Jottings

The group of psalms called the Songs of Ascents or Degrees stretch in their compass from the tents of Kedar in Psalm 120. to the LORD'S tent or saactuary in Zion (Psalm 134.). Deceit, lying, and war were characteristic features of the tents of Kedar. There was no peace, nor conid there be, where truth was lacking. Do not the voices of the past echo and re-echo in the present dealings of the nations amongst themselves? "What is truth?" asked Pilate of the Lord and waited not for an answer. Christ had just said, "To this end have I been i)orn, and to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice" (John 18.87). Judges are always, or should be, engaged in sifting evidence to find the truth in given eases. Here was One in the presence of a Roman judge who could have told him all the truth at issue that day, but whether Pilate sincerely asked the question "what is truth? " or spoke sarcastically as to absolute truth in a lying world w'e cannot say. But we must agree that the finding of truth, on every issue is'important, and on some issues is of vital importance, for our well-being here and hereafter depends upon it.

Well might the writer of Psalm 120 say, "Woe is me," as he thought upon the absence of truth in Kedar, and he longed to be free from the evils of deceit. But Psalm 134. is different from all this. Here tongues, instead of being engaged in lying, are engaged in the praise of God. Unity had been reached as in Psalm 133 Brethren, a word which speaks of relationship, all of one common father and sharers in a common life, are in unity. What has brou~ht about this unity? Undoubtedly the word of God. The LXX renders "together in unity" by the words Epi to Auto. These Greek words are found in Acts 15.; 2.1, 47, etc., which show the unity that existed a'nongst the disciples at the beginning of this dispensation "Thy word is truth," said the Lord in John 17.17 and God's truth ever forms the basis of true unity. As united together the temple singers are exhorted to lift up their hands to or in the sanctuary and to bless Jehovah. These singers were those who served during the night. Here we see the need of special exhortation for night is the time for sleep. "They that sleep, sleep in the night," said P'ani If they lifted their hands as they stood singing in their course they would never go to sleep.

As the night of this present dispensation drags on towards the break of day at the Lord's coming, is not the matter of going to sleep one of our dangers? Paul wrote to the Romans, Th

us therefore cast off the works ~ faanrdsPl:inut~s;ni;it ~ (Romans 13.12). Does this mean that the Christian as a soldier has a kind of luminous armour or atmosphere around him as be walks in the darkness waiting for the day, a light of a spiritual and moral kind? Paul also wrote to the Ephesians, "Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine upon thee" (Ephesians 5.14), which seems to be a free rendering by the Spirit through Paul of Isniah 60 1, and somewhat simflar passages in Isaiah. Here theChristlanisviewedasa reflector of light inthe darkness. He is, to use a modern expression, floodlit. The Christian is a man of the day and in the present night he is moving on towards the day He j5 a man of heaven, having been boru from above, butasyet he is still ona~il ima e through this world

Lifting up the hands, or as Pani said, lifting up holy hands, will surely stave off the disposition to go to sleep, and also to long prayers, by which we may send others to sleep.

There is ever a complement to blessing or speaking well of the LORD

"Bless ye the LORD"

is followed by

"The LORD bless thee" (Psalm 134 2 8)

But note that whilst the blessing of Jehovah is a collective act by His servants His blessing comes upon them individually. "The LORD bless thee."

Psalm i34. which is an exhortation to those who served by right in the house of Jeh'dvah; is followed by Psalms i35. and i36. which are psalms of praise.

They no doubt formed part of the songs of Zion which filled the mouths of the temple singers. We learn from 1 Chronicles 25. of the service of song in the house ci' God. There were two hundred and eighty eight singers whO "were instructed in sihghg unto the Lonn." These were divided into groups or choirs of twelve angers. This provided for the entire twenty-four hours bf the day and night. We are told that they cast lots for their charges, "all alike, as well the small as

the great, the teacher as the scholar." God had the disposing of when each group of twelve singers should sing, who should sing by day and who by night. what a lesson is here as to the place in this economy of grace we should fill! Men are stilted hy God to their time and day. Some men were privileged to sing with the

Lord when He was here (Matthew 26.80) and some sang with apostles (Acts te. 25~; 1 Corinthians i4. 15; Ephesians 5.19).

"On earth the song begins, In heaven more sweet and loud, To Him who cleansed our sins By His atoning blood."

"Then in a nobler, sweeter song I'll sing His power to save, Whe~ this poor lisping, stommering tongue Lies silent in the grave."

But after Psalms 135. and 136. comes 137. and this contains the memory of

sad days, days wben Zion's Scags were unsung by the temple singers. The scene 'was not the hill of Zion, which yields a thousand sacred sweets; it is one by the rivers of Bahylon. By the rivers of Bahylon there were rivers of tears as the

captives remem~he"ed Zion, and wept. Though encouraged to sing and play for

the amusement of their captors they knew the truth of God too well to desecrate holy songs in an unholy place. Ala,, that in our day so many of God's children

know not the dliference bet~een Zion and Babylon. The cry is for a union

consisting of all one in Christ. But where is this union to take place, in Babylon

or outside of it ? It is simply a getting together of the children of God, the base being salvation by the Lord, not separation unto Him to the doing of His will.

The object of such an union is the salvation of sinners, nothing more! Sinners

that may be saved are to be joined to the "all one in Christ" movement and so the thing is to go on. There is nothing in all this of what is seen in Abraham, who, having been illuminated by the God of glory who appeared to Him in Ur of

t~e Chaldeas, was called from that land of his birth, both natural and spiritual, to a land which God would give him. It is said that he went out not knowing whither he went. There is nothing in this " all one in Christ" movement like the

experience of Israel, 'who h~ving been saved in Egypt, were called out and

separated from it. There is nothing of the teaching of 2 Corinthians 6. 1~7. 1, where believers are taught to come out at God's bidding and touch no unclean thing and He will receive them. Salvation and separation are joined in the truth

of God for God's people in any age.

why should the singers not sing in Babylon, were not the most of the Jews there? why not have sornet~ing answering to Zion in Babylon? These faithful men had

learned God's wilL They knew God's will as to the place of the Name, that that was the place and the only place where God would accept the praises of Ills people, and it would have been farcical to sing Jeh9vah's~ song in a str~ge land; Jehovah's sQng must be sung in Jehovi'h's place and nowhere else Iet us too learn the t~iiUi ?ega?ding~ion and be foun,d theie with God~s remnan~people to-day. J'M.

unknown | Dec 1950
Jottings