We must remember that the division of Scripture into chapters and
verses is entirely a human arrangement, often very convenient, no
doubt, for reference; but not unfrequently it is quite unwarrantable,
and interferes with the connection. Thus we can see at a glance that
the closing verses of chapter xvi. are much more connected with what
follows than with what goes before.
"Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the
Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes; and they shall judge
the people with just judgment. Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou
shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift; for a gift doth blind
the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. That
which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live and
inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."
These words teach us a twofold lesson; in the first place, they set
forth the even-handed justice and perfect truth which ever
characterize the government of God. Every case is dealt with according
to its own merits and on the ground of its own facts. The judgment is
so plain that there is not a shadow of ground for a question; all
dissension is absolutely closed; and if any murmur is raised, the
murmurer is at once silenced by "Friend, I do thee no wrong." This
holds good every where, and at all times, in the holy government of
God, and it makes us long for the time when that government shall be
established from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the
earth.
But on the other hand, we learn, from the lines just quoted, what
man's judgment is worth if left to himself. It cannot be trusted for a
moment. Man is capable of "_wresting_ judgment," of "respecting
persons," of "taking a gift," of attaching importance to a person
because of his position and wealth. That he is capable of all this is
evident from the fact of his being told not to do it. We must ever
remember this. If God commands man not to steal, it is plain that man
has theft in his nature.
Hence, therefore, human judgment and human government are liable to
the grossest corruption. Judges and governors, if left to themselves,
if not under the direct sway of divine principle, are capable of
perverting justice for filthy lucre's sake--of favoring a wicked man
because he is rich, and of condemning a righteous man because he is
poor--of giving a judgment in flagrant opposition to the plainest
facts because of some advantage to be gained, whether in the shape of
money or influence or popularity or power.
To prove this, it is not necessary to point to such men as Pilate and
Herod and Felix and Festus; we have no need to go beyond the passage
just quoted, in order to see what _man_ is, even when clothed in the
robes of official dignity, seated on the throne of government, or on
the bench of justice.
Some, as they read these lines, may feel disposed to say, in the
language of Hazael, "Is thy servant a dog, that he should do this
thing?" But let such reflect for a moment on the fact that the human
heart is the seed-plot of every sin, and of every vile and abominable
and contemptible wickedness that ever was committed in this world; and
the unanswerable proof of this is found in the enactments,
commandments, and prohibitions which appear on the sacred page of
inspiration.
And herein we have an uncommonly fine reply to the oft-repeated
question, "What have we to do with many of the laws and institutions
set forth in the Mosaic economy? Why are such things set down in the
Bible? Can they possibly be inspired?" Yes, they are inspired, and
they appear on the page of inspiration in order that we may see, as
reflected in a divinely perfect mirror, the moral material of which we
ourselves are made--the thoughts we are capable of thinking, the words
we are capable of speaking, and the deeds we are capable of doing.
Is not this something? Is it not good and wholesome to find, for
example, in some of the passages of this most profound and beautiful
book of Deuteronomy, that human nature is capable, and hence _we_ are
capable, of doing things that put us morally below the level of a
beast? Assuredly it is; and well would it be for many a one who walks
in pharisaic pride and self-complacency--puffed up with false notions
of his own dignity and high-toned morality, to learn this deeply
humbling lesson.
But how morally lovely, how pure, how refined and elevated, were the
divine enactments for Israel! They were not to wrest judgment, but
allow it to flow in its own straight and even channel, irrespective
altogether of persons. The poor man in vile raiment was to have the
same impartial justice as the man with a gold ring and gay clothing.
The decision of the judgment-seat was not to be warped by partiality
or prejudice, or the robe of justice to be defiled by the stain of
bribery.
Oh, what will it be for this oppressed and groaning earth to be
governed by the admirable laws which are recorded in the inspired
pages of the Pentateuch, when a king shall reign in righteousness, and
princes shall decree justice! "Give the king Thy judgments, O God, and
Thy righteousness unto the king's son. He shall judge Thy people with
righteousness, and _Thy poor_ with judgment"--no wresting, no bribery,
no partial judgments then.--"The mountains [or higher dignities] shall
bring peace to the people, and the little hills [or lesser dignities],
by righteousness. He shall judge [or defend] _the poor_ of the people,
he shall save the children of _the needy_, and shall break in pieces
the oppressor. They shall fear Thee as long as the sun and moon
endure, throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon
the mown grass; as showers that water the earth. In his days shall the
righteous flourish, and abundance of peace so long as the moon
endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the
river unto the ends of the earth.... He shall deliver _the needy_ when
he crieth, _the poor_ also, and _him that hath no helper_. He shall
spare _the poor and needy_, and shall save _the souls of the needy_.
He shall redeem their souls from deceit and violence, and precious
shall their blood be in his sight." (Ps. lxxii.)
Well may the heart long for the time--the bright and blessed time when
all this shall be made good, when the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea, when the Lord Jesus
shall take to Himself His great power and reign, when the Church in
the heavens shall reflect the beams of His glory upon the earth, when
Israel's twelve tribes shall repose beneath the vine and fig-tree in
their own promised land, and all the nations of the earth shall
rejoice beneath the peaceful and beneficent rule of the Son of David.
Thanks and praise be to our God, thus it shall be, ere long, as sure
as His throne is in the heavens. A little while and all shall be made
good, according to the eternal counsels and immutable promise of God.
Till then, beloved Christian reader, be it ours to live in the
constant, earnest, believing anticipation of this bright and blessed
time, and to pass through this ungodly scene as thorough strangers and
pilgrims, having no place or portion down here, but ever breathing
forth the prayer, "Come, Lord Jesus!"
In the closing lines of chapter xvi, Israel is warned against the most
distant approach to the religious customs of the nations around. "Thou
shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the
Lord thy God, which thou shalt make thee. Neither shalt thou set thee
up any image which the Lord thy God hateth." They were carefully to
avoid every thing which might lead them in the direction of the dark
and abominable idolatries of the heathen nations around. The altar of
God was to stand out in distinct and unmistakable separation from
those groves and shady places where false gods were worshiped, and
things were done which are not to be named.[16] In a word, every thing
was to be most carefully avoided which might in any way draw the heart
away from the one living and true God.
[16] It may interest the reader to know that the Holy Ghost, in
speaking of the altar of God in the New Testament, does not apply to
it the word used to express a heathen altar, but has a comparatively
new word--a word unknown in the world's classics. The heathen altar is
βωμόν (Acts xvii. 23.): the altar of God is θυσιαστήριον.
The former occurs but once; the latter, twenty-three
times. So jealously is the worship of the only true God guarded and
preserved from the defiling touch of heathen idolatry. Men may feel
disposed to inquire why this should be, or how could the altar of God
be affected by a name? We reply, The Holy Ghost is wiser than we are;
and although the heathen word was before Him--a short and convenient
word, too,--He refuses to apply it to the altar of the one true and
living God.
See Trench's "Synonyms of the New Testament," p. 242. New edition
revised.
Nor this only; it was not enough to maintain a correct outward form;
images and groves might be abolished, and the nation might profess the
dogma of the unity of the Godhead, and all the while there might be an
utter want of heart and genuine devotedness in the worship rendered.
Hence we read, "Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the Lord thy God any
bullock or sheep wherein is blemish, or any ill-favoredness, for that
is an abomination unto the Lord."
That which was absolutely perfect could alone suit the altar and
answer to the heart of God. To offer a blemished thing to Him was
simply to prove the absence of all true sense of what became Him, and
of all real heart for Him. To attempt to offer an imperfect sacrifice
was tantamount to the horrible blasphemy of saying that any thing was
good enough for Him.
Let us hearken to the indignant pleadings of the Spirit of God, by the
mouth of the prophet Malachi. "Ye offer polluted bread upon Mine
altar; and ye say, 'Wherein have we polluted Thee?' In that ye say,
'The table of the Lord is contemptible.' And if ye offer the blind for
sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it
not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with
thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of Hosts. And now, I pray
you, beseech God that He will be gracious unto us; this hath been by
your means; will He regard your persons? saith the Lord of Hosts. Who
is there even among you that would shut the doors for naught? neither
do ye kindle fire on Mine altar for naught. I have no pleasure in you,
saith the Lord of Hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your
hand. For from the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same,
My name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense
shall be offered unto My name, and a pure offering; for My name shall
be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of Hosts. But ye have
profaned it, in that ye say, 'The table of the Lord is polluted, and
the fruit thereof, even His meat is contemptible.' Ye said also,
'Behold, what a weariness is it!' and ye have snuffed at it, saith the
Lord of Hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and
the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your
hand? saith the Lord. But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his
flock a male, and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt
thing; for I am a great King, saith the Lord of Hosts, and My name is
dreadful among the heathen." (Mal. i. 7-14.)
Has all this no voice for the professing church? has it no voice for
the writer and the reader of these lines? Assuredly it has. Is there
not in our private and public worship a deplorable lack of _heart_, of
real devotedness, deep-toned earnestness, holy energy, and integrity
of purpose? Is there not much that answers to the offering of the lame
and the sick, the blemished and the ill-favored? Is there not a
deplorable amount of cold formality and dead routine in our seasons of
worship, both in the closet and in the assembly? Have we not to judge
ourselves for barrenness, distraction, and wandering, even at the very
table of our Lord? How often are our bodies at the table while our
vagrant hearts and volatile minds are at the ends of the earth! how
often do our lips utter words which are not the true expression of our
whole moral being! We express far more than we feel; we sing beyond
our experience.
And then, when we are favored with the blessed opportunity of dropping
our offerings in our Lord's treasury, what heartless formality! what
an absence of loving, earnest, hearty devotedness! what little
reference to the apostolic rule--"as God hath prospered us"! what
detestable niggardliness! how little of the whole-heartedness of the
poor widow who having but two mites in the world, and having the
option of at least keeping one for her living, willingly cast in
both--cast in her all! Pounds may be spent on ourselves, perhaps on
superfluities, during the week, but when the claims of the Lord's
work, His poor, and His cause in general are brought before us, how
meagre is the response!
Christian reader, let us consider these things; let us look at the
whole subject of worship and devotedness in the divine presence, and
in the presence of the grace that has saved us from everlasting
burnings; let us calmly reflect upon the precious and powerful claims
of Christ upon us. We are not our own; we are bought with a price. It
is not merely our _best_, but our _all_, we owe to that blessed One
who gave Himself for us. Do we not fully own it? do not our hearts own
it? Then may our lives express it! May we more distinctly declare
whose we are and whom we serve. May the heart, the head, the hands,
the feet--the whole man be dedicated, in unreserved devotedness, to
Him, in the power of the Holy Ghost, and according to the direct
teaching of holy Scripture. God grant it may be so, with us and with
all His beloved people!
A very weighty and practical subject now claims our attention. We feel
it right to adhere as much as possible to the custom of quoting at
full length the passages for the reader; we believe it to be
profitable to give the very Word of God itself; and moreover, it is
convenient to the great majority of readers to be saved the trouble of
laying aside the volume and turning to the Bible in order to find the
passages for themselves.
"If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the Lord
thy God giveth thee, man or woman that hath wrought wickedness in the
sight of the Lord thy God, in transgressing His covenant, and hath
gone and served other gods, and worshiped them, either the sun or
moon, or any of the hosts of heaven, which I have not commanded; and
it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and _inquired diligently_,
and, behold, it be _true_, and the thing _certain_, that such
abomination is _wrought in Israel_;"--something affecting the whole
nation--"then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which
have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or
that woman, and shalt stone them with stones till they die. At the
mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of
death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be
put to death. The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to
put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou
shalt put the evil away from among you." (Ver. 2-7.)
We have already had occasion to refer to the great principle laid down
in the foregoing passage. It is one of immense importance, namely, the
absolute necessity of having competent testimony ere forming a
judgment in any case. It meets us constantly in Scripture; indeed, it
is the invariable rule in the divine government, and therefore it
claims our earnest attention. We may be sure it is a safe and
wholesome rule, the neglect of which must always lead us astray. We
should never allow ourselves to form, much less to express and act
upon, a judgment without the testimony of two or three witnesses.
However trustworthy and morally reliable any one witness may be, it is
not a sufficient basis for a conclusion. We may feel convinced in our
minds that the thing is true because affirmed by one in whom we have
confidence; but God is wiser than we. It may be that the one witness
is thoroughly upright and truthful, that he would not for worlds tell
an untruth or bear false witness against any one,--all this may be
true, but we must adhere to the divine rule--"In the mouth of two or
three witnesses shall every word be established."
Would that this were more diligently attended to in the Church of God!
Its value in all cases of discipline, and in all cases affecting the
character or reputation of any one, is simply incalculable. Ere ever
an assembly reaches a conclusion or acts on a judgment in any given
case, it should insist on adequate evidence. If this be not
forthcoming, let all wait on God--wait patiently and confidingly, and
He will surely supply what is needed.
For instance, if there be moral evil or doctrinal error in an assembly
of Christians, but it is only known to one; that one is perfectly
certain--deeply and thoroughly convinced of the fact. What is to be
done? Wait on God for further witness. To act without this, is to
infringe a divine principle laid down with all possible clearness
again and again in the Word of God. Is the one witness to feel
himself aggrieved or insulted because his testimony is not acted upon?
Assuredly not; indeed he ought not to expect such a thing, yea, he
ought not to come forward as a witness until he can corroborate his
testimony by the evidence of one or two more. Is the assembly to be
deemed indifferent or supine because it refuses to act on the
testimony of a solitary witness? Nay, it would be flying in the face
of a divine command were it to do so.
And be it remembered that this great practical principle is not
confined in its application to cases of discipline, or questions
connected with an assembly of the Lord's people; it is of universal
application. We should never allow ourselves to form a judgment or
come to a conclusion without the divinely appointed measure of
evidence; if that be not forthcoming, it is our plain duty to wait,
and if it be needful for us to judge in the case, God will, in due
time, furnish the needed evidence. We have known a case in which a man
was falsely accused because the accuser based his charge upon the
evidence of one of his senses; had he taken the trouble of getting the
evidence of one or two more of his senses, he would not have made the
charge.
Thus the entire subject of evidence claims the serious attention of
the reader, let his position be what it may. We are all prone to rush
to hasty conclusions, to take up impressions, to give place to
baseless surmisings, and allow our minds to be warped and carried away
by prejudice. All these have to be most carefully guarded against. We
need more calmness, seriousness, and cool deliberation in forming and
expressing our judgment about men and things; but especially about
men, inasmuch as we may inflict a grievous wrong upon a friend, a
brother, or a neighbor by giving utterance to a false impression or a
baseless charge. We may allow ourselves to be the vehicle of an
utterly groundless accusation, whereby the character of another may be
seriously damaged. This is very sinful in the sight of God, and should
be most jealously watched against in ourselves, and sternly rebuked in
others, whenever it comes before us. Whenever any one brings a charge
against another behind his back, we should insist upon his proving or
withdrawing his statement. Were this plan adopted, we should be
delivered from a vast amount of evil-speaking, which is not only most
unprofitable, but positively wicked, and not to be tolerated.
Before turning from the subject of evidence, we may just remark that
inspired history supplies us with more than one instance in which a
righteous man has been condemned with an appearance of attention to
Deuteronomy xvii. 6, 7. Witness the case of Naboth, in 1 Kings xxi;
and the case of Stephen, in Acts vi. and vii; and above all, the case
of the only perfect Man that ever trod this earth. Alas! men can, at
times, put on the appearance of wonderful attention to the letter of
Scripture when it suits their own ungodly ends; they can quote its
sacred words in defense of the most flagrant unrighteousness and
shocking immorality. Two witnesses accused Naboth of blaspheming God
and the king, and that faithful Israelite was deprived of his
inheritance and of his life on the testimony of two liars, hired by
the direction of a godless, cruel woman. Stephen, a man full of the
Holy Ghost, was stoned to death for blasphemy, on the testimony of
false witnesses received and acted upon by the great religious leaders
of the day, who could doubtless quote Deuteronomy xvii. as their
authority.
But all this, while it so sadly and forcibly illustrates what man is,
and what mere human religiousness without conscience is, leaves wholly
untouched the fine moral rule laid down for our guidance in the
opening lines of our chapter. Religion without conscience or the fear
of God is the most degrading, demoralizing, hardening thing beneath
the canopy of heaven; and one of its most terrible features is seen in
this, that men under its influence are not ashamed or afraid to make
use of the letter of holy Scripture as a cloak wherewith to cover the
most horrible wickedness.
But thanks and praise to our God, His Word stands forth before the
vision of our souls in all its heavenly purity, divine virtue, and
holy morality, and flings back in the face of the enemy his every
attempt to draw from its sacred pages a plea for aught that is not
true, venerable, just, pure, lovely, and of good report.
We shall now proceed to quote for the reader the second paragraph of
our chapter, in which we shall find instruction of great moral value,
and much needed in this day of self-will and independence.
"If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood
and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being
matters of controversy within thy gates; then shalt thou arise and get
thee up _into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose_; and thou
shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judges that
shall be in those days, and inquire; and they shall show thee the
sentence of judgment: and thou shalt do according to the sentence
which they of _that place which the Lord shall choose_ shall show
thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform
thee; according to the sentence of the law which they shall teach
thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou
shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall
show thee, to the right hand, nor to the left, and the man that will
do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth
to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even
that man shall die; and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel. And
all the people shall _hear_ and _fear_ and _do no more presumptuously_."
(Ver. 8-13.)
Here we have divine provision made for the perfect settlement of all
questions which might arise throughout the congregation of Israel.
They were to be settled in the divine presence, at the divinely
appointed centre, by the divinely appointed authority. Thus self-will
and presumption were effectually guarded against. All matters of
controversy were to be definitively settled by the judgment of God as
expressed by the priest or the judge appointed by God for the purpose.
In a word, it was absolutely and entirely a matter of divine
authority. It was not for one man to set himself up in self-will and
presumption against another. This would never do in the assembly of
God. Each one had to submit his cause to a divine tribunal, and bow
implicitly to its decision. There was to be no appeal, inasmuch as
there was no higher court. The divinely appointed priest or judge
spoke as the oracle of God, and both plaintiff and defendant had to
bow, without a demur, to the decision.
Now, it must be very evident to the reader that no member of the
congregation of Israel would ever have thought of bringing his case
before a Gentile tribunal for judgment. This, we may feel assured,
would have been utterly foreign to the thoughts and feelings of every
true Israelite. It would have involved a positive insult to Jehovah
Himself, who was in their midst to give judgment in every case which
might arise. Surely He was sufficient. He knew the ins and outs, the
_pros_ and _cons_, the roots and issues, of every controversy, however
involved or difficult. All were to look to Him, and to bring their
causes to the place which He had chosen, and no where else. The idea
of two members of the assembly of God appearing before a tribunal of
the uncircumcised for judgment would not have been tolerated for a
moment. It would be as much as to say that there was a defect in the
divine arrangement for the congregation.
Has this any voice for us? How are Christians to have their questions
and their controversies settled? Are they to betake themselves to the
world for judgment? Is there no provision in the assembly of God for
the proper settlement of cases which may arise? Hear what the inspired
apostle says on the point to the assembly at Corinth, and "to all that
in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both theirs
and ours," and therefore to all true Christians now.
"Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before
the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints
shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye
unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall
judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life! If then
ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge
who are least esteemed in the Church. I speak to your shame. Is it so,
that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able
to judge between his brethren? But brother goeth to law with brother,
and that before the unbelievers. Now therefore there is utterly a
fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not
rather take wrong? why do ye not rather be defrauded? Nay, ye do
wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren. Know ye not that the
unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? _Be not deceived._"
(1 Cor. vi. 1-9.)
Here, then, we have divine instruction for the Church of God in all
ages. We must never, for a moment, lose sight of the fact that the
Bible is _the_ book for every stage of the Church's earthly career.
True it is, alas! the Church is not as it was when the above lines
were penned by the inspired apostle; a vast change has taken place in
the Church's practical condition. There was no difficulty in early
days in distinguishing between the Church and the world--between "the
saints" and "unbelievers"--between "those within" and "those without."
The line of demarkation was broad, distinct, and unmistakable in those
days. Any one who looked at the face of society in a religious point
of view would see three things, namely, Paganism, Judaism, and
Christianity--the Gentile, the Jew, and the Church of God--the heathen
temple, the synagogue, and the assembly of God. There was no
confounding these things. The Christian assembly stood out in vivid
contrast with all beside. Christianity was strongly and clearly
pronounced in those primitive times. It was neither a national,
provincial, nor parochial affair, but a personal, practical, living
reality. It was not a mere nominal, national, professional creed, but
a divinely wrought faith, a living power in the heart flowing out in
the life.
But now, things are totally changed. The Church and the world are so
mixed up, that the vast majority of professors could hardly
understand the real force and proper application of the passage which
we have just quoted. Were we to speak to them about "the saints" going
to law "before the unbelievers," it would seem like a foreign tongue.
Indeed, the term "saint" is hardly heard in the professing church,
save when used with a sneer, or as applied to such as have been
canonized by a superstitious reverence.
But has any change come over the Word of God, or over the grand truths
which that Word unfolds to our souls? Has any change come over the
thoughts of God in reference to what His Church is, or what the world
is, or as to the proper relation of the one to the other? Does He not
know who are "saints" and who are "unbelievers"? Has it ceased to be
"a fault" for "brother to go to law with brother, and that before the
unbelievers"? In a word, has holy Scripture lost its power, its point,
its divine application? Is it no longer our guide, our authority, our
one perfect rule and unerring standard? Has the marked change that has
come over the Church's moral condition deprived the Word of God of all
power of application to _us_--"to all that in every place call on the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ"? Has our Father's most precious
revelation become, in any one particular, a dead letter--a piece of
obsolete writing--a document pertaining to days long gone by? Has our
altered condition robbed the Word of God of a single one of its moral
glories?
Reader, what answer does your heart return to these questions? Let us
most earnestly entreat of you to weigh them honestly, humbly, and
prayerfully in the presence of your Lord. We believe your answer will
be a wonderfully correct index of your real position and moral state.
Do you not clearly see and fully admit that Scripture can never lose
its power? Can the principles of 1 Corinthians vi. ever cease to be
binding on the Church of God? It is fully admitted--for who can deny
that things are sadly changed?--but "Scripture cannot be broken," and
therefore what was "a fault" in the first century cannot be right in
the nineteenth; there may be more difficulty in carrying out divine
principles, but we must never consent to surrender them, or to act on
any lower ground. If once we admit the idea that because the whole
professing church has gone wrong it is impossible for us to do right,
the whole principle of Christian obedience is surrendered. It is as
wrong for "brother to go to law with brother before the unbelievers"
to-day as when the apostle wrote his epistle to the assembly at
Corinth.[17] True, the Church's _visible_ unity is gone; she is shorn
of many gifts, she has departed from her normal condition; but the
principles of the Word of God can no more lose their power than the
blood of Christ can lose its virtue or His priesthood lose its
efficacy.
[17] It is well for us to bear in mind that wherever there are "two or
three" gathered to the Name of the Lord Jesus, in ever such weakness,
there will be found, if only they are truly humble and dependent,
spiritual ability to judge in any case that may arise between
brethren. They can count on divine wisdom being supplied for the
settlement of any question, plea, or controversy, so that there need
not be any reference to a worldly tribunal.
No doubt worldly men would smile at such an idea; but we must adhere,
with holy decision, to the guidance of Scripture. Brother must not go
to law with brother before the unbelievers. This is distinct and
emphatic. There are resources available for the assembly in Christ,
the Head and Lord, for the settlement of every possible question.
Let the Lord's people seriously apply their hearts to the
consideration of this subject. Let them see that they are gathered on
the true ground of the Church of God; and then, though ever conscious
that things are not as they once were in the Church--though sensible
of the greatest weakness, failure, and shortcoming, they will
nevertheless find the grace of Christ ever sufficient for them, and
the Word of God full of all needed instruction and authority, so that
they need never betake themselves to the world for help, counsel, or
judgment. "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there
am I in the midst of them."
This surely is enough for every exigence. Is there any question that
our Lord Christ cannot settle? Do we want natural cleverness, worldly
wisdom, long-headedness, great learning, keen sagacity, if we have
Him? Surely not; indeed all such things can only prove like Saul's
armor to David. All we want is, simply to use the resources which we
have in Christ. We shall assuredly find, "in the place where His name
is recorded," priestly wisdom to judge in every case which may arise
between brethren.
And further, let the Lord's dear people remember, in all cases of
local difficulty which may arise, that there is no need whatever for
them to look for extraneous aid, to write to other places to get some
wise man to come and help them. No doubt, if the Lord sends any of His
beloved servants at the moment, their sympathy, fellowship, counsel,
and help will be highly prized. We are not encouraging independence
one of the other, but absolute and complete dependence upon Christ,
our Head and Lord.
And further, we must bear in mind that there are resources of wisdom,
grace, power, and spiritual gift treasured up for the Church in Christ
her Head, ever available for those who have faith to use them. We are
not straitened in our blessed and adorable Head. We need never expect
to see the body restored to its normal condition on the earth, but for
all that, it is our privilege to see what the true ground of the body
is, and it is our duty to occupy that ground and no other.
Now, it is perfectly wonderful the change that takes place in our
whole condition--in our view of things, in our thoughts of ourselves
and our surroundings--the moment we plant our foot on the true ground
of the Church of God. Every thing seems changed; the Bible seems a new
book; we see every thing in a new light; portions of Scripture which
we have been reading for years without interest or profit now sparkle
with divine light, and fill us with wonder, love, and praise. We see
everything from a new stand-point; our whole range of vision is
changed; we have made our escape from the murky atmosphere which
inwraps the whole professing church, and can now look around and see
things clearly in the heavenly light of Scripture. In fact, it seems
like a new conversion; and we find we can now read Scripture
intelligently, because we have the divine key. We see Christ to be the
centre and object of all the thoughts, purposes, and counsels of God
from everlasting to everlasting, and hence we are conducted into that
marvelous sphere of grace and glory which the Holy Ghost delights to
unfold in the precious Word of God.
May the reader be led into the thorough understanding of all this, by
the direct and powerful ministry of the Holy Spirit. May he be enabled
to give himself to the study of Scripture, and to surrender himself,
unreservedly, to its teaching and authority. Let him not confer with
flesh and blood, but cast himself, like a little child, on the Lord,
and seek to be led on in spiritual intelligence and practical
conformity to the mind of Christ.
We must now look for a moment at the closing verses of our chapter, in
which we have a remarkable onlook into Israel's future, anticipating
the moment in which they should seek to set a king over them.
"When thou art come unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee,
and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will
set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me; thou
shalt in any wise set him king over thee whom the Lord thy God shall
choose; one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee;
thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.
But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to
return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses; forasmuch
as the Lord hath said unto you, 'Ye shall henceforth return no more
that way.' Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart
turn not away; neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and
gold."
How very remarkable that the three things which the king was not to do
were just _the_ very things which were done--and extensively done by
the greatest and wisest of Israel's monarchs. "King Solomon made a
navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of
the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent in the navy his
servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of
Solomon. And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence _gold_, four
hundred and twenty talents [over two millions], and brought it to king
Solomon." "And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of gold." "And
the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred
threescore and six talents of gold [nearly three and a half millions],
beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffic of the spice
merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the
country." Again, we read, "And the king made _silver_ to be in
Jerusalem as stones.... And Solomon had _horses brought out of
Egypt_.... But king Solomon loved many strange women.... And he had
seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his
wives turned away his heart." (1 Kings ix, x, xi.)
What a tale this tells! what a commentary it furnishes upon man in his
very best and highest estate! Here was a man endowed with wisdom
beyond all others, surrounded by unexampled blessings, dignities,
honors, and privileges; his earthly cup was full to the brim; there
was nothing lacking which this world could supply to minister to human
happiness. And not only so, but his remarkable prayer at the
dedication of the temple might well lead us to cherish the brightest
hopes respecting him, both personally and officially.
But sad to say, he broke down most deplorably in every one of the
particulars as to which the law of his God had spoken so definitely
and so clearly. He was told not to multiply silver and gold, and yet
he multiplied them; he was told not to return to Egypt to multiply
horses, and yet to Egypt he went for horses; he was told not to
multiply wives, and yet he had a thousand of them, and they turned
away his heart. Such is man! Oh, how little is he to be counted upon!
"All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of
grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away."
"Cease ye from man whose breath is in his nostrils, for wherein is he
to be accounted of?"
But we may ask, How are we to account for Solomon's signal, sorrowful,
and humiliating failure? what was the real secret of it? To answer
this, we must quote for the reader the closing verses of our chapter.
"And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that
he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is
before the priests the Levites; _and it shall be with him_, and _he
shall read therein all the days of his life_; that he may learn to
fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these
statutes, to do them; that his heart be not lifted up above his
brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the
right hand or to the left; to the end that he may prolong his days in
his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel." (Ver.
18-20.)
Had Solomon attended to these most precious and weighty words, his
historian would have had a very different task to perform; but he did
not. We hear nothing of his having made a copy of the law; and most
assuredly, if he did make a copy of it, he did not attend to it--yea,
he turned his back upon it, and did the very things which he was told
not to do. In a word, the cause of all the wreck and ruin that so
rapidly followed the splendor of Solomon's reign, was the neglect of
the plain Word of God.
It is this which makes it all so solemn for us, in this our own day,
and which leads us to call the earnest attention of the reader to it.
We deeply feel the need of seeking to rouse the attention of the whole
Church of God to this great subject. Neglect of the Word of God is the
source of all the failure, all the sin, all the error, all the
mischief and confusion, the heresies, sects, and schisms that have
ever been or are now in this world. And we may add, with equal
confidence, that the only real, sovereign remedy for our present
lamentable condition will be found in returning, _every one for
himself and herself_, to the simple but sadly neglected authority of
the Word of God. Let each one see his own departure, and that of the
whole professing body, from the plain and positive teaching of the New
Testament--the commandments of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. Let us humble ourselves under the mighty hand of our God,
because of our common sin, and let us turn to Him in true
self-judgment, and He will graciously restore and heal and bless us,
and lead us in that most blessed path of obedience which lies open
before every truly humble soul.
May God the Holy Ghost, in His own resistless power, bring home to the
heart and conscience of every member of the body of Christ on the face
of the earth, the urgent need of an immediate and unreserved surrender
to the authority of the Word of God.