During a recent visit to New Zealand, we were invited to provide a meditative contribution to an evening of song and praise under the theme, “Preparing for Zion.” Following is that meditation, which we trust provides a suitable contribution to this month’s section for “Exhortation.”
The words of Psalm 15 express the inner yearnings of our hearts as we contemplate preparing for Zion.
He that walketh uprightly
We want to walk uprightly for we acknowledge “He that saith he abideth in Christ ought himself also so to walk, even as Jesus walked” (I John 2:6). We have no desire to walk “in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God…For (we are fully aware) God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” (I Thess. 4:5,7).
And worketh righteousness
Furthermore, we would work righteousness. The temptation of the world is to become absorbed in building bigger barns but we seek the Lord’s help that we will be dedicated to the building up of the body of Christ “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Eph. 4:13,16).
Speaketh the Truth in his heart
And we know we must be people of truth in the very heart of our being. Our God is abundant in goodness and truth; a God of integrity without iniquity. We stake our very lives on His faithfulness to His promises and we wholly rely on the supreme manifestation of His truth in our Lord Jesus, who was full of grace and truth.
We know we must manifest the spiritual qualities of our God in our daily lives. We want to do so. Let us then speak the truth in love that we might grow up into him who is the head, even Christ our Lord (Eph. 4:15).
Backbiteth not with his tongue
We know there are things we must do, walk uprightly, work righteousness, speak the truth in our heart and there are things we must not do — and we struggle to avoid them. We pray God to set a watch over our lips that we might not backbite with our tongues.
His warning is clear in this matter: “Whoso privily slandereth his neighbor, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer” (Psa. 101:5). Our Lord reinforces the admonition with a penetrating warning: “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matt. 5:21-22).
Nor doeth evil to his neighbor
We pray to be kept from slander and we ask for help that we might not do evil to our neighbor. Doing evil to one’s neighbor — how these words would revive painful memories in the mind of David. Samuel had told Saul, “The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine, that is better than thou” (I Sam. 15:28). Saul determined to slay David, his neighbor, but David would not retaliate and could honestly say to Saul, “Know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it” (I Sam. 24:11).
David did not retaliate against Saul, but, to his utter distress, there was a day and there was a neighbor to whom David did do evil. By David’s own judgment, a man who did what David had done to Uriah “shall surely die.” Yet Yahweh was abundant in goodness and mercy and put away this sin. He would do so because David’s heart was broken by his transgression and because this wicked deed was a stark exception in the life of a man who sought to serve his God with all His heart.
Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor
May we not slander our neighbor or do evil to him and may we not take up a reproach against him. If there is a problem, let us approach him directly but let us break any chain of evil gossip. Let us make peace and not trouble that we might keep the spirit of the law which saith: “You shall not go about spreading slander among your father’s kin, nor take sides against your neighbor…I am the LORD. You shall not nurse hatred against your brother. You shall reprove your fellow-countryman frankly and so you will have no share in his guilt. You shall not seek revenge, or cherish anger towards your kinsfolk; you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD” (Lev. 19:16-18).
In whose eyes a vile person is contemned
While we pray we will avoid harm to our neighbor, we will not admire a vile person nor compromise our condemnation of wickedness. In our eyes a vile person will be contemned.
We are preparing with anxious anticipation for rulership in God’s kingdom when “the vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful.” From the revelation of God’s word and from our own experience, we know that “the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. (We have seen that) the instruments also of the churl are evil” (Isa. 32:5-7). For this reason we abhor the portrayal of sin as attractive and determine that we will not only avoid evil ourselves but will have no pleasure in those who practice iniquity.
He honoreth them that fear the LORD
The people we honor are those who fear the LORD. It is their company we seek. As David said: “I am a companion of all them that fear [God], and of them that keep thy precepts” (Psa. 119:63). The Master expressed this same attitude when he said: “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Matt. 12:50).
But we are human and sometimes, to our dismay, we tend to be jealous of those who are more faithful than ourselves. Oh let the spirit of Jonathan be our spirit. Let us love those who love the Lord and greatly rejoice when God works in them to slay a Goliath. May we strengthen their hands in God that they, and we, might remain faithful to the end.
He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not
The pathway of life has many unexpected twists and turns. There may be times when our commitments turn against us. But we are determined we will not be like the wicked who borroweth and payeth not again (Psa. 37:21). Confident in the kingdom, we realize, “Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips” (Prov. 19:1).
Our trust is in the Lord who “knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied” (Psa. 37:19). Our Master renewed this promise when he admonished us: “Do not ask anxiously, ‘What are we to eat? What are we to drink? What shall we wear?’ All these are things for the heathen to run after, not for you, because your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Set your mind on God’s kingdom and his justice before everything else, and all the rest will come to you as well. So do not be anxious about tomorrow, tomorrow will look after itself” (Matt. 6:31-34 NKJV).
He that putteth not out his money to usury
We pray that we will honor our commitments and we are determined we will never take advantage of a poor brother.
The law God gave to Israel speaks to us of the spirit that we would have in our hearts: “If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren …thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto” (Deut. 15:7-10).
Far from taking advantage of the poor, we arc resolved we will do good, being rich in good works, being ready to share those things we have. We are willing to do so because our heart is set on laying up a good foundation against the time to come, that we may lay hold on eternal life (I Tim. 6:17-19).
Nor taketh reward against the innocent
We will not take advantage of the poor and we will not let personal relationships or personal advantage distort our judgments. We look forward to receiving the gracious promise of our Master: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne” (Rev. 3:21).
We know the manner of his judgments. When he sits exalted in Zion “he will not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth” (Isa. 11:3-4). To be invited to share his throne with him, we know that even now the Lord must see in us this same spirit of honesty, equity and judgment. He must see that now in this time we are being changed into the glory of his spiritual attributes developing “from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (II Cor. 3:18).
Our deepest prayer
It is our heart’s desire to be part of Yahweh Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts. We yearn to be among those who will dwell in His holy hill, sending the word of the Lord out of Zion, judging among the nations, rebuking many people, so that they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks (Isa. 2:3-4). That is our desire and we know it will only come to pass through the abundant grace of our Heavenly Father and of our Lord Jesus Christ. So our hearts reach out to “him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the ecclesia by Christ Jesus through all ages, for ever and ever, Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One