<BrethrenVoice> <SUNDAY-GLEANINGS> <15 September 2002> In this issue: ---------------- (1) <Devotional> "Treasury of David - Psalm 84:6"- C.H.Spurgeon (2) <Bible-Study> "Exposition of the Levitical offerings" (Pt-6)-C.E.Wigg (3) <Bible-Study> "The glory of Christ's office" (2/2) - F.B. Meyer (4) <Exhortational> "A city in sackcloth" - F.S Webster (5) <From-the-Gleaner> "Top-stories-of-the-week" - Ben (1) <DEVOTIONAL> TREASURY OF DAVID - PSALM 84:6 C. H. Spurgeon Ver. 6. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well. Traversing joyfully the road to the great assembly, the happy pilgrims found refreshment even in the dreariest part of the road. As around a well men meet and converse cheerfully, being refreshed after their journey, so even in the vale of tears, or any other dreary glen, the pilgrims to the skies find sweet solace in brotherly communion and in anticipation of the general assembly above, with its joys unspeakable. Probably there is here a local allusion, which will never now be deciphered, but the general meaning is clear enough. There are joys of pilgrimage which make men forget the discomforts of the road. The rain also filleth the pools. God gives to his people the supplies they need while traversing the roads which he points out for them. Where there were no natural supplies from below, the pilgrims found an abundant compensation in waters from above, and so also shall all the sacramental host of God's elect. Ways, which otherwise would have been deserted from want of accommodation, were made into highways abundantly furnished for the travellers' wants, because the great annual pilgrimages led in that direction; even so, Christian converse and the joy of united worship makes many duties easy and delightful which else had been difficult and painful. _______________________________________________________________________ (2) <BIBLE-STUDY> THE BREAD OF GOD - AN EXPOSITION OF SOME OF THE LEVITICAL OFFERINGS (PART-6) Charles E. Wigg .... THE OFFERING IS A SACRIFICE - We now see that each offering is a sacrifice, that it costs the worshipper something, there can be no worship without sacrifice, without cost. For the worshipper mentioned in our chapter, it meant the sacrifice and death of an animal which was almost a part of his family. He had probably witnessed it's birth, had watched it grow up into an adult, and he had probably handled it daily. Farm animals in the eastern culture are very much a part of the family. I have been to villages in India, where the family lived in one end of the house and the goats, cow or buffalo lived in the other end. I went to one house and to enter the "sitting room" we had to squeeze past a horse that was occupying the front entrance porch of the house. We conducted the Bible study to the accompaniment of the sounds of the horse blowing it's nose at intervals, and it's constant munching of it's food. In times past it used to be similar in Tasmania, from which I come. In the days of smaller herds of cows the calves were fed with milk from a bucket, this was often done by the children, and each child would have it's own special calf to feed and to care for. I have seen those same animals after they had grown, reached maturity and were running with the herd, when the child who fed them came and called the animal's name, it would recognize them and go to them, and allow the child to stroke them , handling them like an old friend. I had a Christian friend who for many years owned and trained teams of working bullocks. That brother had a real gift in the training of animals. When one of his teams became so big and heavy, that their knee joints became so arthritic through age, that it caused them constant pain to move around or to stand, then they had to be sold for meat. Those animals had served him so faithfully, that he could not bear to see them loaded on to the lorry that was to take them away, so he remained in his house. I am telling these things so that you might have some idea of the great emotional cost to the offerer when the animal that he loved so much. had to be presented as an offering, and to be slain. This explains in part the anger that the Lord Jesus showed towards the merchants who had turned the courtyard of the temple into a cattle bazaar, or market. In providing sacrificial animals, the temple traders were serving those people who came from a distance, the trouble of bringing their own animals. But they were also robbing the worshippers of the real emotional cost and involvement entailed. These merchants were called thieves by the Lord Jesus, because they were robbing the worshippers financially, emotionally, and in every way. They were using the requirements for worship as a means of personal gain. Sad to say, such merchants are still with us today, being those who would make worship "easy", and remove from it the real spiritual and emotional involvement. Those who do this are robbing the people of God of their richest and costliest experience, reducing worship to the level of entertainment. or ritual of an ecclesiastical kind. Keeping this in mind, we can see what great personal and emotional cost was involved in the presentation of the burnt-offering. To those who really love the Lord Jesus Christ, the fact that he had to die for us, that " he loved us and has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God of a sweet smelling savor", (Eph. 5;2,) should touch our deepest emotions, worship is a costly thing. [To be concluded] _______________________________________________________________________ (3) <BIBLE-STUDY> THE GLORY OF CHRIST'S OFFICE (PART 2 OF 2) F.B. Meyer "He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name." Hebrews 1:4. .... With what new interest may we not now turn to the archaic record, which tells how God created the heavens and the earth. Those sublime syllables, "Light, be!" were spoken by the voice that trembled in dying anguish on the cross. Rolling rivers, swelling seas, waving woods, bursting flowers, carolling birds, innumerable beasts, stars sparkling like diamonds on the pavilion of night-all newly made; all throbbing with God's own life; and all very good: but, mainly and gloriously, all the work of those hands which were nailed helplessly to the cross, which itself, as well as the iron that pierced him, was the result of his creative will. HE IS THE GOD OF PROVIDENCE - "Upholding all things by the word of his power" (ver. 3). He is the prop which underpins creation. Christ, and not fate. Christ, and not nature. Christ, and not abstract impersonal law. Law is but the invariable method of his working. "In him all things live, and move, and have their being." "By him all things consist." He is ever at work repeating on the large scale of creation the deeds of his earthly life. And if he did not do them, they must be forever undone. At his word rainwater and dew become grape-juice; tiny handfuls of grain fill the autumn barns; storms die away into calm; fish are led through the paths of the sea; rills are sent among the mountains; and stars are maintained in their courses, so that "not one faileth." All power is given unto him in heaven and on earth. Why, then, art thou so sad? Thy best Friend is the Lord of Providence. Thy Brother is Prime Minister of the universe, and holds the keys of the divine commissariat. Go to him with the empty sacks of thy need; he will not only fill them, but fill them freely, without money and without price; as Joseph did in the old story of the days of the Pharaohs. HE IS THE SAVIOUR OF SINNERS - "He purged our sins." We shall have many opportunities of dwelling on this glorious fact. Jesus is Saviour, Redeemer, and the High-Priest. This is his proudest title; in this work no angel or created spirit can bear him rivalry. In the work of salvation he is alone. No angel could atone for sin, or plead our cause, or emancipate us from the thrall of evil. But notice the finality of this act. "He made purging of sins " (see Greek). It is finished; forever complete; done irrevocably and finally. If only we are one with him by a living faith, our sins, which were many, are washed out; as an inscription from a slate, as a stain from a robe, as a cloud from the azure of heaven. Gone-as a stone into the bottomless abyss! Gone-never to confront us here or hereafter! "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again; who is even at the right hand of God; who also maketh intercession for us" (Rom. viii. 34). HE IS ALSO KING - And on what does his kingdom rest? What is the basis of that Royalty of which we constantly sing, in the noble words of the primitive Church? "Thou art the King of Glory, 0 Christ." It is a double basis. HE IS KING BY RIGHT OF HIS DIVINE NATURE - "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever." Well might Psalm xlv. be entitled the poem of the lilies, as if to denote its pure and choice and matchless beauties. It celebrated the marriage of Solomon: but, after the manner of those inspired singers, its authors soon passed from the earthly to the heavenly; from the transient type of the earthly realm to the eternal and imperishable realities of the divine royalty of Christ. HE IS ALSO KING AS THE REWARD OF HIS OBEDIENCE UNTO DEATH - "He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross: wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him" (Phil. ii.8,9). Satan offered him sovereignty in return for one act of homage, and Christ refused, and descended the mountain to poverty and shame and death; but through these things he has won for himself a Kingdom which is yet in its infancy, but is destined to stand when all the kingdoms of this world have crumbled to dust. As Christ emerged from the cross and the grave, where he had purged our sins, it seemed as if words were addressed to him which David had caught ages before: "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool" (ver. 13; Psalm cx. I). This is the interpretation which the Apostle Peter, in the flush of Pentecostal inspiration, put upon these words (Acts ii. 34). And, accordingly, we are told, "He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God " (Mark xvi. 19). "He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (ver. 3). "HE SAT DOWN." Love is regnant. The Lamb is in the midst of the Throne. Behold his majesty, and worship him with angels and archangels, and all the throng of the redeemed. Prostrate yourself at his feet, consecrating to him all you are and all you have. Comfort yourself also by remembering that he would not sit to rest from his labors in redemption, and in the purging away of sins, unless they were so completely finished that there was nothing more to do. It is all accomplished; and it is all very good. He has ceased from his works, because they are done; and therefore he is entered into his rest. And that word "until" is full of hope. God speaks it, and encourages us to expect the time when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power; and when death itself, the last enemy, shall be destroyed (1 Cor. xv. 24-26). _______________________________________________________________________ (4) <Exhortational> A CITY IN SACKCLOTH F.S Webster The repentance of Nineveh was the result of a special and unique outpouring of God's Holy Spirit. This is the Pentecost of the Old Testament, for, humanly speaking, no soil could be less promising than the hearts of these men of Nineveh. Their minds were sharpened by extensive commerce; their consciences were deadened by long enjoyment of every luxury and refinement. They were the least likely people in the world to be moved by any sudden call to repentance. It was no easy task to move such a city. And yet, when Jonah came to them, God's Spirit strove so mightily that the whole population became possessed with a sense of the nearness of God, and with a desire to repent. It was a terrible message he had to deliver, but more terrible than the sentence of destruction itself was the man who uttered it. We are told that the Florentines looked upon Dante as he passed through their streets with awe, and whispered to each other: "This is the man who has looked into hell." Surely Jonah must have made a similar impression. Jonah was a sign to them - a sign of the severity and of the mercy of God. As he hurled upon their carnal tranquillity his terrible denunciation, in apparent defiance of their wealth and might, they saw that, behind his awful words, there lay an awful experience which impelled him to utter them, and convinced him that they were no exaggeration. It was a hell-fire message, indeed, yet it was not lightly or carelessly uttered, but spoken in tenderness and deep earnestness by one who had himself experienced both the judgment and the mercy of God. So it came with power to the hearts of the people, and the whole city was moved to repentance. Even in the royal palace the spirit of contrition was awakened. Then a royal proclamation went forth ordaining entire abstinence from food and drink for man and beast alike. So the whole city was wrapped in sackcloth, and gave itself up to mourning and prayer. The people wanted to pray, and it was not mere emotionalism. It was accompanied by reformation of life. As they cried mightily to God, they turned every one from his evil way, and from the violence that was in their hands. Nor was their repentance without faith and hope. They believed in the mercy of God, free from all foolish defiance, and without any trace of despair. They believed God, and they turned to God in prayer and repentance, looking for mercy and not judgment. And they did not look in vain, for God, who delighteth in mercy, "saw their works that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil which He said He would do unto them; and He did it not." --- *[ Taken from "Jonah - Patriot and Revivalist" by F.S Webster _______________________________________________________________________ (5) <FROM-THE-GLEANER> A-GLANCE-AT-THE-TOP-STORIES-OF-THE-WEEK Ben STOP SADDAM OR WE WILL, BUSH TELLS UN - In some of the toughest language aimed at the UN in recent years, US President Bush insisted that it enforce Security Council resolutions that Saddam had flouted. The "grave and gathering danger" presented by Iraq had to be confronted, he warned. President Bush also said that he wants deadlines of "days and weeks, not months and years" in a U.N. resolution against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, as the Security Council agreed to set a time limit for the global body to resume arms inspections. DIPLOMATS ENCOURAGED BY BUSH OFFER - Diplomats said they were encouraged by President Bush's offer to seek U.N. endorsement for action against Iraq, with some echoing his call to prove that U.N. resolutions still have teeth. IRAQ FLATLY REJECTS MR. BUSH'S DEMAND FOR A SWIFT AND UNCONDITIONAL RETURN OF UN ARMS INSPECTORS - "We do not accept Bush's conditions," Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz said in a television interview in Baghdad, Aziz also said on Saturday that Baghdad would only let U.N. weapons inspectors return under a comprehensive deal that would prevent a U.S. attack and lift crippling 12-year-old U.N. sanctions. "If there is a solution which maintains Iraq's sovereignty, dignity and legitimate rights and prevents aggression, we are ready," Aziz said. US KEEPS THREAT-ALERT STATUS AT ORANGE - The government will keep its threat-alert status at its second-highest level at least through next week. US CAPTURES SEP 11 ORGANIZER IN PAKISTAN - U.S. intelligence officers captured a self-proclaimed organizer of the September 11 terrorist attacks in Pakistan on Wednesday. Ramzi Binalshibh, the former roommate of hijacker Mohamed Atta who is suspected of planning to participate in the hijackings, was captured in Pakistan nearly a year after he became one of the United States' top terror targets, U.S. officials said. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Binalshibh was captured earlier this week in a joint raid by Pakistani forces and U.S. intelligence officers in the southern coastal city of Karachi. The raid ended in a deadly shootout. US ARRESTS AL QAEDA CELL IN NY - The FBI has arrested what appears to be an active al Qaeda cell inside the United States. ITALIAN POLICE ARREST PAKISTANI AL QAEDA SUSPECTS - Italian police, working with US naval intelligence, have arrested 15 Pakistanis they believe to be members of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, police officials said on Thursday. SHOE BOMB SUSPECT TARGETED "ENEMIES OF ISLAM", DOCUMENTS SHOW - Asked why he didn't choose to attack Israel, Reid told investigators, "America is the problem, without America there would be no Israel." He also said he was worried Palestinian groups would be too paranoid to trust him. BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR TOPS AL QAEDA HIT-LIST - Tony Blair is the new number one target for Al Quaeda death squads around the world, it emerged last night. ANNAN: "WORLD MUST ACT TOGETHER AGAINST TERRORISM - The world must act together against terrorism or put at risk everything the United Nations stands for, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Wednesday, a year after the Sept. 11 attacks. ISRAEL; "HAMAS PLOTTED POISONING OF DINERS AT MAJOR CAFE" - Israeli officials arrested three Palestinians charged with involvement in a Hamas plot to poison diners in one of the city's largest cafes. ISRAELI TANKS PUSH INTO GAZA HOURS BEFORE KEY ARAFAT SPEECH - Israeli tanks pushed into central Gaza early Monday, hours before Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was to ask his parliament to outlaw homicide bombings and reaffirm a commitment to peace with Israel. US ATTACK WOULD PROMPT SADDAM TO STRIKE ISRAEL, LEADER SAYS - Saddam Hussein will probably attack Israel in response to a US strike on Iraq, in which case Israel would "for certain" retaliate, said Israel's president Moshe Katsav. IRAQ STEPS UP ARMS, MONEY TRANSFER TO PALESTINIAN AREAS - Iraq has stepped up its attempts to move weapons and financial aid to the Palestinian Authority areas, in an effort to resume terror attacks against Israel. Baghdad's plan is to refocus international attention on the Israeli-Arab conflict and hope for a second front in case of a U.S. attack against Baghdad. ARAFAT'S CABINET FORCED TO RESIGN - The declining prestige of Yasser Arafat was dramatically underlined when the previously toothless Palestinian parliament found the courage to force his new cabinet to resign yesterday in what one member called a "crisis of confidence". CALL TO END TERROR ATTACKS SPARKS FATAH SPLIT - A draft document calling for an end to terrorist attacks inside the Green Line has created a schism within Fatah, with many gunmen threatening to break away and join forces with opposition groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad. RUSSIA CONSIDERING MILITARY ACTION IN GEORGIA - Issuing his sharpest warning yet, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that the Kremlin is considering unilateral military action to flush Chechen rebels out of neighbouring Georgia. GREECE PLANS TO ORDER RUSSIAN WARSHIPS - Russian industry sources said Athens and Moscow are concluding negotiations for combat and transport vessels for the Hellenic Navy. The sources said the talks are meant to be a follow-up of previous Greek orders for Russian naval vessels. PAKISTAN WORRIED ABOUT INDIAN ATTACK - Pakistan's U.N. ambassador said Monday that U.S. military action against Iraq could lead India to launch an attack or provoke a conflict with Pakistan. INDIA-PAKISTAN BORDER SHELLING RESUMES - Indian and Pakistani border troops exchanged intense artillery fire Sunday in the divided Kashmir region, as Pakistan's president said relations between the two countries were at their "lowest ebb" in years STRONG QUAKE HITS PAPUA NEW GUINEA, 3 REPORTED DEAD - A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck northern Papua New Guinea on Monday, damaging buildings and killing three people, according to initial reports, officials said. JAPANESE ON WELFARE HIT RECORD HIGH - The number of Japanese families on welfare has risen to an all-time high as falling incomes and illness associated with age forced more to seek state assistance, the government said Friday. --- Ps 46:1-3 - "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. THEREFORE WE WILL NOT FEAR, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake." (NIV) ___________________________<BrethrenVoice>___________________________ [which seeks to be guided solely by the New Testament Biblical pattern, facilitates free flow of Christian information. 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