HOW TO CHANGE DIVINE GOVERNMENT

HOW TO CHANGE DIVINE GOVERNMENT 

"The Day of Jehovah cometh; for it is nigh at hand" Joel 2:1

In these words we have the same fundamental idea, but stated with a variation in method. Having interpreted the locust plague, by declaring that the Day of Jehovah was at hand, the prophet now said: "The Day of Jehovah cometh, for it is nigh at hand." In that sentence the word "for" has the force of "because." The truth emphasized now was not so much that of the ACTUALITY OF THE DIVINE GOVERNMENT AS THAT OF ITS CONTINUITY. Joel declared that the Day of Jehovah was not over. There were still OTHER experiences before them of the Divine judgment. Under the figure of the locust plague, he described the imminent invasion of a foe which would bring far more terrible desolation's to the people. Therefore again he called the nation to REPENTANCE, and declared the way by which they MIGHT CHANGE THE VERY CHARACTER OF THE DIVINE GOVERNMENT into that of mercy, and healing, and restoration. Here again is a matter for our careful attention. The Day of Jehovah is not only PRESENT; it is ALWAYS COMING. When some great activity of God has ended, His government has not ceased. He proceeds upon His way without intermission. If by one manifestation of His power and majesty, men do not learn the lessons He would teach, then they have not escaped from Him. By yet other means, more terrible than those already experienced, He will make Himself known: This is the story of humanity; and so it will continue until "the great and terrible Day of Jehovah come," the day of the final putting forth of His judgment of evil spoken of in Rev. 19:11-21 in order to the establishment of His Kingdom upon earth according to the grace of His heart.

GLORIOUS STRENGTH FROM GOD

GLORIOUS STRENGTH FROM GOD    

"The might of His glory" Col. 1:11

                                                                                                                                                                    

That is a far more arresting translation than the old one, "His glorious power," and it is more accurate. The latter is a phrase in which the emphasis is laid on a quality of the power--it is GLORIOUS. The real thought of the phrase is that it lays an emphasis on a fact concerning His GLORY, and that is, that it is CHARACTERIZED BY MIGHT. The Apostle was recording his prayer for the saints that they might be FILLED WITH KNOWLEDGE in order to walk worthily, bearing fruit. The condition for all this is that they should be STRENGTHENED with all power. Of this power he gives a description in this phrase, "The might of His glory." God is essentially the God of might. The first great name by which the Hebrew people knew Him was ELOHIM, which speaks of that might in all its greatness. Everything of God has in it this quality of strength. In, no application is the fact more unusual than in this of His glory. Glory is splendor and with God speaks of a finished product with all the qualities of beauty and brilliance, whether material or mental; and one of the most marked qualities of human glory is that of its weakness. Sic transit glories mundi, is a proverb expressing this conviction. Glory fades, passes, and that because of its weakness in men. The GLORY of God knows no fading, no passing, and no perishing. It abides undimmed because of its STRENGTH. When the GLORY of God is seen, when to realize it becomes the passion of a life, it is found that in the vision there is STRENGTH, in the effort there is ENERGY. His GLORY not only captures the mind; it EMPOWERS all upon whom it shines and walks towards perfection, the finished product (2 Cor. 12:9; Jude 24). It not only lures—it lifts.

FEAR IN THE UNKNOWN GOD

FEAR IN THE UNKNOWN GOD  

“But fear thou God" Eccles. 5:7

The relative considerations continue in this letter, as the Debater turns to the subject of RELIGION and of POLITICAL CONDITIONS. These words conclude the paragraph dealing with RELIGION, and express the finding of one who is living "under the sun." As we have pointed out before, this man is A BELIEVER IN GOD, but he has NO KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. These words seem to harmonize with the central principle of true wisdom, which is that its beginning and maintenance depend upon “the fear of Jehovah" but a careful consideration of the whole paragraph will show how utterly different is the conception. FEAR, in the sense in which it is used here, is THE FEAR OF THE SLAVE RATHER THAN THAT OF THE SON; it lacks the notes of confidence, of trust, and of love. All the advice given is good, in so far as it goes; but every word of it is born of the dread of doing anything which will offend a GOD WHO IS SOVEREIGN, but WHOSE WAYS ARE UNKNOWN. This conception of religion is that it consists of securing personal safety, by not doing things which are likely to offend God. I repeat, all is good so far as it goes; but it lacks the positive note, the glad note, the triumphant note; which notes are always present when life begins with the KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUE GOD. Such knowledge issues in no irreverent familiarity; but it produces a reverent familiarity; it gives the soul freedom of utterance and of action in the PRESENCE OF GOD. Men whose belief in God is merely INTELLECTUAL, never rise above this level. Their RELIGION, if they have any, is always characterized by this kind of FEAR, and becomes a burden and oppression, something which robs life of joy. First repent, then read His book and come to KNOW HIM, entering into the proper fear of God, which is the fear that I might continue in my sin against His Son.

ONWARD TO COMPLETION OF HIS PLAN

ONWARD TO COMPLETION OF HIS PLAN    

"After the death of Joshua" Judges 1:1

The Book of Joshua began with the words: "After the death of Moses," and recorded the story of the people of God under the leadership of his SUCCESSOR. Now the story is continued as to what followed his death. These beginnings keep us reminded of the PERSISTENCE OF THE DIVINE PURPOSE, in spite of the frailty of the human instruments. After the death of any servant of God, the service of God goes forward, and the work of God is carried on. Yet the other side of that truth is not to be lost sight of. God carries on His purpose and His work THROUGH HUMAN INSTRUMENTS. Moses made possible the work of Joshua. Joshua had made possible the work of all who were to follow. The period covered in this Book is that from the death of Joshua to the judgeship of Samuel, and the movement toward MONARCHY. On the human side, it is a story of disobedience and disaster; and on the Divine side, of continued direction and deliverance. Therefore in its light the servant of God may always find encouragement. When the appointed task is done, he will always be conscious of the incompleteness of it, of the things desired but not done, of the perils threatening the ultimate realization which he must leave unattained; but he will know by all this history that God NEVER ABANDONS HIS PURPOSE, (His plan made before the ages began) (2 Tim. 1:9; 2 Thess. 2:13; Eph. 1:11) cannot be finally defeated, will always find those to take up and continue the service which is unfinished. Happy is the man who in his little hour works with God. He may be at rest about the issues.

GOD FOREVER MOVES TOWARDS THE HIGHER

GOD FOREVER MOVES TOWARDS THE HIGHER 

"The latter glory of this House shall be greater than the former" Hag. 2:9

In this chapter there are three messages, all of which were called forth by ATTITUDES of the people which threatened to prevent their ACCOMPLISHMENT of the great work. The first message aroused them and under the leadership of Ze­rubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest, they started well. After about seven weeks came the feast of Tabernacles with its necessary cessation of work. During that period they were beset by the laments and weeping’s  of those who grieved over the poverty of the House they were building, in comparison with the glorious House which had been destroyed. Such mourning tended to dishearten them, and to correct this, the prophet made this great declaration. Here again is a persistent peril. Men are constantly tempted to think meanly of the work they are doing as they compare it with the glories of past achievements. It is an utterly false and unwarranted thing to do. To that House, lacking in some material splendor which had characterized the former one, there was to come the desire of all nations, and so a spiritual glory which the former House never knew. Let us lay the lesson to heart. We may be working better and greater things than we know. It is always futile to judge the value of God-appointed tasks by the appearance of the hour in which they are done. If they are indeed appointed by Him, that is enough for us to know; and more, that is the assurance that they are better than the past, for God is forever moving towards the higher, the grander, the nobler: and will do so, until He has wrought out the final perfection of His will (Eph. 5:27; 1 Thess. 3:13). And this was all part of a plan before the beginning of this earth (2 Tim. 1:9; 2 Thess. 2:13).

TRUE MORAL GOVERNMENT AT LAST

TRUE MORAL GOVERNMENT AT LAST 

"The earth is Jehovah's, and the fullness thereof" Psa. 24:1

That is the fundamental note in the music of this song. Everything which follows must be interpreted by its message. If this Psalm was written—as it most probably was—for the occasion when the ark of God was taken into the city of the great king, and placed in the tent which David had prepared for it, the singer saw in that ceremony the symbol of greater things. These first words assert THE SOVEREIGNTY OF JEHOVAH OVER THE WHOLE EARTH. Everything is His by CREATIVE RIGHT. This truth is quoted by Paul in 1 Cor. 10:26, 28. Then, some moral deflection, some necessity for the exercise of executive power, is recognized by the questions as to who shall ascend into the hill of Jehovah. The answer to the question constituted a revelation of the fact that THE GOVERNMENT OF THE EARTH must be established on a MORAL FOUNDATION. The One Who is described, is set forth wholly in the matter of CHARACTER. Let this be carefully considered. The passage of the description from the use of the singular pronoun to that of the plural, merely sets forth the fact that the generation to be associated with the One must conform to that character and that shall be true of the nation of Israel in the end. The song immediately returns to the contemplation of the One, Who is now designated the King of Glory. His glory is that of those moral excellence’s already described. In these He is "strong and mighty in battle" and He proves that in the great final battle on this earth spoken of in Rev. 20:8. By this strength He passes to the place of power; in this might He overthrows all His foes; and gains, or regains, His true and rightful place of rule over the earth, and the fullness thereof: The HOLINESS OF THE KING is at once the secret of His strength in government, and the principle of His might in redemption being displayed mightily in the end with war being ended with its effects (Rev. 21:4).

SPIRIT AND TRUTH WORSHIP -PERFECT WORSHIP

SPIRIT AND TRUTH WORSHIP - PERFECT WORSHIP 

"Without blemish" Lev. 1:3

Leviticus was the hand-book of the PRIESTS. It contains the laws governing the whole system of WORSHIP. In Exodus we have the record of the words God spoke to Moses from the Mount. They are the fundamental words of MORAL ORDER. In Leviticus we have words God spoke to Moses from the midst of the Tabernacle. They are the words of His ADMINISTRATION of the affairs of His people in HOLINESS and in GRACE. Throughout God is seen as THE GOD OF ALL PERFECTION, making it possible for imperfect man to draw nigh to Himself through SACRIFICE. The sacrifices and offerings were all to be provided by the worshipers, but they were to be the SYMBOLS OF AN OFFERING AND SACRIFICE WHICH THE WORSHIPERS COULD NOT PROVIDE, BUT WHICH WOULD BE PROVIDED BY GOD. Because they were thus to symbolize PERFECTION, they must be, so far as man could make sure of it, PERFECT IN THEMSELVES. That is the significance of this phrase "without blemish." Nothing offered to God must be imperfect. The principle abides, even though we are looking back to the ONE PERFECT OFFERING, rather than onward in expectation of its coming, our only right to offer anything to God, in any form, is created by the one Offering through which we are sanctified. Every offering is a symbol still of the One, therefore only of the best we have, have we any right to offer to Him. He is worthy to receive the most precious, and we do wrong to the perfection of His Sacrifice when we give to Him in kind, or in effort, that which is second-rate or imperfect. Our best is but poor, but that which we do give, must be our best; our worship must be in spirit and truth as He told the Samaritan lady at the well. (John 4:23) “But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him.” (PERFECT WORSHIP)