Jottings

by Miller, J. | Category: General | Sept 1957

Psalm 23 is sung in all the continents of the world, for in it is shown the care provision and protection of Jehovah, the Shepherd of the sheep. Here is man's portion. Here the LORD comes down to meet human need, that is the need of those who can say in truth, The LORD is my Shepherd." Many who have not acknowledged, and in some cases, perhaps many who will not acknowledge, by faith the Lord as their Shepherd, are nevertheless provided for by Him, for His tender mercies are over all His works (Psalm 145.9).

In contrast to Psalm 23, how little is known of Psalm 24! It is never, or scarcely ever sung, and its meaning is unknown to most. Psalm 24 is said to have been written by David in connexion with tin bringing up of the Ark. In this work David was the prime mover. For long, after tin return of the Ark by the Philistines, there was no seeking unto it and to tin God of the Ark. Few had an ear to hear the word of the LORD, and the nation of Israel staggered in the dark mountains with no guide to lead them to the light of the LORD their God. But a different day dawned for Israel when David was anointed king over a united Israel David's rise was in stages, and between the steps of his ascent were times of severe trial, trial which at times was extreme persecution First as a ruddy well favoured youth he was brought in before Samuel and anointed in the midst of his brethren. Then he is found leading his four hundred faithful men, all of them valiant men Later he was anointed king over Judah and then all Israel came to Hebron to anoint David king over them. His earliest move was to find a place for Jehovah This place God revealed to him to be Zion, which he took from the Jebusites. Then he set about bringing Israel into line with the purpose of God, to bring up the Ark to Zion.

David was a man of wide vision, as we see in Psalm 24.1, 2. Jehovah was to him not simply a national God, though He was indeed the God of Israel. Tin earth and its inhabitants belonged to Him. How different were the ideas of the Jews in later times, especially in tin times of the Lord and His apostles. In the opinion of the Jews they were the people and little mattered about tin Gentiles, and the idea of the word of God being preached to the Gentiles was obnoxious to them and even was opposed by believing pharisees.

In the world which belonged to Him by right of creatorship, and the land of Israel which was His by right of choice, God chose a hill which was peculiarly His for there was His dwelling place and the place of divine service Those who would ascend to the hill of the LORD and stand in His holy place must have conduct befitting the holiness of tin place Holiness becometh the house of tue LORD for ever. There were different standards of holiness or sanctification as we learn from Leviticus 21, for the high priest, for tin priests, and for the people Over tin book of Leviticus might be written, "Ye shall be holv, for I am holy " Is not the first statement of the prayer which the Lord taught His disciples in keeping with this, "Our Father which art in heaven hallowed be Thy name " ?

Thus the conditions were (1) clean hands (2) a pure heart (3) not lifting up tin soul to vanity, and (4) not swearing deceitfully Such people would receive blessing and righteousness from Jehovah the God of their salvation Such was the generation of those who sought the God of Jacob, tin God of tin house of God.

What made the hill a holy hill was the fact that God had ascended there, when the gates of Zion opened to let the King of glory in as the rejoicing people, with David at their head, brought in the Ark. This is a picture of the greater day, when the Lord ascended to Zion above, to sit at HisFather's right hand. Who shall ascend to that hill of the LORD ?

While Psalm 24 asks the question,

"Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD?

And who shall stand in His holy place? " (verse 3), Psalm 15 seems to go somewhat further, and says,

"LORD, who shall sojourn in Thy tabernacle?

Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? " (verse 1).

The conditions of dwelling in God's holy hill are given in greater detail, and perhaps the conditions are more exacting. There are eleven conditions, each one of which will profit those who meditate thereon.

(1)"He that walketh uprightly." God made man to go physically upright, the one earthly creature with an upright gait, indicative of having been created in the image of God, and of the lordship which was placed in his hands over all earthly creatures. But uprightness in the Scriptures goes far beyond physical uprightness. Here it is uprightness of soul, that uprightness of all men's ways.

(2)"And worketh righteousness." How much is written in the Scriptures about what is right! There is no permanency in doing what is wrong. Wrongdoing, in whatever department in life, ends in the destruction and rejection of what is wrong ; but alas how many the Devil cheats into thinking that acting contrary to the Scriptures will be acceptable to God!

(3)"And speaketh truth in his heart." It is easy to speak truth with the lips when once truth is spoken in the heart. It is down in the heart, in the secret council chamber of man, where the decision is made whether it is the lie or the truth which will be told.

(4)"He that slandereth not with his tongue." Slander is a devilish practice. The Devil is the great slanderer. Men may be slanderers (devils) (2 Timothy 3.3), and women also may be slanderers (devils) (Titus 2.3). Judas Iscariot was one such. Pity the subject of the slanderer, as his or her character is torn, as it were, limb from limb!

(5)"Nor doeth evil to his friend." How often the tender ties of friendship are disrupted by an unworthy act by a friend, a wound, perchance, never again to be healed on earth! Friendship, one of the sweets of earthly life, needs to be nursed with care.

(6)"Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour." Reproach is a painful thing to experience. Thus it was with the blessed Lord: "Reproach hath broken My heart; and I am full of heaviness" (Psalm 69.20). "I am a worm and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people" (Psalm 22.6). How keenly the tender heart of the Lord felt the reproach of men!

(7)"In whose eyes a reprobate is despised" (vile person, A.V.). Often the more vile and reprobate men are in this world, the more they are applauded, but the plaudits of the mass are shortlived. The godly man has neither time nor place for the reprobate.

(8)"But he honoureth them that fear the Loan." Such are the people the world despises, the God-fearing people. But it is well if our state of soul is that of the psalmist, "I am a companion of all them that fear Thee" (Psalm 119.63).

(9)"He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not." Here is the man of truth, whose word is his bond; a man who will abide by his word though he finds he will be the loser. There are few things which will exalt a man's integrity in the eyes of men more than this.

(10)"He that putteth not out his money to usury." The trade of the moneylender is a debasing occupation; how corrupting are the practices of such!

(11)"Nor taketh reward against the innocent." Solomon, in Proverbs 1, cries loudly against this, especially in verses 10-19. He speaks of the money-grabbers of his time lurking for the innocent to swallow them alive. David says that he that doeth such things as in Psalm 15, shall never be moved.

Miller, J. | Sept 1957
General