INDUSTRY and commerce require the sons of men to dwell on the plains and in the many valleys that are hot and shadowed by the wall of high hills about them. It is not surprising, therefore, that in time of recess people travel to the mountains, where there is the distant view, and the cool air’s exhilarating freshness gives one a sense of freedom foreign to the valleys.
From those heights the distant scene should remind one that a people perish when they have no vision, and that from hill and mountain God has given us a glorious vision of the King in his Kingdom. From where we stand, the vision stretches far out to the horizon of time, where the “earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the seas”.
We, the sons of God, also live in valleys —frustrating, dark and visionless valleys. We must seek times of recess when, as now, we are able to come up upon the heights of life where the Spirit of God is. From where we stand in our present meditations we are able to look forward to the end of all things, and back to the beginning of the divine promises. Powered by a knowledge and love of God’s Word, we are able to travel in the vehicle of thought to behold the King in his beauty in the “land that is very far off” ; or we can go back over the road of time on a visionary tour of the hills. Come with me back into the long ago, back to the solitude and brooding quiet of a mountain in the land of Moriah . . .
Moriah
Who are these coming up the mountain side toward u ? There is an old man and his son, two young men and a saddled ass ; they have wood and fire with them. Look, the two young men are sitting down to wait while the old man and his son continue to ascend the slopes. We heard the parting words, “I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and will come again to you”.
The lad carries the wood, and the old man has a brazier of fire in one hand and a knife in the other. We heard them say that they were going to worship ; but where is the lamb for an offering? The lad has also asked concerning this curious matter ; and there is the old man assuring him that God will provide the lamb. They come on, both of them, together.
Now our eyes have lost sight of them. But the old man has made a curious claim : he has claimed that God would provide a lamb. Come on up to the top of the mountain, and let us behold the end of the matter.
O what strange sight is this that we now gaze on? The old man has bound his son upon the wood that they had been carrying, and his outstretched arm brandishes the gleaming knife blade as though he is about to plunge it into the lad’s body. But, even as we gaze transfixed with horror, we realize that the outstretched arm has been stayed by God ; and a voice calls from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham . . . lay not thine hand upon the lad . . . for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou has not withheld thy son, thine only son from me”.
A movement at our side causes us to look in that direction to see a ram caught in a thicket, and to see Abraham release his son and offer this lamb for a burnt offering. Again the voice from heaven speaks (we hear the words distinctly) : . .. in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore ; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies ; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed ; because thou hast obeyed my voice”.
God had provided the lamb. And Abraham called the name of the place where he had worshipped, “Jehovah-Jireh”—“In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen”.
Calvary
The meaning of “Jehovah-Jireh” sets our thoughts in motion once again ; and the road called “Time” leads over many hills to the mountain of Calvary. There we are caught up with a great company of people in which a large number of the women are weeping and distressed. They are on their way to witness a public crucifixion. The three doomed men go on in front, being led to their death by the soldiers of Rome. In one of these three the crowd seem particularly interested. His face is marred with sorrow, and his back bears the terrible effects of scourging. His cross is being carried by another man ; and over it is the superscription written, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”.
Eventually, we reach the “Place of a Skull”. The three men are laid upon their respective crosses, and the nails are driven in through their hands and feet. The crosses are erected, with Jesus in the centre and a thief on either side of him.
It will be a relief for us to turn our eyes away from the three in agony to the crowd about us. Here there are the rich and poor, priests and publicans, Roman soldiers and members of the Sanhedrin. All around, there is the noise of weeping and taunting. Against Jesus is this taunting directed. Listen to those chief priests taunting him as they walk past (we hear words from their lips) : “He saved others ; himself he cannot save. He trusted God ; let him deliver him now if he will have him ; for he said, I am the Son of God”.
Did you hear even the crucified thieves mocking him ? But one rebukes the other —in fact, he is the only one who has had a good word for Jesus : . . . this man has done nothing amiss”.
It is about noon, yet darkness covers the whole land. We are fearful as we think upon the superscription, “King of the Jews”, over the cross of Jesus, and of the yet more dreadful claim made by him that he is the Son of God ; for this darkness in the early afternoon is supernatural. Suddenly, there is a great earthquake, which rends the great veil of the temple from the top to the bottom. At this, many are afraid ; and from at least one, a Roman centurion, is wrung the confession, “Truly this was the Son of God”.
Jehovah-Jireh
Grief was possessing our souls when we were sped away in thought. Here, in vision, a vast concourse of people journey to Mount Zion. Wherever our eyes look, men and women are coming—men and women of all nationalities and colours ; yet all, without exception, wearing white robes. They are filled with joy and gladness, and recognise one another as though they were members of one great family.
Time passes. Upon this Mount Zion the multitude have congregated. Like mighty thunders their glad exaltations are sung in honour of one who is in their midst. This one is Jesus, whom we saw crucified.
Listen to the words of that song which they are singing : “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing.”
But what of all this glad company? “What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?” “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple : and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat, for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters : and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes”.
The Lamb in their midst to do this glorious work for the vast multitude of Jew and Gentile
We stand once more upon the mountains of the present, reflecting on the visions which we have seen. Quickly we recall the scenes of the Cross on Calvary and of the divine provision of a lamb on Mount Moriah. Then, as we are thus engrossed, God reveals the meaning to us in all the beauty of his Word ; and once again there rings in our ears the adoration of the Lamb on Mount Zion, and the words of Abraham at Mount Moriah—”Jehovah-Jireh : In the Mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
Reflections on the Potter and the Clay