<BrethrenVoice> <SUNDAY GLEANINGS> <11 August 2002> Contents: --------- (1) <Devotional> "Worship meeting of the Saints" - John Ritchie (2) <Meditational>"Exposition of the Levitical offerings" (Part-1)-C.E.Wigg (3) <Meditational> "Meditations from Psalm 84:1" - C.H. Spurgeon (4) <Devotional> "Devotion: The heart of prayer" - E.M. Bounds (5) <Bible Study> "Synopsis to the Book of Daniel - Ch 9" - J.N. Darby (6) <Biography> "John Nelson Darby" (7) <Poem> "Access to God in Christ" - C.M.J. Newton (1) <Devotional> THE WORSHIP MEETING OF THE SAINTS* John Ritchie It has been said that the highest occupation of humanity is to worship. It is clear by even the blindest observer that all of us worship something though we wouldn't like to call it worship. The god of many Australians is sport for example. For others it is money, music, their career, car or spouse (Isa 2:8). Today I'd like to look at the corporate worship of the saints at the Breaking of Bread remembrance each first day of the week. It has always been clear from scripture that God rightfully commands our worship. When God gave Moses the law, the most important commandments were with respect to worship and although we are not under the law but under grace, these commandments are still relevant: Exodus 20:1-7 1. And God spake all these words, saying, 2. I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6. And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 7. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. John 4:23-24 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 1 Chronicles 16:29 29 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. Hebrews 13:15 15 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. (See also Exod 34:14, 1 Chron 16:29, Psa 29:2, 66:4, 86:9, 95:6, 96:9, 99:5, Isa 66:23, Php 3:3, Rev 4:10, 15:4) In addressing the subject of the Worship of the Saints or so-called "open worship" I would like to answer several questions: What is worship? How do we worship? What hinders worship? The results of true worship. While worship is the birthright privilege of the individual believer, and ought to be his constant employ (Heb. 13:15), God's great design has been, and still is, to have His people worship Him collectively. For this purpose, and as an incentive to worship, the Lord's Supper has been instituted. It is true that primarily we do this for a remembrance of Him (1 Cor 11:24). But to remember Him, and especially His atoning death, is to call forth worship from our hearts (Ps 62:7-8). What is worship? ------------------ Worship is the occupation of the whole being with something. That is, being totally enthrawled with the object of worship. Worship of God is to be utterly consumed by who He is, meditating on His attributes, character, work and person. It is pursuing everything which will instill in us a right understanding of our true nature as opposed to His and which results in adoration and appreciation of Him. How do we worship? ---------------------- We worship God through prayer which adores Him and emphasises His glorious name, attributes and person from a heart which has contemplated and understood its baseness and utter dependence on Him. We worship God through reading the scriptures which speak specifically of His victories, titles, glories and nature. We worship God by singing spiritual songs to Him and about Him which speak of His excellencies and marvels. We do not worship God by speaking of ourselves, what He has done for us this week, preaching a sermon or praying long prayers of confession or supplication. Though we may express our thanks giving. I should like to offer some practical suggestions as to how this most important of all gatherings of the saints, "on the first day of the week" (Acts 20:7), might be made more glorifying to God, and more profitable to His people. Let us recognize that the Spirit of God as Viceregent of the absent Lord is sole President of this gathering. On the principle that he who convenes a meeting is responsible for the ordering of it, the Lord by His Spirit alone should rule. For this reason no pre-arrangements are possible at this meeting; preparation on the part of the worshippers is certainly necessary, but not pre-arrangement. Here the saints appear as priests unto God, and the Spirit of God may lead any brother to voice the assembly's worship, for in this gathering it is not so much gift and experience, but spiritual condition which matters. Even the breaking of the bread is not an official but a representative act "the bread which WE break" (1 Cor 10:16) It is important to distinguish between worship and ministry in this respect. For the former no special gift is required; for the latter gift is essential. In gatherings for worship no pre-arrangements are necessary; in public gatherings for ministry, arrangements are seemly (1 Cor 14:40). In order to give practical effect to the Spirit's ruling we must assemble prepared. "None shall appear before Me empty" (Exodus 23:15), was Jehovah's command to His earthly people when they came to worship, and the principle still applies. The first activity of the Lord's Day morning long ago was an act of worship, and the worshippers "came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared" (Luke 24:1). Whatever duties may have to be performed, some time between Saturday night and the appointed hour for worship on Lord's Day morning, there must be time (however short) for self-examination, meditation, and preparation. The practice of "a long lie" in bed on Lord's Day morning, followed by a rush of necessities, is disastrous to our enjoyment of the worship meeting. Assembling in the right condition of soul, the hearts of the believers, like the strings of a well-tuned harp, will be ready to vibrate at the prompting of the Holy Spirit in harmony and melody. How may the leading of the Spirit be recognized in the worship meeting? This is a question which has oftentimes presented difficulties to the minds of young Christians, especially, who, although truly exercised about their responsibility, are diffident about taking part. It is also a question which older brethren who are in the habit of taking part regularly, and sometimes, we fear, mechanically, each Lord's Day, might profitably consider, for it is deeply important to distinguish between the Spirit's prompting and mere carnal impulse. Let me try to offer some evidences which will enable us to discern when we are being truly "led of the Spirit." The Spirit Always Leads to Christ --------------------------------- Any brother taking part, therefore, should first consider whether, what is in his mind is likely to further this object. Experience leads me to believe that the bane of many worship meetings is that misguided men, who would have no opportunity in other meetings, seize the opportunity offered by the open character of this meeting to inflict their ministry and other contributions on their fellow-saints without any apparent regard for the authority of the Holy Spirit; and certainly without assisting the worship of the assembly. Discursive ministry on general topics in such a gathering is obviously not of the Spirit's leading. If ministry is necessary at all, it should be given with the object of leading the hearts of the saints after Christ. Long prayers, which are almost all petition and no adoration, are also out of keeping with the Spirit's ideal in worship. I would infinitely rather hear a few broken sentences from the Spirit-filled heart of a young believer, often softening and breaking down the whole meeting in their manifest sincerity, than the mechanical utterance, stale and stereotyped, of the brother who has formed the habit of "taking part." "Strange fire" is a serious offence on the part of any of the priestly family (Leviticus 10:1). The Spirit Always Leads Harmoniously ------------------------------------ He will not, for instance, lead two brethren to rise at the same time. "God is not the author of confusion" (1 Cor 14:33). He will not lead a brother to give out hymns not in keeping with the object of our gathering, as, for instance, "Sweet Hour of Prayer" or "Christians, Go and Tell of Jesus," both of which are good in their place but not in the worship meeting. He will not always lead us to give out the hymn or read the chapter we have been enjoying at home. These things, and others that could be named, simply create discord, and betray an utter ignorance of the way of the Spirit. What hinders worship? ---------------------- Let us remember that each believer present is definitely helping or hindering the assembly worship. A worshipping church is a living and exceedingly sensitive organism. One brother or sister out of touch with the Lord, or indulging in unconfessed sin, will act as a dead weight on the proceedings. Lack of exercise on the part of many, quenching of the Spirit on the part of some, carnal impulses on the part of others, are all factors which detract from the dignity and glory of the worship of the saints. Let us therefore examine ourselves, confess known sins, meditate on what the Lord Jesus Christ has really accomplished for us (Col 1:12-14) and rid our lives of idols which frequently take God's rightful place. If we hunger after righteousness, wisdom and understanding, we will find the fear or awe of the Lord as Proverbs 2 says, and worship will naturally flow: Proverbs 2:1-5 1. My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2. So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3. Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4. If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5. Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. David was one who did this as the psalms so richly resound of worship. See Ps 1:2, 63:6, 77:12, 119:148, 143:5. His meditation and thirsting after righteousness, wisdom and knowledge resulted in other psalms such as 96, 111, 112, etc. The results of true worship. --------------------------- When we worship God in the beauty of holiness, He is glorified, we are a shining testimony to unbelievers and the principalities and powers who witness our meetings (Ephes 3:10), we are doing the complete will of God, we are in tune with the Holy Spirit's guidance for our lives (Gal 5:16), we are less likely to be carnally minded, we are more likely to be able to love one-another in sincerity and simplicity, we are focused on our hope, and our lives will yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness. Conclusion ------------ Worship is our total physical, spiritual and mental occupation with who God is, His character, attributes, titles and person. Our corporate worship is made up of the brothers (1 Cor 14:34 etc) participating in prayer, scripture reading and spiritual songs (Col 3:16-17) which all centre on the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ and which do not focus on self. Husbands and fathers should therefore remember that they also vocalise the silent worship of their wives or daughters. Worship is hindered by unconfessed sin, carnal impulses, idolatry and laziness. Worship as opposed to ministry does not rely on gift but on spiritual state. The results of worship are that God is glorified before the world and the principalities, we are less carnal and thus in tune with the Holy Spirit's guiding of our lives and we bear fruit. All this means that our assembly will be vibrant, Christ-like and effectual. _______________________________________________________________________ (2) <Meditational> THE BREAD OF GOD - AN EXPOSITION OF SOME OF THE LEVITICAL OFFERINGS Charles E. Wigg PREFACE The purpose of this book is to bring out from the first eight chapters of the book of Leviticus, and other portions, some of the rich and precious truths and teachings that are concealed therein. We are commanded by our Lord Jesus to "search the scriptures", and Solomon tells that "It is the glory of Kings to search a matter out", (Prov.25:2.) After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus , "Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, expounded to them in all the scriptures, the things concerning Himself", ( Luke,24;27.) It is the prayer of the writer that the blessed Lord Jesus may be pleased to do this for us through these pages. If it pleases Him to do this, then we shall be enriched in our knowledge and appreciation of Himself and this will mean that our worship will be offered to God with greater intelligence, and will be of richer quality. Thus the Persons of the Godhead will be glorified, and we shall profit. May it be so! All scripture quotations that differ from the Authorized King James version, will be from the New Translation, by J.N.Darby. INTRODUCTION AND OUTLINE The book of Leviticus begins with the words, "And the LORD called unto Moses, and spoke to him out of the tabernacle of the congregation". These words bring out two important things. (1) The place where God speaks, and (2) the importance of what God says. First, let us see that God spoke out of the tabernacle. The tabernacle was the dwelling place of God amongst his people, God's house. In Exodus 25;8, God says "Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them". Pail tells us that the house of God today is "the assembly of the living God" ( 1. Tim. 3;15, & Heb. 3;6.) This means that the local assembly of true Christian believers, who are gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, are the dwelling place of God, (not the building in which they gather.) It is there that the voice of God should be heard, not audibly, but through the ministry of his word, (1 Pet. 4;11.) It is there that the "teaching and fellowship of the Apostles" is to be continued, and practiced. It is there that God will teach His people, from His word, what is acceptable to himself, and what should characterize them in their worship, witness, and practical daily living. [to be continued...] _______________________________________________________________________ (3) <Devotional> MEDITATIONS FROM PSALM 84* C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) Psalm 84:1 "How amiable are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!" -------------------------------------------------------------------- PSALM 84 - Title and Subject ------------------------------- To the Chief Musician upon Gittith. A Psalm for the sons of Korah. This Psalm well deserved to be committed to the noblest of the sons of song. No music could be too sweet for its theme, or too exquisite in sound to match the beauty of its language. Sweeter than the joy of the wine press, (for that is said to be the meaning of the word rendered upon Gittith), is the joy of the holy assemblies of the Lord's house; not even the favoured children of grace, who are like the sons of Korah, can have a richer subject for song than Zion's sacred festivals. It matters little when this Psalm was written, or by whom; for our part it exhales to us a Davidic perfume, it smells of the mountain heather and the lone places of the wilderness, where King David must have often lodged during his many wars. This sacred ode is one of the choicest of the collection; it has a mild radiance about it, entitling it to be called The Pearl of Psalms. If the twenty-third be the most popular, the one-hundred- and-third the most joyful, the one-hundred-and-nineteenth the most deeply experimental, the fifty-first the most plaintive, this is one of the most sweet of the Psalms of peace. Pilgrimages to the tabernacle were a grand feature of Jewish life. In our country, pilgrimages to the shrine of Thomas of Canterbury, and our Lady of Walsingham, were so general as to affect the entire population, cause the formation of roads, the erection and maintenance of hostelries, and the creation of a special literature; this may help us to understand the influence of pilgrimage upon the ancient Israelites. Families journeyed together, making bands which grew at each halting place; they camped in sunny glades, sang in unison along the roads, toiled together over the hill and through the slough, and as they went along, stored up happy memories which would never be forgotten. One who was debarred the holy company of the pilgrims, and the devout worship of the congregation, would find in this Psalm fit expression for his mournful spirit. Ver. 1. I. Why called Tabernacles? To include: (1) the holiest of all; (2) The holy place; (3) The court and precincts of the Tabernacle. Amiable is predicated of these. The courts amiable-the holy place more amiable-the holiest of all most amiable. II. Why called the Tabernacles of the Lord of Hosts? To denote: (1) its connection with the boundless universe. (2) its distinction from it. Present everywhere where God is peculiarly present here. III. Why called amiable? (1) because of the character in which God dwells here. Is condescension amiable? Is love? Is mercy? Is grace? These are displayed here. (2) because of the purpose for which he resides here. To save sinners: to comfort saints. Exposition ----------- Ver. 1. How amiable, or, How lovely! - He does not tell us how lovely they were, because he could not. His expressions show us that his feelings were inexpressible. Lovely to the memory, to the mind, to the heart, to the eye, to the whole soul, are the assemblies of the saints. Earth contains no sight so refreshing to us as the gathering of believers for worship. Those are sorry saints who see nothing amiable in the services of the Lord's house. Ver. 1. How amiable are thy tabernacles. What was there in them that appeared so amiable? Perchance, the edifice was famed for the skill and cost bestowed on it? But the temple of extraordinary beauty was not yet constructed. The tabernacle was lowly, more suited to pilgrims than to a great people, and little becoming the king himself. Therefore to the pious there is no need of vast or sumptuous temples to the end that they should love the house of God. Musculus. Ver. 1. Amiable. - The adjective is rendered by the English versions amiable, in the sense of the French amiable, lovely. But the usage of the Hebrew word requires it to be understood as meaning dear, beloved, which is exactly the idea here required by the context. The plural, dwellings, has reference to the subdivisions and appurtenances of the sanctuary, and is applied to the tabernacle in Ps 48:3. Compare Ps 68:35. The divine titles are as usual significant. While one suggests the covenant relation between God and the petitioner, the other makes his sovereignty the ground for a prayer for his protection.. Joseph Addison Alexander. Are thy tabernacles - The tabernacle had been pitched in several places, and, moreover, was divided into several courts and portions; hence, probably, the plural number is here used. It was all and altogether lovely to David. Outer court, or inner court, he loved every portion of it. Every cord and curtain was dear to him. Even when at a distance, he rejoiced to remember the sacred tent where Jehovah revealed himself, and he cried out with exultation while he pictured in fond imagination its sacred services, and solemn rites, as he had seen them in bygone times. Because they are thy tabernacles, Ver. 1. How amiable are thy tabernacles. - What made the tabernacle of Moses lovely was not the outside, which was very mean, as the Church of God outwardly is, through persecution, affliction, and poverty; but what was within, having many golden vessels in it, and those typical of things much more precious; moreover, here the priests were to be seen in their robes, doing their duty and service, and, at certain times, the high priest in his rich apparel; here were seen the sacrifices slain and offered, by which the people were taught the nature of sin, the strictness of justice, and the necessity and efficacy of the sacrifice of Christ: here the Levites were heard singing their songs, and blowing their trumpets: but much more amiable are the Church of God and its ordinances in Gospel times, where Christ, the Great High Priest, is seen in the glories of his person, and the fullness of his grace; where Zion's priests, or the ministers of the gospel, stand clothed, being full fraught with salvation, and the tidings of it; where Christ is evidently set forth, as crucified and slain, in the ministry of the word, and the administration of ordinances; here the gospel trumpet is blown, and its joyful sound echoed forth, and songs of love and grace are sung by all believers; besides, what makes these tabernacles still more lovely are, the presence of God here, so that they are no other than the house of God, the gate of heaven; the provisions that are here made, and the company that is here enjoyed. John Gill. O Lord of hosts, therefore are they so dear to thy people. Thy pavilion is the centre of the camp, around which all thy creatures gather, and towards which their eyes are turned, as armies look to the tent of the king. Thou rulest all the companies of creatures with such goodness, that all their hosts rejoice in thy dwelling place, and the bands of thy saints especially hail thee with joyful loyalty as Jehovah of hosts. --- *[Taken from "The Treasury of David"] _______________________________________________________________________ (4) <Devotional> DEVOTION: THE HEART OF PRAYER* E.M. Bounds Devotion is the particular frame of mind found in one entirely devoted to God. It is the spirit of reverence, of awe, of godly fear. It is a state of heart which appears before God in prayer and worship. It is foreign to everything like lightness of spirit, and is opposed to levity and noise and bluster. Devotion dwells in the realm of quietness and is still before God. It is serious, thoughtful, meditative. Devotion belongs to the inner life and lives in the closet, but also appears in the public services of the sanctuary. It is a part of the very spirit of true worship and is of the nature of the spirit of prayer. Devotion belongs to the devout man, whose thoughts and feelings are devoted to God. Such a man has a mind given up wholly to the Christian life and possesses a strong affection for God and an ardent love for his house. Cornelius was "a devout man, one that feared God with all His house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed always." "Devout men carried Stephen to his burial." "One Ananias, a devout man, according to the law," was sent unto Saul when he was blind, to tell him what the Lord would have him do. God can wonderfully use such men, for devout men are His chosen agents in carrying forward His plans. Prayer promotes the spirit of devotion, while devotion is favorable to the best praying. Devotion furthers prayer and helps to drive prayer home to the object which it seeks. Prayer thrives in the atmosphere of true devotion. It is easy to pray when in the spirit of devotion. The attitude of mind and the state of heart implied in devotion make prayer effectual in reaching the throne of grace. God dwells where the spirit of devotion resides. All the graces of the Spirit are nourished and grow well in the environment created by devotion. Indeed, these graces grow nowhere else but here. The absence of a devotional spirit means death to the graces born in a renewed heart. True worship finds congeniality in the atmosphere made by a spirit of devotion. While prayer is helpful to devotion, at the same time devotion reacts on prayer, and helps us to pray. Devotion engages the heart in prayer. It is not an easy task for the lips to try to pray while the heart is absent from it. The charge which God at one time made against his ancient Israel was that they honored him with their lips, while their hearts were far from him. The very essence of prayer is the spirit of devotion. Without devotion prayer is an empty form, a vain round of words. Sad to say, much of this kind of prayer prevails, today, in the church. This is a busy age, bustling and active, and this bustling spirit has invaded the church of God. Its religious performances are many. The church works at religion with the order, precision and force of real machinery. But too often it works with the heartlessness of the machine. There is much of the treadmill movement in our ceaseless round and routine of religious doings. We pray without praying. We sing without singing with the Spirit. We have music without the praise of God being in it. We go to church by habit, and come home all too gladly when the benediction is pronounced. We read our accustomed chapter in the Bible, and feel quite relieved when the task is done. We say our prayers by rote, as a schoolboy recites his lesson, and are not sorry when the Amen is uttered. Christianity has to do with everything but our hearts. It engages our hands and feet; it takes hold of our voices; it lays its hands on our money; it affects even the postures of our bodies, but it does not take hold of our affections, our desires, our zeal, and make us serious, desperately in earnest, and cause us to be quiet and worshipful in the presence of God. Why all these sad defects in our piety? Why this modern perversion of the true nature of the religion of Jesus Christ? Why is the modern type of Christianity so much like a jewel-case with the precious jewels gone? The great lack of the modern Church is the spirit of devotion. We hear sermons in the same spirit with which we listen to a lecture or hear a speech. We visit the house of God just as if it were a common place, on a level with the theatre, the lecture-room or the forum. We handle sacred things just as if they were the things of the world. We need to put the spirit of devotion into Monday's business, as well as in Sunday's worship. We need the spirit of devotion to remind us of the presence of God, to be always doing the will of God, to direct all things always to the glory of God. The spirit of devotion puts God in all things. It puts God not merely in our praying and church-going, but in all the concerns of life. "Whether, therefore, ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." The spirit of devotion makes the common things of earth sacred and the little things great. With this spirit of devotion, we go to business on Monday directed by the very same influence and inspired by the same influences by which we went to church on Sunday. The spirit of devotion makes a Sabbath out of Saturday, and transforms the shop and the office into a temple of God. The spirit of devotion prevents Christianity from being a thin veneer and puts it into the very life and being of our souls. It ceases to be doing a mere work, and becomes a heart, sending its rich blood through every artery and beating with the pulsations of vigorous and radiant life. The ardor of devotion is in prayer. In the fourth chapter of Revelation, verse eight, we read: "And they rest not day nor night, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." The inspiration and center of their rapturous devotion is the holiness of God. That holiness of God claims their attention, inflames their devotion. There is nothing cold, nothing dull, nothing wearisome about them or their heavenly worship. "They rest not day nor night." What zeal! What unfainting ardor and ceaseless rapture! The ministry of prayer, if it be anything worthy of the name, is a ministry of ardor, a ministry of unwearied and intense longing after God and after his holiness. The spirit of devotion pervades the saints in heaven and characterizes the worship of heaven's angelic intelligences. No devotionless creatures are in that heavenly world. God is there, and His very presence begets the spirit of reverence, of awe, and of real fear. If we would be partakers with them after death, we must first learn the spirit of devotion on earth before we get there. These living creatures, in their restless, tireless attitude after God and their devotion to His holiness, are the perfect symbols and manifestations of true prayer and its ardor. Prayer must be aflame. Its ardor must consume. Prayer without fervour is as a sun without light or heat, or as a flower without beauty or fragrance. A soul devoted to God is a fervent soul, and prayer is the creature of that flame. He only can truly pray who is all aglow for holiness, for God, and for heaven. Activity is not strength. Work is not zeal. Moving about is not devotion. Activity often is the unrecognized symptom of spiritual weakness. It may be hurtful to piety when made the substitute for real devotion in worship. The colt is much more active than its mother, but she is the wheel-horse of the team, pulling the load without noise or bluster or show. The child is more active than the father, who may be bearing the rule and burdens of an empire on his heart and shoulders. Enthusiasm is more active than faith, though enthusiasm cannot remove mountains nor call into action any of the omnipotent forces which faith can command. Activity is often at the expense of more solid, useful elements, and generally to the total neglect of prayer. To be too busy with God's work to commune with God, to be busy with doing church work without taking time to talk to God about His work, is the highway to backsliding, and many people have walked therein to the hurt of their immortal souls. [Taken from "The Essentials of Prayer"] _______________________________________________________________________ (5) <Bible-Study> SYNOPSIS TO THE BOOK OF DANIEL CH. 9 John Nelson Darby .... Chapter 9 gives us a vision concerning the people and the holy city, consequent on Daniel's confession and intercession. It is, as has been remarked, in connection with the oppression of the western power. Indeed, the details relate to oppression. The prophet had understood (not by a direct revelation, but by the study of Jeremiah's prophecy, by the use of those ordinary means that are within the reach of the spiritual man) that the captivity, the duration of which Jeremiah had announced, was near its end. The effect on Daniel's mind (true sign of a prophet of God) was to produce an ardent intercession on behalf of the desolate sanctuary, and the city which Jehovah loved. He pours out his heart in confession before God, acknowledging the sin of the people and of their kings, the hardness of their hearts, and the righteousness of God in bringing evil upon them. He pleads the mercies of God, and demands favour for Jehovah's own sake. The prophecy is God's answer to his prayer. Seventy weeks are determined upon the people of Daniel and upon his holy city. Jehovah does not yet acknowledge them definitely for His own; but He accepts the intercession of the prophet, as He had formerly done that of Moses, by saying to Daniel, "thy people and thy city." Daniel stands in the place of mediator. He has the mind of God-His words; and thus he can intercede (compare on this deeply interesting point, Gen. 20: 7; Jer. 27: 18; John 15: 7). At the end of these seventy weeks, separated from among the ages, the time should come, decreed of God, to finish the transgression, to seal up, that is, to make an end of sin, and to put it away; to pardon iniquity and bring in everlasting righteousness; to seal up [all] vision and prophecy, and to anoint the holy of holies: this, observe, with respect to the people of Israel and to the city. It is the entire re-establishment of the people, and of the city, in grace. This period of seventy weeks is divided into three parts-seven, sixty-two, and one. During the first part, or the seven weeks, the desolate city and its overthrown walls would be rebuilt in troublous times, or in the strait of times. After sixty-two weeks, that is, after sixty-nine altogether, the Messiah should be cut off, and should have nothing (this is the true sense of the words). He to whom the kingdom and the glory belonged, instead of receiving them, should be cut off and have nothing. But after this event the city and the sanctuary, which had been rebuilt, should be destroyed, and the end should be like a desolating flood; and there should be an ordinance, or determinate decree, of desolation until the end of the war. This is, in general, the complete history of the desolations. Sixty-nine weeks have been accomplished-after that, the Messiah is cut off; but the precise moment at which this takes place is not indicated. The course of the seventy weeks is thus entirely interrupted. The cutting off of the Messiah was not the moment of the re-establishment of the people and of the city. The result is plainly announced-a period of desolation until the end: its duration is not given. We shall find in chapter 11 the same manner of treating an analogous period. The people of a prince who was yet to come should destroy the city. After this, the Spirit of God takes up the seventieth week, the details of which were not yet unfolded. The prince that shall come confirms a covenant with the mass of the Jews. (The form of the word many (-13-) indicates the mass of the people). This is the first thing that characterises the week; the Jews form an alliance with the head, at that day, of the people who had formerly overthrown their city and their sanctuary. They form an alliancewi th the head of the Roman Empire. This refers to the week as a whole. But, the half of the week spent,(-14-) things assume another aspect. This head causes the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and on account of the protection of idols, there is a desolator; and until the consummation that is determined,(-15-) there shall be poured [judgment] upon the desolate. (-13-)The word "many" has an article prefixed to it in the Hebrew. The same thing is the case in other parts of Daniel, to which we shall draw the reader's attention, and which clearly prove that the mass of the people are in question-"the many." The same form of phrase is found in Greek. 2 Cor. 2: 6; 9: 2. (-14-)We may observe that the Lord only speaks expressly of the last half-week, of the time of tribulation which follows the setting up of the idol that maketh desolate in the holy place. Some have thought that there would be only this half-week to come, Christ having been cut off in the midst of the week. Others have thought that the seventieth week had entirely elapsed before the Lord's death, but that it is not reckoned, Jesus having been rejected, and that this week is found again at the time of the Jews' connection with the wicked one. What the passage tells us is this: first, the prince, the head that is of the Roman empire, in the latter days makes a covenant referring to one whole week; on the other hand, the Lord speaks of the last half of the week as being to take place immediately before His coming, as the time of unequalled tribulation that precedes it. If this were all, the foregoing history of the prince to come, who makes a covenant, would fall into the general history of the state of things. The question whether one or two half-weeks remain to be fulfilled, and in what way, during the manifestation of the power of evil, I reserve (as to its full development) for the book of Revelation; remarking only that Messiah is cut off after the end of 69 weeks. We know from the New Testament that His ministry lasted just half the week. Of this clearly the prince or Jews, with whom he makes alliance, would make no account. The interpretation of this passage is clear; the covenant for a week with the prince to come, as if 69 weeks alone were run out, Messiah and His cutting off being ignored, and a half-week of utter oppression because of idols, till the consummation decree. (-15-)This is an expression constantly used for the last judgments that shall fall upon the Jews (see Isaiah 10: 22; 28: 22). The second verse of this last chapter compares the desolator to a flood, as in verse 26 of the chapter we are considering. The attentive reader will observe that these passages refer also to the events of the last days. Remark also the covenant in Isaiah 28: 15 &18. Some doubts might be thrown upon the translation "the desolate"; some render it "the desolator," and "until the destruction that is decreed there shall be poured [judgment] upon the desolator," or rather, "until the destruction decreed shall be poured upon the desolator." To any one that is not very familiar with the word, this seems to end the sentence better; but it appears to me that those who are conversant with the whole contents of the Bible and with its phraseology will allow that the reading I have given is its truer meaning. The import of the prophecy is the same in either case. The one translation says that the desolation shall continue until the end of judgment, fore-ordained by God; the other, that it shall not cease until the destruction of the desolator, which comes to the same thing. The translation I have given appears to me more exact, more in accordance with the word. Our English translation reads "desolate," giving "desolator" in the margin. But the word has not the same form as that which is translated "desolator" in other places where the meaning is certain. The previous clause I have rendered "on account of the protection of idols." The word is literally "wing"-upon, or on the account of, the wing of abominations. And we know that the word wing is habitually employed for protection. That which is here announced, then, is, that seventy weeks are set apart for the history of the city and people of Daniel. During these seventy weeks, God is in relationship with Israel;(-16-) nevertheless, not immediately so, but in connection with the faith of the believing remnant, of a Daniel, of an intercession which, linking itself with the existence of a remnant, serves as a bond between God and the people: an intercession without which the people would be rejected. It is the same principle as that which governed the relations between God and the people by means of Moses, after the golden calf-the people being called the people of Daniel, as formerly the people of Moses. This position is remarkable, as taking place after the establishment of the authority of the Gentiles. The Jews are at Jerusalem, but the Gentiles reign, although the empire of Babylon is overthrown. In this anomalous position prophetic faith seeks the complete re-establishment of the city, the seat of government of God and of His people. It is to this that the answer of God refers. A brief but complete history is given of the period which should elapse until the judgment upon the Jews was accomplished and past. (-16-)The power of the Gentiles existing at the same time. We know from scripture that the restoration of Jerusalem took place under the reign of the Gentiles, as well as the whole course of the sixty-nine weeks which have assuredly passed away. The seventy have all the same character in this respect. It is only at the end of the seventy that pardon is granted. Whoever may be the instrument of establishing the covenant the fourth beast will be at that time the ruling power of the Gentiles, to whom God has committed authority. It is very important, if we would understand the seventy weeks, to remark this state of things-the Jews restored, the city rebuilt, but the Gentiles still occupying the throne of the world. The seventy weeks have their course only under these conditions. It must be well understood that it is the people of Daniel who are meant, and his city, which are to be re-established in their former favour with God. The longsuffering of God still now waits. The Gentile power has already failed in faithfulness; Babylon has been overthrown; by means of intercession, the Jews provisionally restored, and the temple rebuilt. The seventy weeks had her day, had repented, all was ready for her re-establishment in glory. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob could have been raised up, as Lazarus had been. But she knew not the day of her visitation, and the fulfilling of the seventy weeks, as well as the blessing that should follow, had necessarily to be postponed. Through grace we know that God had yet more excellent thoughts and purposes, and that man's state was such that this could not have been, as the event proved. Accordingly all is here announced beforehand. (Compare Isaiah 49: 4-6.) A new element of great importance is also introduced: the Messiah should be cut off. He would have nothing of that which in right belonged to Him. The consequence of this would be the destruction of the city and of the sanctuary, desolation and war. It would be the prince of another empire, not yet in existence, who should thus destroy the city and the sanctuary. The relations between God and the people were now completely broken off for the time-even as regarded a believing remnant. The faith of Daniel was rejected in the Person of Christ as the prophet, and in the denial of Christ expressed by the declaration that they would have no king but Caesar; and the people and the city were given up to desolation. But there remained one week yet unaccomplished with this faithless and perverse, but yet beloved, race, before their iniquity should be pardoned, and everlasting righteousness brought in, and the vision and the prophecy which the prince or leader would make with the Jewish people (with the exception of the remnant), and then by the compulsory cessation of their worship through the intervention of this prince. After that the Jews having placed themselves under the protection of idols-this unclean spirit, long driven out of the people, having again entered into them with seven others worse than himself, the desolator comes, and the final judgments are inflicted on the people-terrible judgments; but the extent of which is definitely fixed by God when their measure shall be full. Thus we find a very precise answer is given to the prophet's request; an answer which very distinctly unfolds the consequences of the connection of Daniel's people with the Gentile power. Their position is very clearly set forth, while the relationship with God, by means of the prophet's intercession, still exists. The prophecy announces at the same time the general fact of the people's desolation after the sixty-ninth week was past, and (with a seeming lull from the favour of the beast), on to the end of the seventieth, occasioned by their rejection of the Messiah, which took place at the very time when the promise attached to the prophecy should have been on the point of fulfilment; and the rejection of whom (coming in the name of His Father) has led to the long dispersion of the Jews, which will continue until the time of their being gathered, a prey to the iniquity of the head of the Gentiles; the time, in fact, of their falling into the hands of the one who should come in his own name-a sorrowful condition developed during the last week, but to which God has set a limit; and beyond that, no malice of the enemy can reach. [to be continued...] _______________________________________________________________________ (6) <Biography> JOHN NELSON DARBY Larry V. Crutchfield* Darby's life ----------- John Nelson Darby, namesake of family friend and famed British admiral, Lord Nelson, was born in London of Irish parents on November 18, 1800. Ireland furnished the backdrop for his earliest years of development and education. In 1819 at the age of eighteen, Darby graduated from Trinity College Dublin as a Classical Medallist. Brilliant, gifted, and with all the right connections, Darby had been groomed for and was practically assured a successful career in law. But a deep spiritual struggle gripped the budding young barrister in his eighteenth year and caused him to abandon that profession after only one year of practice between 1822 and 1823. Darby's spiritual odyssey lasted until 1825 when he received ordination as deacon in the Church of England. The following year, he was elevated to the priesthood and assigned a curacy in remote County Wicklow, Ireland. Taking up residence in a peasant's cottage on a bog, Darby covered the great untamed expanse of his ecclesiastical responsibility on horseback in the manner of John Wesley. His gentleness of spirit and saintly bearing and conduct quickly earned him a place in the hearts of his poor parishioners. So committed was Darby to the instruction of the peasantry in the Word of God that he was seldom found at his own humble dwelling before midnight. His labors did not go unrewarded. Although he expended most of his modest wages and personal inheritance on the local schools and charities, by Darby's own account Catholics were "becoming protestants at the rate of 600 to 800 a week." Darby's standard of reward and gain was always in terms of souls won for the kingdom, never silver added to the purse. For some time the young circuit-riding cleric had been troubled by the condition of the established church, but his demanding duties had prevented any decisive action. He was to receive time for undisturbed reflection on the issue, however, when his horse bolted during one journey through the parish, throwing its rider with tremendous force against a doorjamb. The ensuing lengthy convalescence from the required surgery in Dublin, served as an incubator for Darby's discontent. Darby says: "During my solitude, conflicting thoughts increased; but much exercise of soul had the effect of causing the scriptures to gain complete ascendancy over me. I had always owned them to be the Word of God . . . the careful reading of the Acts afforded me a practical picture of the early church; which made me feel deeply the contrast with its actual present state; though still, as ever beloved by God." After only twenty-seven months with the Church of England and thoroughly dissatisfied with what he viewed as rampant Erastianism and clericalism, Darby sought fellowship and ministry outside the established church. Eventually, Darby made the acquaintance of a group of like-minded believers, members of the Church of England in Dublin, and met with them for prayer and Bible study during the winter of 1827-28. It was this group which would later become known as the Plymouth Brethren. The two guiding principles of the movement were to be the breaking of bread every Lord's Day, and ministry based upon the call of Christ rather than the ordination of man. While Darby was not the founder of this group, he quickly emerged as its spiritual leader and dominant force. By 1840, the Plymouth movement had grown to 800 strong and would reach more than 1200 within the next five years. Even though Darby disliked denominational labels, preferring rather the simple biblical designation "brethren," it was perhaps inevitable that these "brethren" who met at Plymouth, should become known as the "Plymouth Brethren." Many other Brethren groups formed in Britain and subsequently in other parts of the world. As a result of his extensive travels, Darby himself was responsible for the spread of Brethren doctrine to other countries. He made several trips to preach and teach in Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, and Holland. Between 1859 and 1874, Darby made six trips to the United States and Canada where he ministered in all the major cities and in some of the smaller ones as well. Included also in Darby's itinerary were visits to the West Indies and New Zealand. Wherever Darby went, he never tired of expounding his views on the doctrine of the church and future things. He was convinced both that the organized church was in a state of ruin and that Christ's return to rapture the saints and establish the millennial kingdom was imminent. While Darby's call for a radical response to the apostate condition of the church was met with relative indifference, his teachings on eschatological themes were heartily embraced and provided much of the substance for the Bible conference movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. But more than any one doctrine, it was Darby and the Brethren's fundamental orthodoxy that appealed to Bible believing Christians everywhere. Darby's doctrine ------------------ Darby is called by many the father of modern dispensational theology, a theology made popular first by the Scofield Reference Bible and more recently by the Ryrie Study Bible. It is a theology that has gained wide influence through the publications and educational efforts of institutions like Dallas Theological Seminary and Moody Bible Institute. Yet while Darby is the center of almost every controversy over the origin of this theological system, his works are little known and seldom read. This is true among the critics and champions of dispensational theology alike. This neglect is unfortunate, for Darby is credited with much of the theological content of the Fundamentalist movement. There is little doubt too, that Darby had a tremendous part in the systematization and promotion of dispensational theology. Today, however, Darby's theological distinctives have virtually been reduced to his doctrine of the church in ruins, the premillennial return of Christ--with special emphasis upon Israel and the church's role in that kingdom age--and the rapture of the church. As important as these doctrines are in Darby's theology, they were but an outgrowth of other doctrines which must be considered the bedrock of his and the Brethren's teaching. It is the bedrock upon which orthodox Christianity has stood since Pentecost and upon which Fundamentalists made their stand shortly after the turn of the century. Inspiration and Infallibility of Scripture Darby was unswerving in his belief that the Bible was the inspired, infallible Word of God, absolutely authoritative and faithfully transmitted from the original autographs. If the world itself were to disappear and be annihilated, asserts Darby, "and the word of God alone remained as an invisible thread over the abyss, my soul would trust in it. After deep exercise of soul I was brought by grace to feel I could entirely. I never found it fail me since. I have often failed; but I never found it failed me." Once questioned as to whether he might not allow that some parts of the New Testament may have had only temporary significance, Darby retorted, "'No! every word, depend upon it, is from the Spirit and is for eternal service!'" Darby felt compelled to affirm his fidelity to the Word of God because "In these days especially . . . the authority of His written word is called in question on every side..." Deity and Virgin Birth of Christ On the deity of Christ, Darby is no less compromising than he is on the place of Scripture in the believer's life. "The great truth of the divinity of Jesus, that He is God," says Darby, "is written all through scripture with a sunbeam, but written to faith. I cannot hesitate in seeing the Son, the Jehovah of the Old Testament, the First and the Last, Alpha and Omega, and thus it shines all through. But He fills all things, and His manhood, true, proper manhood, as true, proper Godhead, is as precious to me, and makes me know God, and so indeed only as the other, He is 'the true God and eternal life.'" If Christ is not God, concludes Darby, then "I do not know Him, have not met Him, nor know what He is." As one of the truths connected with the person and work of Christ, Darby cites the "miraculous birth of the Saviour, who was absolutely without sin..." Substitutionary Atonement Just as the doctrine of the deity of Christ is written all through the Bible, Darby maintains that the propitiation secured by the sacrificial death of Christ "is a doctrine interwoven with all Scripture, forms one of the bases of Christianity, is the sole ground of remission--and there is none without shedding blood--and that by which Christ has made peace; Col. 1:20." Darby is convinced that without the atoning work of Christ, man must bear the guilt of his sin, and remain at a distance from God without knowledge of Him or of His love. But thankfully that is not the case, for as Darby points out, "There is death in substitution--He 'bore our sins in his own body on the tree'--'died for our sins according to the scriptures' ..." Resurrection of Christ For Darby, "the Person of Christ regarded as risen," is the pivot around which "all the truths found in the word revolve." "Many have, perhaps, been able, in looking at the Church's hope in Christ," says Darby, "to see the importance of the doctrine of the resurrection. But the more we search the Scriptures, the more we perceive, in this doctrine, the fundamental truth of the gospel--that truth which gives to redemption its character, and to all other truths their real power." It is the victory of Christ over death which gives the certainty of salvation. It is the resurrection, asserts Darby, which "leaves behind, in the tomb, all that could condemn us, and ushers the Lord into that new world of which he is the perfection, the Head, and the glory." Consequently, this doctrine characterized apostolic preaching. Return of Christ Darby believed that it was essential that the church have a right hope. That hope he understood to be the second coming of Christ. At his coming, Darby maintained, Christ would take the saints to glory with Him, to become the bride, the wife of the Lamb. Darby insists that "Nothing is more prominently brought forward in the New Testament than the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ." He points out that it was the promise of Christ's return which was first offered to the sorrowing disciples as they witnessed the ascension of their Lord as recorded in Acts 1:11. Furthermore, says Darby, "It was not at all a strange thing--immediately after conversion to the living God--'to wait for his Son from heaven, even Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come.'" In light of the foregoing, John F. Walvoord, president emeritus of Dallas Theological Seminary, is certainly correct in saying that "Much of the Truth promulgated by fundamental Christians today had its rebirth in the movement known as the 'Plymouth Brethren.'" Darby's influence ------------------- It should be evident from the foregoing that there is a distinct connection between the doctrines of the Brethren and the Fundamentalists who rose to challenge modernism shortly before and especially after the turn of the century. Well before publication of TheFundamentals: A Testimony of Truth in 1909, the Brethren were proclaiming the same basic truths of Scripture and staunchly defending them against all comers. The very character of Brethren fellowship and beliefs is such that to entertain liberal doctrines would destroy the movement altogether. Many of the greatest Fundamentalist leaders of the past have openly acknowledged their indebtedness to the teachings and ministry of Darby and the Brethren. After securing the writings of C. H. Mackintosh, the man most responsible for popularizing Darby's works, D. L.Moody said, "if they could not be replaced, [I] would rather part with my entire library, excepting my Bible, than with these writings. They have been to me a very key to the Scriptures." A. C. Gaebelein, contributor to The Fundamentals and one of the most potent influences on the life and doctrine of C. I. Scofield, says of Darby and other Brethren writers, "I found in his writings, in the works of William Kelly, Mcintosh [Mackintosh], F. W. Grant, Bellett, and others the soul food I needed. I esteem these men next to the Apostles in their sound and spiritual teachings." In the same breath Gaebelein speaks of four saints named John who will be present at that great celestial meeting when Christ returns--John Calvin, John Knox, John Wesley, and John Darby. William Kelly, Darby's closest friend and greatest student, never tired of admonishing others to "Read Darby!" With some fifty-three volumes to his credit--including everything from a complete translation of the Bible to a volume of verse--there is much of Darby to read. John Nelson Darby continued to serve and proclaim his Savior both with the written and spoken word until his departure to be with Him on the 29th of April, 1882. And no matter what subject he addressed, one theme always came to the fore--Jesus Christ. Just a few days before his home-going Darby wrote in a final letter to the Brethren, "I can say, Christ has been my only object; thank God, my righteousness too . . . Hold fast to Christ." --- [From "John Nelson Darby, Defender of Faith" by Larry V. Crutchfield] _______________________________________________________________________ (7) <Poem> ACCESS TO GOD IN CHRIST C.M.J. Newton Eph. 2. 18; 3. 12; Heb 10. 19 Great God! from thee there's nought concealed, Thou seest my inward frame; To thee I always stand revealed Exactly as I am! Since I can hardly, therefore, bear What in myself I see; How vile and black must I appear, Most holy God, to thee! But since my Saviour stands between, In garments dyed in blood, 'Tis he, instead of me, is seen, When I approach to God. Thus, though a sinner, I am safe; He pleads, before the throne, His life and death in my behalf, And calls my sins his own. What wondrous love, what mysteries, In this appointment shine! My breaches of the law are his, And his obedience mine. ___________________________<BrethrenVoice>___________________________ [which seeks to be guided solely by the New Testament Biblical pattern, facilitates free flow of Christian information. To God be the glory!] Subscribe, eMail:<brethrenvoice-subscribe@...> Unsubscribe, eMail:<brethrenvoice-unsubscribe@...> BV FAQs & Statement of Faith, eMail:<brethrenvoice-faq@...> Messages to the Moderator, eMail: <brethrenvoice-owner@...> "BrethrenVoice" Home: http://associate.com/digests/brethrenvoice/ eFellowship Home: http://groups.msn.com/BrethrenChristiansForum/