THE ARK
David Spinks
Exodus 25: 10-22
Joshua 3: 1-6
1 Samuel 4: 1-11
1 Chronicles 14: 13-17; 15: 1-3, 16-18
DS It will be obvious from the scriptures we have read that I mean to take up the thought of the ark, and we may get some help together in relation to it. The ark in the Old Testament is one of the greatest types of the Lord Jesus. It has different titles, the ark of God, the ark of the testimony, the ark of the covenant, and the ark of Jehovah; and that has been related to the four gospels (CAC vol 6 - Outline of Joshua p16), showing the scope of all that was carried out by this Man, the Lord Jesus, for the pleasure of God. The ark was at the centre of the tabernacle system, and everything stood in relation to it. All the tribes and the children of Israel were centred around it, and when it moved they moved, but I think there is something to learn as we keep Christ at the centre of everything, as God did it of old; it is something we have to learn, to see the glory of this blessed Man.
We read in Exodus, which is a well known portion of scripture, as to the making of the ark, the structure of it. It was made of acacia wood, and it was overlaid with gold, bringing out the perfection of the manhood of Jesus, the durability of the One who was here in relation to the will of God. He was the One who endured, who stood against the enemy, but One who moved in relation to the will of Another; who moved here in dependence. He was the One, as it speaks of it here in type, overlaid with gold, who demonstrated in every manner and every action what was in the heart of God. It is a wonderful contemplation therefore to see this blessed Man as One who was here in relation to the will of God. Then there was the mercy seat of pure gold; there was nothing of man in that: it was all of God. How beautiful a matter it is to see that God found His righteousness in a blessed Man, One who fulfilled it, One who worked everything out here and glorified God here in going into death. How we can ponder these wonderful attributes that were seen in our Lord Jesus. We can get some help as to the detail of this chapter, but I think it helps us as we ponder it, to see the glory and uniqueness of our Lord Jesus. It is something we, young and old, should seek to do, to follow that blessed Man, and as we follow Him the glories that belong to Him become more and more to us, and help to take us away from the trivialities of this scene.
If we follow we will come to this portion of scripture in Joshua where they are ready to cross over. Here it says “there shall be a distance between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Ye shall not come near it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go; for ye have not passed this way heretofore”. I think there is something to learn in that, and we can get help together. As the believer seeks to move in relation to the attractiveness of Christ there is something distinctive about the two thousand cubits, and I think again as we ponder Him we shall move and be attracted in this way of preparing to go and follow Him. As we know, the Jordan represents our death with Christ, and as we go through that we come into a wonderful inheritance! We come into something that God has in His heart for us, so that we may learn and move in relation to it. As we follow the Lord Jesus in our pathways here, and as we go through the Jordan, not only do we become followers of Him, but we become guardians; not only do we love Him, but we love what He loves. That is something that the believer has to learn, not only to love the Lord Jesus, but to love what He loves.
And sadly we see in 1 Samuel how the ark is taken, because of the corruption of the priesthood. God had committed things into the hands of man, and sadly it had been lost sight of. You see much of that in Christendom today, where the name of Jesus and the things of God are put on as a veneer but underneath there is not the real love for Christ, or desire to protect who He is and what He holds in relation to the will of God.
That is why I read finally in Chronicles because every true heart and every true lover of Jesus should seek to bring the ark back to its true resting place, bring it back to a place where it should be! The tent here was a provisional thought; it was a provisional thought in the wilderness; it was here until the temple was built, and it was until Solomon built the temple that the ark stayed here; it is a temporary idea. It is an idea of where the ark had its resting place, and where there was a resting place the singing began: the service of God can commence when Christ is at the centre, and He is given His real place, and when He is given the only place. I wondered if we could look into these scriptures to see the uniqueness of the ark and how we can seek to bring it back, as God brings out in 1 Chronicles.
PAG What you are saying about its distinctiveness is important. You had an impression about the link with the four gospels and I wondered if you might open that up for us a little.
DS It just brings out the scope of the manhood of Jesus, as standing in relation to the One who came here to do the will of God. He displayed something of all that was in God’s heart, of the One who was here as a true Servant. He also displayed something of the wonderful covenant relations that man could know and which He enjoyed Himself; I think that is brought out in Luke’s gospel. But then I think the ark of God has been said to be John’s gospel, bringing out the glory and uniqueness of who He is in His own Person.
PAG I think what you say about John’s gospel is helpful. In Exodus 25: 16 it says, “And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony that I shall give thee”. It says at the beginning of John, “In the beginning was the Word”, chap 1: 1. Do you think God is coming into expression in that way in this blessed Man?
DS Yes, surely; God is fully expressed in Christ; every attribute of God was seen in Him. He displayed every characteristic feature that was of God Himself and God found pleasure in that blessed Man; the Spirit could rest upon Him. No other man was here like Christ was, and it is helpful for each one of us to ponder and contemplate the uniqueness of the manhood of Jesus.
JAB The ark itself, which would speak so much of Christ, was in its literality an inanimate thing, but verse 22 says, “there will I meet with thee, and will speak with thee”. I am thinking of what was quoted, “In the beginning was the Word”. Does God have in mind that, as we come and take our bearings as it were from the ark at the centre of everything, divine communications can flow? And from one point of view that is why the Lord Jesus came into this scene, that God might communicate with His creature and He had that in type in this chapter, did He not?
DS I think that is very helpful. There is a Vessel by which God could communicate; He could make known to man His feelings in relation to him and He could relate in that blessed Man, a Man who had feelings in relation to man. These things were seen perfectly in Christ, and I think we see in the scope of the four gospels the way that the Lord came out in relation to His own; He came out as feeling the relation to man in sin, He came out in relation to how God felt as to it, but yet this glorious Man is none other than God in His own Person. These things help us to appreciate the ark and its uniqueness, do you think?
JAB I am glad of what you say. We are gathered today for teaching and fellowship and encouragement, but we are gathered to listen. The “thee” in verse 22 was Moses, and he went in there and he heard what God said to him from the mercy-seat. And we are gathered, with every one of us, I trust, having some exercise to hear what the Lord would say to us today through what might be said about Him from these types. We should all be waiting to hear something, because that is what Moses did when he went in.
DS Well, I think where there are those who have affection as Moses did, and seek to hear the Lord’s voice, He would speak to us. He would speak to every heart here today as to the attractiveness and uniqueness of His Person. And if He speaks to us, then it is in view of us following Him. The ark is at the centre of God’s operations; it is Christ at the centre of everything for God now, and if we see Him there, we will see everything that God is doing and it will help us and attract us in our pathway here.
JCG Do you think the gold without and the gold within brings out the glory of who was here? The glory of the Person! But is it not a tremendous matter that the small dimensions of the ark bring to us how God has come into these circumstances in the Person of Jesus, that He might come near to us; as we have quoted, “there will I meet with thee”. It was a tremendous stoop, was it not?
DS I think what you say is helpful; that is the way that God has sought to come in to communicate to Man. When He came in He was seen as “a babe wrapped in swaddling-clothes, and lying in a manger”, Luke 2: 12. What was there, the Holy One of God! How wonderful a matter that is to ponder that this is the way God saw fit to come near to His creature, so that His heart could be made known, and that man could understand the heart of God in such a lowly way, in such an attractive way in One who was not at a distance, but One who understood, and who desired to draw near to, man; these features were seen in the ark.
JCG John in his epistle stresses that: “that which we contemplated, and our hands handled, concerning the word of life”, 1 John 1: 1. But he recognised the glory of the Person as has been referred to in his gospel.
DS It is good for each one of us, and for the younger ones, to understand that the Lord is near to us. You know Him as your Saviour, and that is a wonderful thing, and I think this is a step further as coming to appreciate Christ as the ark. You need to work moral exercises out to see that this is the only Man, this is the only Man before God, a different order of Man, a different character of Man altogether; and it would behove each one of us - and I say to my younger brethren, that you should seek to leave every other man aside, and to follow this order of Man. If you do you will be lifted up, encouraged, directed, and you will come to see God’s appreciation of this order of Man.
GAB Say a word as to the fact that the mercy seat is of pure gold; the ark was acacia wood covered with gold, but the mercy seat is solid gold: what does that mean?
DS I am sure you can help, but “pure gold”: there is nothing of man here; this is all of God! That again carries something of the dignity and majesty of the Person that was here. It speaks at the beginning of Romans of how God has come out to man in pure mercy; because of the Man who was here righteously in relation to the will of God, God has a basis to show mercy towards men. But that really is as there was One here who was fit to carry such a vessel; the mercy-seat fitted perfectly on top of the ark.
GAB Well, there were other elements in the tabernacle system where acacia wood was used, so that features of that precious manhood of the Lord Jesus have to be carried out in the saints, do you think? But as to the mercy seat being pure gold, it is just what is divine, is it not? And the cherubim looking down upon it seemed to suggest what was divinely perfect; God was complacent in it. Perhaps it might relate to John’s gospel?
DS Yes, that is helpful; I like what you say as to complacency. The heavens opened upon this blessed Man, and the Spirit descending as a dove upon Him, came complacently on Christ, Matt 3: 16-17. I think there is something distinct about this blessed order of manhood which it behoves every one of us to ponder, and to see the distinctiveness of it, to recognise the glory that belongs to the ark. But the Lord is a real Man, and that is something that should attract our heart, and it is something that the Spirit would help us all to do, to seek to follow the ark, to see the glory of it, to see the glory that is in Christ. I think it would help us to see the paltriness of things in this world, help them to fade and disappear.
RG It is interesting that when the ark finally found its resting place in the house it says the staves were drawn out, (1 Kings 8: 8 see footnote). It tells us there too that the cherubim not only covered the ark but they covered the staves as well, v 7. Do you think, linking on with your thought as to the gospels, that God would claim the gospels in that sense not merely as a history of the life of Christ but as a divine pronouncement that would serve to bring out His mind?
DS I think what you say is very helpful. So that it shows the current speaking of God, does it not? It is not just a matter of what is written down in history by four men, but it is something that is current to the believer and the Spirit would help us at a time like this to make these things living to us, and to see that this is the blessed Man who has ascended into heaven, this is the blessed Man who God has found His delight in. We see in Chronicles how everything is brought back and I think that everything ascends to the praise of God if Christ is in His rightful place.
NJH The faces of the cherubim are opposite to one another, “toward the mercy-seat shall the faces of the cherubim be”. The word “turned” is in brackets which is rightly so because they are turning from nothing else; their total occupation is on the ark, is that right?
DS Is it to do with the protecting of the rights of this blessed Man, who He is? This Man is unique and God will do everything to protect who He is in His Person.
NJH The rights of God are recognised in this blessed One. It says, “toward the mercy-seat shall the faces of the cherubim be”; as if it is a characteristic view; they are not turning from any other man, there was nothing anywhere else, but the rights of God are recognised: it is as it were this blessed One where their faces are to be. Is that right?
DS Very helpful. Again it would encourage us to see that God can recognise this Man and so can we! God recognises His rights, and God is not looking at any other because this is the Man that solely carried through everything for God’s glory. And it is a contemplation for us to ponder Him and to keep our eye upon Him.
JTB As to the reference to the mercy-seat being of pure gold, the blood was sprinkled on the mercy-seat, was it not? I wonder if it linked with “in whom we have redemption through his blood”, Eph 1: 7. There is perfect consonance between the Person and the blood, the blood and the One to whom it belongs.
DS It shows the value of the sacrificial work of Christ in relation to this blessed matter, so that God has a righteous basis to come out in mercy towards men. Everywhere you look in relation to Christ there is something distinct; there is something glorious to take account of. I think the more we look at this blessed Person the more glories come out; we will never exhaust them!
JTB In Numbers 10 the ark took the initiative; it set forward “to search out a resting-place for them”, v 33. Really is it love’s consideration that the Lord Jesus typically would operate in such a way? Do we find that at the moment, the Lord taking the initiative in many things to find a solution and a resting-place for us?
DS I like what you say; it says in Joshua, “go after it … ye have not passed this way heretofore”. I think in the day in which we are, where things are broken down in Christendom, it is wonderful to see that there is One who takes the initiative, taking the lead in bringing everything for the glory of God, and His doing that includes the saints. It includes you and me because really as we take up our inheritance I think we see in Chronicles that God receives His. It has often been said that as we take up our enjoyment of Christianity God receives His, and I think we see that in 1 Chronicles.
DCB Mr Darby says;
We see the Godhead glory
Shine through the human veil,
(Hymn 188);
I was wondering about that in relation to the dimensions of the ark. It would remind us of what there is that there is something always blessedly beyond our ability to comprehend.
DS It would hold us in a state of worship. In relation to the movement of this blessed Person, we sometimes sing:
Blessed Man, and yet divine (Hymn 147).
We can contemplate and we can take account of Him and who He is in the greatness and beauty of His manhood but there is always that which is beyond us in this blessed Man.
DCB I suppose from a human point of view, these dimensions, the one and a half and the two and a half cubits, might seem somewhat peculiar: why would it be like that? But it shows something of the glory and majesty of the inscrutability of Christ, does it not? “No one knows who the Son is but the Father”, (Luke 10: 22), but then there is One who has a complete view of the ark, who saw the acacia wood which no one else did!
DS I like what you say; there is One who has a complete view of it! He is the One who put His full trust in this blessed Man and committed everything into His hand: “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things to be in his hand”, John 3: 35. He committed everything into the hands of this blessed Man, and God had confidence that He would carry it through to His glory.
JCG In Psalm 110, David seemed to have light as to the incoming of Christ; it says, “Jehovah said unto my Lord, Sit at my right hand …”, v 1. When the Lord presents that to the Pharisees He says, “If therefore David call him Lord, how is he his son?”, Matt 22: 45. It brings out the mystery of the fact that God is with us, Emmanuel, would you say?
DS I think that is helpful; it is confirmative what is being brought in as to the glory of who this Person is. There is a mystery, and there is something in this blessed Vessel, the Lord Jesus, which is always going to be beyond us. I think what has been said helps us. I think that brings out again the matter of the two thousand cubits: it is something beyond the believer, but we follow and worship, following as taking account of the glory of who is there; and as we follow there will always be something more distinct that will come out in relation to the blessed manhood, and the blessed glory of who is here, the Lord Jesus.
TCM We referred to verse 11 about the overlaying with pure gold inside and outside, and inside comes first. I wondered if there is an illusion there to God’s intrinsic delight in His beloved Son. And if God is satisfied with that One, surely He is able to satisfy every living soul.
DS I think we see that in these thirty years in communion with His Father, (there are only three and a half years public service), which you may say are part of the inside, which is what He found His delight in, but then this blessed Man came out in public service, and the heavens opened upon Him, the Spirit rested upon Him, and there you can understand a little as to why God has chosen such a Man!
AB I wondered if the way that Paul speaks in Romans 3, “whom God has set forth a mercy-seat, through faith in his blood” (v 25) would underscore what you are saying. Mr Darby has got a very interesting footnote as to the two aspects of the great day of atonement, which are interesting in relation to that.
DS I think what you say is helpful: God has set Him forth as a mercy-seat through faith in His blood. Again it is the glory that belongs to the Lord Jesus; this was the only Man who righteously fulfilled the will of God, the only Man who God has confidence in, and the only Man giving God a reason or a means where He can come out in forgiveness, and mercy towards His creature. The mercy-seat upon the ark is a wonderful study.
In Joshua; they had “not passed this way heretofore”. I think this is encouraging for us as we take up our Christian path, that we are always in movement, we are always moving in relation to the ark; and as we move always in relation to the ark we will reach God’s purpose, we will see things as God sees them and find another glory that belongs to Him that is unique to Him. This is not the Lord Jesus in His death in a sacrificial way; I mean that it is not in relation to our sins: this is in relation to the majesty of the Man who is going into death. I relate it a little to what we had in Edinburgh a few weeks ago, “I am the resurrection and the life”, John 11: 25. This is the One who was going in to destroy death, to break its power forever and to come out with those who had faith, on the other side; it is wonderful to ponder Him and to take up life with Him on the other side, and to come into an inheritance. I think the ground changes as we go through this path, we not only love Him but we love what He loves.
AMB In relation to where you have read in Joshua 3, is it interesting that the people had to hallow themselves in verse 5; “Joshua said to the people, Hallow yourselves”? I wondered if that would connect with what you are bringing in; there really had to be some degree of conformity between the people and the ark, and how much more that should be with us as believers in and followers of the Lord Jesus, do you think?
DS That is very helpful as to conformity, that as we follow this path the attributes that are so perfectly seen in the Lord Jesus start to come out in the saints. As we work our exercises through Romans we start to take on the character of the acacia wood, we start to take on these wonderful moral features that were seen in Jesus Himself and these are features that God can take account of. Here this is our death with Him; this is a people who say that they want nothing else, but to be where Christ is, and they are features that God can take account of and approve.
AMB I wondered whether what you have been bringing before us as to our death with Him being seen in the ark going through the Jordan would lead to hallowing or sanctifying, and what is in view is saints coming into the power of life that is in Christ, and for us that is by the Holy Spirit, is it not? But the result of that is affection for Christ, conformity to Him, and following Him into the land.
DS Yes. I think it is good when you see progress being made in young believers who are following the Lord Jesus, and with all of us, but especially with the young. We are living in difficult days and it is good to see young ones who take on these moral attributes, that they come out like the One who they follow and their desire is to go in to see the Lord Jesus where He abides. “Follow me”, He says, and there is a great attraction to a person who loves the Lord, and then he comes on to this ground to not only love Him, but to love what He loves.
JCG Do you think the hallowing is connected with the pausing of three days? It says they “lodged there before they passed over. And it came to pass at the end of three days”. We need to pause in relation to the aspects of the death of Christ that affect us so that we are able to judge ourselves and move over into privilege, do you think?
DS I think what you say as to pausing, to take account of the death of Christ and see the enormity of what a work it was, and the greatness of the Person who has brought it to pass. The more we ponder the sacrificial work of Christ, where He has been in death, the greater will be the appreciation in our hearts of the opening up of all that has been brought for us as we ponder His death.
JCG Well, if we apply it to ourselves Paul says in Corinthians, “let a man prove himself, and so eat …”, 1 Cor 11: 28. We have to eat the Supper and understand the way Christ has gone in view of the new and living way. It is the only way we can understand entering into privilege properly, is it not? We appreciate Him, not only in His priestly service but as the Minister of the holy places, because what was in view was that they were going into the land.
DS I like what you say as to proving himself “and so eat”; it does us all good to take account of this in order that we may be in a right state to enjoy this on the other side of death. This is not a once-only matter, but it should be something that should be consciously in our exercise, that we should have the desire to go over into the land, go into an area which is of privilege where the purpose of God can be enjoyed. There are things that are eternal which can be enjoyed, and we can enjoy them with the blessed Lord Jesus Himself.
JSS Do we all have to have an individual view? It is interesting it says, “the officers went through the camp; and they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark … then remove from your place, and go after it”. This is a very large company, you might have thought practically if only a few followed the ark everyone else could go with the crowd, speaking simply, but the important thing was that they all individually looked on the ark, and that led to unity, did it not?
DS Very good, what you say is very helpful! This matter leads to unity, but we must take it up individually. How this is a test to every one of us, how much do I love the Lord Jesus? Am I prepared to follow Him? Am I prepared to follow Him to where He has been? But I cannot follow Him until I see something of the glory of what He has accomplished as going into death for me. I did not work this matter out; He did. I did not go this way; He did! But, as I say, I am prepared to go in order that everything may go out of sight, and to enjoy something of the land conditions as here on the other side of death. This is the Lord’s desire for every true heart, but what you say is helpful, that I need to do this individually, to go after it. Is it attractive enough to me that I follow, that I leave everything behind and do it? It is an exercise.
RG A little later Joshua says, “Hereby shall ye know that the living God is in your midst”; that is a very important thing, is it not? It is not just an objective knowledge of God but it is the God who is able to bring about change and lead us on in the presence of whatever may arise, do you think?
DS Yes, I think so. So it is a very encouraging matter, is it not? There is One who will lead us on whatever exercises may come upon us. This is a matter that we follow through attraction; we must be attracted to Christ, and again I ask all of us, and especially our young ones, if we are attracted to the Lord enough to leave things behind here. The enemy is very busy, and he brings many things in before us, not just our young but all of us, but is the Lord Jesus so attractive to me that I am prepared to leave them, and see the glory of what He has secured as going into death, abolishing the power of death? I liked what was brought in in Edinburgh as to “I am the resurrection and the life”; it is the Person and the glory and the majesty of the Man who was going that way.
RG Do you think there is the side in which we need to make room for the Lord to work? We need to make way for His operations, give Him scope, if I may say so reverently and He will operate; He will answer the exercises of the saints.
DS Surely; the Lord will answer every true heart. Where there is true affection the Lord will answer it, and where there is the individual exercise we will find as we follow Him we will come into unity. Every heart and every desire and every footstep we make in relation to Him we will all come in together. This is a wonderful triumph of divine Persons that people are moving together in relation to the Lord Himself.
JAB Do you think we see it in John 1? John the baptist was “looking at Jesus as he walked”, (v 36); it aroused the disciples’ interest, and then they ask, “where abidest thou?”, and “they abode with him that day”, v 38-39. Do you think that every expression of affectionate interest in the Lord Jesus will be answered by that nearness? I know in Joshua there is a distance, and we know what that means, but as we move towards Christ He would bring us into His presence and we get something there that we cannot get in any other place.
DS I think what you say as to “where abidest thou? He says to them, Come and see” would be the answer today to those that love the Lord: “Come and see”. And as moving in this way we come to the Jordan and we see the glory of the Person and He would say, “Come and see”: come and see what He has abolished, come and see the victory that He has triumphed, and come into the area of the land where His rights have sway.
GAB It is important, do you think, that is says, “Ye shall not come near it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go”; ”must go”; there is no alternative? I think that is important because the mind of man might suggest that different aspects of religion are all admissible and so on, but there is only one way into the heavenly inheritance. We may decide otherwise at our cost, but this is the way, the only one; there is no alternative.
DS Very good; there is only one way and they had not gone “this way heretofore”, showing that it is meant to be for each one of us a matter that we take up once; it is not a matter that they go in and enjoy it, and come back out, and go on with their own self-will and do as we wish, but as we are attracted to our Lord we will go. This is a once-only journey, speaking carefully, that we go in, and we follow Him and we will never look back.
DAB I was thinking as to what has come in as to what these persons saw; so it is important to have our vision clear, do you think, to be able to see the movements of Christ? In Hebrews 12 it is “looking stedfastly” on Him, v 2. These persons would have to do that if they were to recognise the movements of the Lord. Do you have some impression as to that? It would have been quite easy for these persons to have become distracted.
DS I think what is coming in is helpful as to the movements of the Lord, and again it is a test to every one of us; we need to look within our own hearts and to ask ‘Is He attractive to me? Do I want to follow Him?’. And then if we do the Spirit will help us to take up this journey in order that we move through the Jordan and into the area of prosperity where there is abundance of joy, where there is life, and where Christ is the Centre.
DAB I was thinking of this expression that you have referred to several times, “for ye have not passed this way heretofore”. Now that might have been quite a challenge to these persons, but do you think when our faith is active, and our love is fixed on that blessed One then we will move as the Lord moves, and He will take us into that heavenly abode that you are speaking of, that wonderful inheritance? This is open to every one of us, the question is whether I am attracted into that, and whether I have a desire to go over and enjoy it.
DS Do you think the Lord would take away all fear in relation to the journey that we have to make in relation to it? He would strengthen our faith, He would show us something of the way; He would hold us and attract us and keep us in relation to going into this area where there is something further. Even naturally, if you read something that you seek to follow and understand, you would turn the page to see what is to follow, and so it is like that in relation to the glory of Christ, you keep going in and you see something further of the glory of the Lord Jesus.
NJH It is always confirming; I was thinking the stones that were left in the bed of the Jordan would be a confirmation to them that it was right to leave their place, but when they see the stones taken out of the Jordan they would see it was right to follow the ark!
DS As you say it is confirming, and every step that we take in faith the Spirit of God would confirm us in, in taking the right step, and something further would come into our view. And we would seek that today for every one of us, that something further of the glory of Christ would open up into our view. So again, to go back to what our brother said, which I think is very helpful, we should move together. That is the Lord’s interest I am sure, in a difficult day when there is darkness around and where there are many lords and many gods, but there is only One who can bring us in and sustain us and hold us together.
KJW Has it not been said before that these movements in Joshua are like the movements in Colossians? I had in mind: “If therefore ye have been raised with the Christ seek the things which are above”, chap 3: 1. That is like what we have in this passage is it not, going over Jordan? They did not go through Jordan, they went over Jordan. There is another realm that comes onto view where “the Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God”, and so on. Is that what is in mind, that we have our minds and our affections attached to that Man who is above?
DS Yes. I like what you refer to, “things that are above”! So these things sustain you in relation to another realm: when you walk through the wilderness, you are sustained here in the wilderness. When I go over the Jordan in this aspect I myself am gone, nature is gone, everything of the flesh has gone, and now I have another Man in another world; and the Spirit sustains me in that - “have your mind on the things that are above”, v 2. When you see these things, they are spiritual things, but you are sustained in them and you are lifted in your heart, and you see the things in contrast to what you have left behind.
We should move on to 1 Samuel, not to dwell on it too much but just to show what has happened as things have been committed into the hands of men; things fail. Nothing ever fails in Christ and never shall, but things fail if put into the hands of men. And sadly the ark is taken. God allowed this matter of course, and I think we can see that in Christendom today, man seeks to use the name of Jesus in Christendom in the many churches there are, but it has put men in the place where Christ should be, and that is very sad. This is the place that is only for one Man; and that is for God’s Man, but sadly when things are committed into the hands of men they fail, and that is a lesson for us to learn. We see the corruption of the priesthood; someone has said when the priesthood goes the ark goes, and here we see what happened and that came to pass.
JCG There is a need for us to be morally sound. These sons of Eli were taken up with what was for themselves, but it says in the previous chapter that “Samuel lay in the temple of Jehovah, where the ark of God was”, chap 3: 3. They were not concerned about the ark; they were only concerned about the sacrifices and what was for themselves. A moral background - meaning that we are occupied with the ark as in Joshua - brings us to save loss in conflict, do you think?
DS You see the great contrast in Samuel as one who had feelings in relation to the ark and one who frequented the presence of God. We see in the two priests here, Hophni and Phinehas, those that did things for themselves. They had their own mind and their own thoughts and what was for their own prosperity in mind, and God never supports that when we do things for our own means in the things of Christianity. This is something that may provoke great anger to divine Persons, when we take up divine things for our own means and our own pleasure.
AMB Are the moral features that we see in Hannah at the beginning of this book the antidote to all of this?
DS Yes, say more, that is very helpful.
AMB Well, I was just first of all thinking of Hannah’s contrite spirit, her broken and contrite spirit, and her tears; and then her desire that the best that was of nature - thinking of the son that was to be born - she would dedicate that to God. She really dedicated herself, did she not, out of a contrite spirit; she dedicated herself to God, and that has its application to us, do you think?
DS Very helpful; as you say as to Hannah, she had a sorrowful spirit, she felt the circumstances that were around, and we should do likewise, but she wanted a man-child that she was going to commit to God. Everything we have, in that sense, as we understand and see something of the glory of the Lord Jesus, we should really commit to Him and to God, in order that things should be maintained righteously, and maintained rightly for God.
AMB And God is able to use that in a way that we might never expect. I am sure Hannah did not expect that Samuel would go on to be the great prophet in Israel, and God did not let any of his words fall to the ground, but God was able to use her commitment and her own repentance and sorrow.
PAG This section in 1 Samuel really throws into emphasis the importance of what we have been speaking of in relation to our death with Him. In Romans 6 our death with Him means that we walk in newness of life, in Romans 7 it means that we serve in newness of Spirit, but when you come to Romans 8 it says “but if Christ be in you, the body is dead on account of sin, but the Spirit life on account of righteousness”, v 10. It is not that I am claiming Christ but rather that He has claimed me!
DS That is a very good word, and a good way to put it, not that I am claiming Christ, but that He is claiming me! And that again is the ground that we take, that He has claimed us, that we belong to Him. And I have moved from the sphere of my own nature and everything, all these ties are all gone, and I now belong to another; and if I belong to Him, I hold the rights that belong to Him, and I seek to be here as someone who protects that which is precious to Him.
SD I wondered if the Lord on the mount of transfiguration is perhaps an example. Here we have these two men who have the audacity to stand by the ark. The ark is the focus, and they have no business being there. Is there something in that? Peter wanted to make different tabernacles, but the objective is Christ.
DS Yes, the objective is Christ! Wherever you bring in man to the things of God it puts Christ out of context, it diverts from the blessedness of that Man, sets Him aside, but as was just said He is the only Man. I come to it that I belong to Him. I think it is an important thing that has been brought out, that these two men here seek to do something in a holy atmosphere, for their own good. As we see at the end of the passage that we read, death comes in; God has to bring in judgment where there are those who do not seek to regard the ark properly, in that context.
DCB So we see that God always entrusts the ark into holy hands. You see how there is safety in it, God has that in mind, that there should always be holiness associated with what would carry His testimony forward.
DS That might take us on to our last scripture because I think we see in David one who had right instincts and right feelings in recovering the ark. He was a man who had failed, but now he came to understand that the ark should be brought back to its rightful place. It would never be brought back to Shiloh, which was the place where things failed, but it was brought to Jerusalem which was God’s original thought. It is a wonderful thing to see that God’s original plans and thoughts never fail and Christ is always at the centre of them. David established the kingdom and when the kingdom is established there is a place where Christ can be brought in and given His rightful place. Everything is there in subjection, there is order, and then in that order there is a place for Christ to be given His rightful place.
DCB You see that these persons, the Levites, who could carry the ark, therefore become the persons who can take on the service of song.
DS Well, I think again the Levites who carry the ark are going back to God’s original thought. We see earlier as to the new cart, that was not the way it should have been transported, but this is according to Moses, this is according to God’s original thoughts and God’s original thoughts never fail. David got some impression as to that, that things should be brought back, brought back to somewhere specific. And here was a tent, and a tent is a provisional thought, and we have that today, that it is a provisional thought, because we await the day when Christ will come and will reign on this earth. It is wonderful to have a desire to be among a company who provide an environment where Christ can have the first place, and that is where the singing is, that is where everything is in place, and that is where the service of God goes on.
JCG In chapter 14 David enquired of Jehovah, of God: is that an indication that he is near to God and dependent on God? And if matters come up in relation to opposition, as the Philistines were, we need to be with God in relation to His word first so that we understand the way that He will move. Independence of movement is the contrast to that, is it not? We might move independent of God, but David is enquiring of God and therefore he knows that this is the right way.
DS So in dependence on God the Philistines were defeated, whereas before the Philistine was overcome that was man in independence. But now we have a man who is dependent on God who takes direction, he goes in relation to where he should go, and the enemy is overthrown and David is given his rightful place. David is a man who sought to understand the heart of God and it is helpful in every exercise that we should seek to understand God’s heart and be governed by what He says, and then in every instance and every time the enemy will be defeated. It is wonderful to understand that we cannot do things on our own, but we can do them as under God’s direction.
JCG I thought of the earlier reference to the staves carrying the ark. The people knew that the ark was there, and it is important that Christ is with us as we move. I know that it is wilderness conditions in that scripture, but the staves suggest that the carrying of the ark is with the people, and if the ark is not with the people then there is going to be trouble, is there not?
DS Yes, it is good to see that the staves represent those who are exercised to carry the ark. And as carrying the ark you would always have the mind of God. If you were right in relation to carrying the Lord Jesus and moving in testimony through the wilderness then you will always have the mind of heaven in relation to every matter. I think what you bring out is helpful.
NJH God designed the place for the ark in the tabernacle, but here what is needed for the temple is prepared by David. Could you say something about the difference please?
DS Well, you can help. I suppose the first thought is that it is God’s original plan that the Lord should come in and He should have a place, but here I think David is a type of the believer, and he is a type of a believer who gives Christ His place; and really this stands in relation to God’s thoughts. We always know - speaking reverently - the place that God gives Christ: He is in the Centre of every operation for God; but it is a wonderful thing when the believer comes to it, and I think David is a type of the believer who gives Christ His rightful place.
NJH Priesthood in our dispensation depends on the new order, does it not? The priestly family depends on the new order; I thought David was coming into that, the new order of man coming out in David that could do the preparation for the ark in an intelligent way.
DS So that as we follow the ark there is a formative work and you see and begin to understand what is God’s desire in relation to what is holy and what should be kept for this blessed Man. It is not just something that we hold in a casual manner, but it is something that is holy, precious to God, and, do you think the priest in that sense has these feelings?
PAG What do you think about this reference at the end of chapter 15: 15, “as Moses had commanded according to the word of Jehovah”? Do you think that along with what has been spoken about as the priesthood, what is apostolic also enters into this? I was thinking of Paul’s word in 1 Corinthians 11, “For I received from the Lord, that which I also delivered to you”, v 23. We have responsibilities in relation to what has been delivered to us through the apostles; and it all leads to Christ.
DS I think what you say as to the authority that has been given, and how things have been handed down, these are precious things; they were precious to the apostles, they were precious to the twelve, and should become precious to us, do you think? And I think it is wonderful to see that there is an order here, “And the children of the Levites bore the ark of God upon their shoulders, with their staves upon them, as Moses had commanded according to the word of Jehovah”.
At the end of verse 18 it speaks about the doorkeepers and the singers. I think the more we protect the rights of God, the more we see the things that are precious, and keep out that which is not according to it, there will be a greater answering note in the service of God. The doorkeepers and the singers were the same numerically; so that what there is in the service of God answers to those who seek to protect the ark in all its preciousness.
JAB All of this is that there might be more for God in response; as Christ has His place - and we see that in Chronicles, the singers and the musicians are as one. So that really the whole of our conversation this afternoon if we take it in with the help of the Holy Spirit, will flow into what, Lord willing, we will enjoy at the Supper tomorrow morning, and that is the whole point of it. It is not just so that we might know more about typical scriptures, although that is helpful, but it is that our hearts might be more responsive to divine Persons, is it not?
DS I think what you say is very helpful, and we begin to learn that. There is a hymn that we sometimes sing;
And to know the blessed secret
Of His preciousness to Thee.
(Hymn 277)
These people here would know something of the blessed secret of the preciousness of the ark. We come to understand something of what Christ means to God and the more we see of it the more we should seek to follow, and we will only follow if we protect His rights in the world that has cast Him out.
Grangemouth
11th November 2017
Key to initials:
A M Brown, Grangemouth; D A Brown, Grangemouth; D C Brown, Edinburgh; G A Brown, Grangemouth; J A Brown, Grangemouth; J T Brown, Edinburgh; A Buchan, Kirkcaldy; S Duthie, Aberdeen; J C Gray, Grangemouth; P A Gray, Grangemouth; R Gray, Grangemouth; N J Henry, Glasgow; T C Munro, Grangemouth; J S Speirs, Grangemouth; D Spinks, Grangemouth; K J Walker, Dundee