimately put some such tests to us, as these
mentioned by the poet which were applied to himself and to others of the
faithful in the past? Let us remember that we will not be faithful in large
things unless we have learned to be faithful in little things. Let each,
therefore, begin, and faithfully continue, a transformation of his life along
these lines of godliness with contentment in the most trifling affairs of
life. He will thus not only be making himself and others the happier in the
present time, but he will be preparing himself for greater trials and tests
that the Lord may be pleased to impose later, to prove to what extent we are
overcomers of the world and of its spirit. "This
is the victory that overcometh the world, even your faith;" because faith
lies at the foundation of all loyalty to God and His cause. Faith in the
divine supervision of all our affairs not only gives peace and content, but it
saps the root of all selfish ambitions and vain gloryings and boastings;
because of our faith in the Lord's Word, that "He that humbleth himself
shall be exalted and he that exalteth himself shall be abased." Faith in
the Lord's supervision prefers the Lord's arrangement to any other as respects
the sufferings of this present time and the glory that is to follow; and hence
it doth not puff up but builds up in the character likeness of our
Redeemer. Rest
- Gertrude W. Seibert. The Question Box Question: John
12:31, 32 (King James Version) reads: "Now
is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." According
to at least seven translations, verse 32 reads "when I am lifted up,"
in place of the words "if I be lifted up," and the best Greek texts
show that the word "men" is not in the original Greek. May
we not understand by this that the drawing was consummated by the cross and
that it involved not merely men but the drawing of all things to himself--to his possession (Psalm 2:8, Matt. 11:27);
an Adamic world purchase -- dispossessing Satan of his possession (Matt. 4:9),
rather than as a drawing to salvation which is the exclusive work of the Father
during the Gospel Age (John 6:44)? Jesus well said with the cross in view
"Now is there a judging (crisis or decisive moment) of this world."
"Now the prince (or ruler) of this world shall he cast out." (Cast
out by the judgment or decision of the cross as to who is the rightful
ruler--who shall possess this world.) Answer: In
their translations we find that some scholars retain "if" and some
"when." Weymouth, who retains "if in the text, gives
"when" in the margin. It is the same word as in John 14:3 ("If I
go and prepare a place for you, I will come again"). Here also Weymouth
retains "if" in the text and "when" in the margin. However,
in a footnote he points out that "the 'if' does not indicate any
uncertainty." Again,
as all may see for themselves, the word "men" is shown, in the King
James Version, in italics which indicates that there is no corresponding word
in the Greek. It has been supplied by the English translators. We
would agree, then, that there could be no valid objection to a translation
reading: "I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all to
myself." Next
we inquire: Does the word "all" refer to mankind, or to things, or to
both mankind and things? We reply: According to our understanding of the
passage it refers to mankind. It is mankind who are to be drawn. This word "drawn" could hardly be used,
appropriately, of inanimate things. Inanimate things might be drawn, indeed, by
a rope, or by a steam engine --never by the cords of love. However,
it is true that when the whole race of mankind has been drawn to Christ and
fully restored, such restitution will be accompanied by the "restitution
of all things." The whole earth will then be as was the Garden of Eden. -
Acts 3:21; Eph. 1:14; Isa. 60:13; Isa. 66:1; Isa. 51:3. Again,
in the question, reference is made to John 6:44 and the point made that the
drawing of men to salvation during the Gospel Age is the exclusive work of the
Father. With this we agree. However, we think the drawing, by Jesus, mentioned
in John 12:32 relates not to the Gospel Age but to the Millennial Age. It
is a rewarding study to note the relationship which this text (bears to its
context. It is part of a brief summary of the Gospel which our Lord gave his
disciples just two days before his crucifixion, immediately following his
interview with certain well disposed Greeks (John 12:20). This
Gospel summary continued with a parable about
a corn of wheat which, unless it die, must abide alone, but which, if it were
to die, would bring forth much fruit; -- a parable which, he well knew, could
find its fulfillment and which he was determined should find its fulfillment
only in himself (John 12:24). It
included also a paradox about losing
one's life to save it, which his disciples were to understand was to apply to
them, as well as to him, if after Pentecost they would, in very truth, be his
followers (John 12:25). This
Gospel summary continued with a promise
-- nay, a double promise: Part (1) "If any man serve me, let him
follow me; and where I am there shall
also my servant be"; Part (2) "If any man serve me, him will my rather honor" (John
12:26). And
then, to parable, paradox and promise he adds the remarkable prediction found in the two verses
quoted at the head of this "Question Box" (John 12:31,32). These
verses form, moreover, not a single prophecy but a four-fold prediction. (1)
The words predict, first of all, his death on the cross, as St. John himself
observes: "This he [Jesus] said, signifying by what manner of death' he
should die" (verse 33) (2)
Nor was it only his crucifixion the words foretold. Behind and beyond that
shameful elevation he saw a glorious ascension into heaven. Literally rendered,
his words would read, not when I aim lifted up "from" the earth, but
when I am lifted up "out of or "above" the earth. The Diaglott
renders the words: "And I, if I be raised on high from the earth, will
draw all to myself;" and in this peculiar phrase, whatever its first
intention may have been, most expositors find a reference to his resurrection
from the dead and his ascension to the right hand of God, as well as to the
special manner of the death by which he was to glorify God. (3)
Next our Lord proceeds to tell the results of his death and of his triumph over
death, the results of his being lifted up "from" the earth and of his
being lifted up "but of" and beyond the earth. One
result, he tells us, will be that he will draw all men unto himself -- all men,
that is to say, without distinction of race -- both the Jews who had rejected
him and the Gentiles who are ignorant of him. And what could have seemed more
improbable, more incredible than that? Who but he could have seen that his
crucifixion would start a religious revolution which would spread throughout
the world and lift and bind its scattered and hostile races into one new and
perfect manhood? For two thousand years the whole course of history had been
against any such idea. Through all those centuries God had had an elect people
to whom, and to whom exclusively, he had confined the direct and immediate
disclosures of his will. Was this divine (procedure to be changed all in a
moment? Could it be that the unique grace so long shown to the Jews was now to
be extended to all mankind? True, God had elected Israel only that Israel might
be his minister to mankind, but in the pride of its election Israel had long
forgotten the end for which it was elected. Well,
the divine procedure was, indeed, to be changed, although not all in a moment.
First would come the call of the Church, which would occupy a brief space (two
thousand years as we count time but only a couple of days from God's
standpoint) During that period the Father would draw to Jesus those who would
constitute his Bride. Then, with her at his side, Jesus would proceed, through
the Millennial Age, to draw all men to himself. (4)
Even yet, however, we have not exhausted this marvelous prediction-have not
followed it out to its full scope. For, just as behind the death of the cross
Jesus saw the resurrection and ascension into heaven, so behind and beyond the
call of the Gospel Age Church, and after his own "drawing" power had
been exercised during the Millennial Age, he foresaw and foretold the final
triumph of good over evil. Part
of our question may be condensed, as follows: May we not understand that Satan,
the prince or ruler of this world, is to be cast out, as the result of the
judgment or decision of the cross; that is to say, cast out from such
rulership? To this we reply: Yes, that is the proper thought; that is precisely
what we are to understand from this passage. In
this connection, notice especially the force of solemn and picturesque phrase:
"The prince of this world shall be cast
out." Our Lord who before had seen Satan fall like, lightning from heaven now predicts that he is to be
cast out from the earth. And this
phrase "cast out" is every suggestive, for it is the technical phrase
for excommunication, for the solemn and formal expulsion of one who has sinned
against the light of a synagogue, a temple of any holy place or community. To
affirm, therefore, that Satan is to be cast out of the world implies that he
has no right in it. It implies that the
world is (or is to become) a holy place -- (may God hasten the day), a
place sanctified by the divine presence, and therefore a place for which Satan
is unfit, in which his presence is a usurpation and an offence, from which he
is to be solemnly and forever expelled. As
yet, indeed, we see not that he has been expelled from the world or even from
the Church. But he who came to destroy the works of the devil, he who is able
to measure all spiritual forces with a precision to, which we cannot pretend,
and to calculate the issue between good and evil with an infallible prescience--he
it is who here assures us that as the result of his coming into the world, his
death for the world's sin, and his judgment or rule of the world, the power of
evil is to be broken, that the supreme representative of evil is, to be
overcome, dethroned, driven out. He pronounces the issue certain, however long
the conflict, the campaign, may last. He affirms that the temple of the world
(God give us faith to believe that this world is yet to be a temple) is to be
purged from whatsoever offendeth, or loveth or maketh a lie. The prince of this
world has been judged, self judged and self-condemned, in that he stirred up
men to reject their wisest and best, set himself and tempted- them to set
themselves against the supreme revelation of the righteousness and love of God.
Sentence has gone forth against him, and in due time that sentence will
infallibly be carried out. Oh! it is a great promise, alive with the
inspirations of courage and hope, and may well nerve us to carry on the
conflict with evil in ourselves and in the world around us, which often looks
so hopeless that we grow weary and faint in our, minds. Failure is impossible,
however imminent it may seem. Victory is certain, however improbable it may
appear, however distant it may be. But
though he is to displace the prince of this world, our Lord will not the, as
the Jews expected him to be, only another and a better prince of this world. He
is to be lifted up, lifted out of and above the world. To him the elevation of
the cross, the throne of love, is but an emblem of his elevation to heaven, the
throne of power. From thence he will draw
men -- draw them by the sweet and healthful influences, by the gentle
compulsions of the love he has shown for them and revealed to them, until at
last they shall all come to him -- all, that is to say, who do not willfully
resist him, and be changed into his image, clothed with righteousness, crowned
with the glory and honor of perfection; some, the Church, to share even in his
nature and throne; all to partake of eternal life, made possible through his
sacrifice. The
scope, then, of this prediction is very wide. It is charged with the music of a
hope that reaches beyond this present life. It presses on through century
after century, unfulfilled or fulfilled only in part, and will never tire nor
rest until it shall close in the complete fulfillment of a redeemed race,
dwelling in an earth from which the curse has been removed. It conducts us from
the travail of the cross to that supreme moment when, seated on the throne of
universal dominion, Christ shall see of the travail of his soul and be
satisfied, when, having subdued all things unto himself, he shall deliver up
the Kingdom to God even the Father, that God may be all in all. - P. L. Read Entered Into Rest
|
