July 1925
TH E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
301
it, even as the living flame burned with unconsuming fire in the bush which arrested the sight of Moses. (Deut. 33:16). II. THE SCRIPTURES ARE LIVING IN THEIR NATURE Vitality, continuity, and ability describe the phenomena of life. These are true of God’s Word. Vitality,B-for the Scriptures are the “living oracles” of God (Acts 7:38 R. V.; Rom. 3:2; Heb. 5:12; 1 Pet. 4 :11 ). They are such because they reveal to us “The Living God” in contrast to the dead things of man’s production (1 Thess. 1 :9 ), and tell us of the “Son of the Living God” (Matt. 16 :16 ); they also assure believers that Christ is the Living Stone to quicken ( 1 Pet. 2 : 4 ) , the Living Way to introduce (Heb. 10 :20 ), the Living Bread to satisfy (John 6 :51 ), the Living Water to energize (John 4:10, 11), the Living High Priest to represent (Heb. 7 :25 ), and the Living Hope to cheer ( 1 Pet. 1 :3 ). Continuity,— for the Scripture “liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Pet. 1 :23 ). The words might be rendered, “Liveth and remaineth into the ever.” There is a cry in the heart of man which says, “I want something which will last.” The Word supplies the need for it, reveals the Christ, who is the same “into the ever,” who in turn makes us one with the Living God which remaineth “into the age that is eternal.” Ability,— There may be life and continuity without abil ity, but of the Word it is said, it “is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12. R. V .). Here are five things about the Word: 1. It Is “Living” All who come to it with the touch of faith find it com municates life to them, even as the woman found health in touching the hem of Christ’s garment. 2. It Is “Active” The word “energees” is rendered “effectual” in 1 Cor. 16:9; Phil. 6, and means to work to purpose, that is, to accomplish its mission, even as God effectually “wrought” when He raised Christ from the dead. 3. It Is Keen It is sharper than any two edged sword, sharper than the dissecting knife of the surgeon. “It finds me,” said Cole ridge. It cuts open the ulcer of man’s heart and reveals to him the pus of corruption. 4. It Is Separating “To the dividing of soul and spirit.” As God separated the light from the darkness, so He can by His Word sep arate the spirit of man’s being from the soul of his life consciousness. 5. It Is A Critic The word “discerner” is “kritikos”— a judge or critic. It lays everything open to view. It strips from the indi vidual the clothes of pretence, and makes him to see him self in the shame of his evil intent and bent. Jonathan Edwards once said, “How it comes about I know not, but I have noticed that at those times when I have read the Scriptures most, I have been most lively and in the best frame.” There is nothing that will make us so lively, if we are right with the Lord, as His living Word, and there is nothing will make us so miserable if we are out of communion with Him. IH. THE SCRIPTURES ARE SUGGESTIVE IN THEIR SILENCE Ruskin says “There is no music in a rest, but there is the making of music in it.” There certainly is music in the
silent pauses of the “Selahs.” “Selah” of Holy Writ means “a rest,” hence, “to pause and think.” See Psa. 46: 3, 7, 11. That “speech is silver and silence is golden” is especially true of the silence of Scripture. Archbishop Trench says: “The silence of Scripture is often more instructive than the teaching of other books;” and the late Moreley Punshon remarked that “Silence may not be inaptly quoted as an evidence of the Scripture’s inspiration. It is silent not by inadvertence; it is silent by design. The same Spirit which prompted the writers to write, withheld the writers from writing when the Lord did not will the inspiration.” And so it is true, as Boyle says, “The Scripture is like a dial in which we are informed by the shadow as well as the ligh t;” or, as Archer Butler says: “What we see is holy, but what we do not see is holier still.” Why is there no mention of the failures of the Old Testa ment Saints in the eleventh of Hebrews. Because in the tenth chapter God had said: “Your sins and iniquities I will remember no more.” Why is there no reference to the “altar” and “tent” while Abram was in Egypt? Because the altar is the symbol of worship and the tent is the symbol of the pilgrim life of separation to God, and there were neither of these while God’s servant was out of communion with Him. Why does Christ say: “Simon, Simon” when He refers to Satan’s request to sift Simon; and does not say “Simon” but “Peter” when He sends a message to him after his denial, (Luke 22:31; Mark 16 :7 ) and yet it says “He appeared to Simon” (Luke 24:34)? Because “Simon” was Peter’s old name, but Peter was his new name (John 1 :42 ). Satan had no claim on Peter, but he had on Simon, and the Lord’s use of the name "Peter” told him the Lord had not forgotten him, although it was necessary for the Lord to appear to Simon, that the Simon nature might be withered. Peter never forgot what he was by nature and grace, hence he subscribes himself as “Simon Peter.” (2 Pet. 1:1) Why do we find an omission of 93 years in the account of the time between the Exodus and the building of Sol omon’s Temple? In Acts 13 we have the following dates: Israel in the wilderness 40 years, Acts 13:18. Israel under Judges 450 years, Acts 13:20. Israel under Saul 40 years, Acts 13:21. Then we must add: Israel under David 40 years. Building of Temple third year of Solomon’s reign, 3 years— Total 573 years. And yet in 1 Kings 6:1 we read: “It came to pass in the 480th year after the Children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel in the month of Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the House of the Lord.” According to human calculation it should have been in the 573rd year after the Exodus. The explanation is to be found in the fact that God sometimes does not reckon time when His people are out of communion with Himself. There are five periods of 8, 18, 20, 7 and 40 years-^-93 in allS-mentioned in the Book of Judges, in which Israel as a nation were in captivity because of their unfaithfulness to the Lord. (Luke 4:18, 19; Isaiah 61:1, 2.) Why did Christ omit part of the prediction of Isaiah when quoting it, the first time He preached in Nazareth? “The day of vengeance” was what he omitted. The answer is, He came to declare the “acceptable year” of God’s grace, but the “day of vengeance” is yet to come. There is design in every omission in the Scriptures, and we may well ponder its speaking silence. (To be continued)
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs