Meditations
- (Nos. 13-20)
"My
meditation of Him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD." — Psalm
104:34.
_______
13. Psalm 23 traces the path of the Lord Jesus here on
earth, showing His full communion and dependence upon God—"The LORD is My
Shepherd; I shall not want." (v1)
It is also the path of believers in association with the Great Shepherd,
following the One, Who (in Psalm 22) had laid down His life for His sheep (John
10:11.), but in resurrection had come to gather the sheep that were going astray.
(I Peter 2:25.)
14.
Psalm 24 reveals the glorious path of Christ—first, risen
triumphantly from the dead, and ascending to the Father’s throne. Secondly, it also speaks of His second advent
when He shall come to retake the government of the world.
15.
Of spiritual discernment.
What is it that the apostle in praying for the Philippians
desires of them—first, that their "love may abound yet more and more in
knowledge and in all judgment;" Secondly, that they "may approve
things that are excellent;" that they "may be sincere and without
offence till the day of Christ;" etc. (Phil. 1:9-11.) This is nothing but to be wise and
spiritually discerning in all things, in all our Christian ways and life. That the believers out of
love for Christ might be able to use spiritual knowledge and judgment (or,
discernment) to distinguish between things heavenly and earthly (
16. Philippians 4:8.
Paul here exhorts the saints to think on things that are true, honest,
just, pure, lovely, of good report etc.
Now how could a soul in communion with Christ find anything that
exhibits this character in the fallen world?
(No, I do not mean God's fair creation which faithfully declares His creatorial glory (Psalm 19), but that system of the world
against which the apostle John warns us in I John 2.) And as one who belongs to the new creation in
Christ, brought to walk in the light as He is in the light, how could we love
the world and its fleeting pleasures? (see II Cor 6;
I John 2:15-17; Col. 3:1-3.)
17. Hebrews 12.
What are those "weights" and sin hindering our progress, and
"from looking unto Jesus the Author (Leader, or, Originator) and Finisher
(Perfecter) of our faith;" What are we preoccupied with? Is it Christ or the world? May the Lord help us to judge all activities
outside of His will, however noble and worthy they might seem to our deceitful
senses. Let us cease from them, and
forsake them to follow the Lord Jesus Christ in His pathway of rejection. "Love so amazing, so divine, demands my
soul, my life, my all." (Isaac Watts.)
18. It is a great consolation for us, in the present day, to
know that the Lord Jesus is there in the midst of all those who are gathered unto His Name (Matt 18:20). But this "gathered together unto my Name" implies that the saints separate themselves from evil, from the principles and ways of
"this present evil world." (Gal 1:4.)
For "..holiness becometh Thine House, O LORD, for ever." (Psalm 93:5.) So, it is not merely ecclesiastical
separation (though very blessed it is), but also of paramount importance is
that we maintain moral separation in all matters appertaining to the faith. (See II Cor
6.) Hence also, in I John 1, we find
that the apostle after having first declared that the saints have fellowship
with God, he then proceeds to set forth the conditions of that fellowship,
where he says--"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in
darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one
with another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." (I
John 1:6-7.)
19. Psalm 134. The servants of the LORD who "by night
stand in the house of the LORD."
There is spiritual darkness all around us. The Lord Jesus has said, "Yet a little
while is the Light with you. Walk while
ye have the Light...believe in the Light, that ye may be the children of
Light..." John 12:35-36. So Jesus,
the Light of the world (John 9:5), when He had accomplished the Father's will,
has left this scene to the glorious scene above, and thence, He now reveals
Himself to the eye of faith (Heb 2:9; Heb 12 &c.) And in the meanwhile, the Spirit of God by the
apostle reminds us, while being in anticipation of the coming of the Lord Jesus
for His own, in accordance to His own promise (John 14; Rev 22.) saying: "And
that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now
is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off
the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour
of light." See Romans 11-14. So, therefore, in a time like this, how
needful for the saints to watch and pray without ceasing. The writer of Hebrews also in order that our
faith may be strengthened, likewise exhorts us: "seeing then that we have
a Great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let
us hold fast our profession." (Hebrews 4:14.) Which faith was admirably exemplified by the
apostles and the disciples, beginning immediately after the Lord's ascension to
heaven, as we read in the book of Acts: "And when they were come in, they
went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter and James, and John, and
Andrew,.....These all continued with one accord in prayer and
supplication" etc. Acts.
1:13-14. (See Acts 2:42; 46-47; Philip. 1:5
"your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now") So, likewise, we ought to do the first works,
but first we need to repent (Rev. 2:5) so that we may follow the divine
injunction given here: "By Him
therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the
fruit of our lips giving thanks to His Name." Heb. 13:15. But on the other hand, he warns us against
departure, "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering;
(for He is faithful that promised;)....Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the
more, as ye see the day approaching." Heb. 10:23-25. (See also Malachi 3:16-17 --which gives the
character of the faithful remnant in the last days.)
20. The Church as a whole, for having failed as a
witness and light-bearer on earth, is presently under God's judgment. (Rev. 2
and 3.) And yet, the Lord Jesus in His patient grace declares, "As
many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."
Rev. 3:19 and "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." v22. In these last days, the believers are called
upon to be faithful and do the first works.
LP
[August 31, 2015]
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