April 3, 2012

• Lenten Reflections: "He looked round about upon all things, but as yet said nothing."

  As I was reviewing some of the chronology of Passion Week, this verse stood out to me:

  Mark 11:11  And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve. (KJV)

  "He came to the temple, and took a view of the present state of it, 11. He looked round about upon all things, but as yet said nothing. He saw many disorders there, but kept silence, Ps. l. 21. Though he intended to suppress them, he would not go about the doing of it all on a sudden, lest he should seem to have done it rashly; he let things be as they were for this night, intending the next morning to apply himself to the necessary reformation, and to take the day before him. We may be confident that God sees all the wickedness that is in the world, though he do not presently reckon for it, nor cast it out. Christ, having make his remarks upon what he saw in the temple, retired in the evening to a friend's house at Bethany, because there he would be more out of the noise of the town, and out of the way of being suspected, a designing to head a faction."

   
  – Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on Mark 11

  

  
  Consider Him who is greater than the temple!

  The Lord Jesus Christ is the One who is greater than the temple (Matthew 12:6)!

  Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation). Not with the blood of not by means of the blood of goats and calves but with His own blood, He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11-12, 24).

  He is a Minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord erected, and not man! (See Heb. 8:1-6.) Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us (Heb. 9:24).

  He is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, superior to Moses since Moses was a servant – Christ as a Son over His [God's] own house (see Heb. 3:1-6). He is superior to the Old Testament priests and priesthood because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood, and He is guarantor of a better covenant; because He was sinless had no need to offer sacrifices for Himself (see Heb. 7:20-28). (All that only gives a little glimpse. I encourage you to read through the Heb. 1:1-10:18 to see Christ's all-surpassing superiority to the earthly!)

  And yet, that very day in Jerusalem, as the Lord Jesus Christ – the Son of God incarnate, the Messiah, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Prince of Peace – entered into the temple, what did He do? Jesus looked round about at all things ––– and He kept silence!

  Would that we might follow our Lord's wise and patient example! Would that I might follow my Lord's wise and patient example!

  Let every man... for the glory of God

  Too often we flat-out disregard and disobey God's commandment in James 1:19-20:

  So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
  
  

  Let every man... No exceptions there... No loopholes!

  Too often I've been impetuous, and out of my fleshly, impatient heart have flowed unsanctified words, words which have brought no glory to God! Too often I've been like Moses:

  Numbers 20:2 Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! 4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” 6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them.

  7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” 9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him.

  10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

  12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

  God is all about having His name hallowed. We too easily and nonchalantly and flippantly and smugly jump ahead in the Lord's prayer to "Give me this day my daily bread..." We're all about "Give me! Give me!" We're no different than the young child who is whining at the supermarket check-out line for a treat, or two toddlers who are in tug of war over a single toy: "Gimme! Gimme!" We too quickly forget about the very first portion of the prayer:

  
  Our Father, which art in heaven
  Hallowed by Thy name

  In contrast to our "Gimmes!" God is saying to us: "Enough of you, you, you! Give Me the glory due My name! Give Me the glory due My name in all your activities! Give Me the glory due My name with your tongue!" We are created for God's glory (Isaiah 43:7), and there are times when God puts us into situations where the way we give Him glory is to look round about upon all things and be silent!

  Oh, I know it really doesn't make sense to us, as we look at it from a fleshly perspective, and it really grates on our flesh to be silent – we all want to have our own say, and we all want to have the last word – and I'll add here, these may sometimes be in regard to matters that don't revolve around us directly:  there may be injustice and oppression happening to the least of these, and there may be false teaching and apostasy rising up in the visible church, all of which is very grievous to us (and to God) – but God's thoughts and God's ways are higher than ours! Let us remember remember this instance in Mark 11:11, in which Jesus Himself, the Servant who had been given the tongue of the learned and could speak a word in season to refresh the weary (Isaiah 50:4-5), kept silence for a time!  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... The Word became flesh and dwelt among us – and yet at this moment, the Word was silent!

  We all know the struggle, and James writes of it in chapter 3... But no man came tame the tongue... Yes – no man... Mark 10:27 But looking at them, Jesus said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."

  As Christians, we have no excuses. We can't say, "I'm sensitive; I can't help it," or "You don't really know this situation and these people I have to deal with day in and day out. I have got to say something!" That's no way we should talk if we really are new creations in Christ! If we are truly concerned about the glory of God in a situation, we can trust God's timing, and if and when He wants us to speak, He will give us the opportunity to do so – but let us be careful not to grieve His Holy Spirit and speak when we ought not to, or to speak a moment too soon! And all the time, we must not neglect to take these burdens to God in prayer... pray without ceasing (I Thes. 5:17).

  
  

  Ecclesiastes 3
  1 To everything there is a season,
  A time for every purpose under heaven:
  
  2 A time to be born,
      And a time to die;
  A time to plant,
      And a time to pluck what is planted;
  3 A time to kill,
      And a time to heal;
  A time to break down,
      And a time to build up;
  4 A time to weep,
      And a time to laugh;
  A time to mourn,
      And a time to dance;
  5 A time to cast away stones,
      And a time to gather stones;
  A time to embrace,
      And a time to refrain from embracing;
  6 A time to gain,
      And a time to lose;
  A time to keep,
      And a time to throw away;
  7 A time to tear,
      And a time to sew;
  A time to keep silence,
      And a time to speak;
  8 A time to love,
      And a time to hate;
  A time of war,
      And a time of peace.

  Ecclesiastes 5
  1 Walk prudently when you go to the house of God;
  and draw near to hear
  rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.
  
  2 Do not be rash with your mouth,
  And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.
  For God is in heaven, and you on earth;
  Therefore let your words be few.
  3 For a dream comes through much activity,
  And a fool’s voice is known by his many words.

  I realize this passage in Ecclesiastes 5 is dealing with vows, but the principle applies in a general sense regarding all our communications. All too often we are rash with our mouths, and we run off at our mouths, rather than submit ourselves (mouths and all!) to God and be willing to look round about upon all things like our Lord, and then to run off into our closets and pour out our hearts to God, and trusting in Him and waiting on Him and entrusting ourselves to Him. Psalm 62:8 Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Those who trust in Him will never be ashamed or disappointed!

  God's people and waiting

  In the Bible and throughout Church history, we see God having His people wait all the time; that is part of God's sanctifying work in our souls. (All the more reason for us to keep in the Word of God, for these things are written as an example to us! – as well to read Church history and Christian biography!) We all find it excruciating to wait because we would all rather do any and all things but wait! However: No temptation has overtaken you but is common to man... (See I Cor. 10:1-13).

  We may turn a few pages in our Bibles, and we see Abraham and Sarah finally having baby Isaac – or we see the Israelites crossing the Jordan – and so on – but we too quickly forget about the years and years and years of waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting! Heb. 6:11-12 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises... We need God's powerful Holy Spirit to strengthen us to wait! Have you ever thought of it that way? We may ask God for power to do, do, do – but how often do we ask God for power to wait on Him? Colossians 1:11 Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy... How often do we ask God for power to look round about upon all things and be silent? How often do we ask God for power to be importunate in prayer?

  Like Jesus, Nehemiah looked round about upon all things

  I love the story of Nehemiah. Even while he was in Persia, 1000 miles away from Jerusalem, from the reports he's heard, he's deeply grieved at the condition of the city and of God's people – for both are a reproach and dishonor to God. Nehemiah has been given such a spiritual sight of the ruins because He had already been given a spiritual sight of the glory of God. The captives had begun returning from exile over sixty years before this time, and though the temple had been rebuilt (after some delay), both the walls and the gates of the city of Jerusalem remained unbuilt. After hearing this news, Nehemiah pour out his heart in prayer for several months and cries in repentance and confession and supplications to God (Neh. 1). Then, in God's sovereignty, King Artaxerxes is moved to permit Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to rebuild (Neh. 2). Nehemiah takes the journey to Jerusalem. So you think after all that waiting and after the great burden God had given him, that Nehemiah would be chomping at the bit to get right down to the work of rebuilding... But what does Nehemiah do once he's arrived in Jerusalem? Following in the steps of the Lord Jesus, Nehemiah takes a little ride around the ruins, so he too might look round about upon all things:

  11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. 13 And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass. 15 So I went up in the night by the valley, and viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others who did the work.

  Yes, afterwards Nehemiah does speak of all God had been putting into his heart, but that came only after this time of surveying the city. How can we really explain that a people who for years and years were so sluggish and apathetic as to the condition of Jerusalem suddenly shout out in response to Nehemiah these words: "Let us rise up and build!"? It appears that their embracing the work God had for them was conditioned upon Nehemiah moving and acting in obedience to God's will – and God's will included Nehemiah's nighttime ride around Jerusalem to look round about upon all things.
  
  
  

  Psalm 141
  1 Lord, I cry out to You;
  Make haste to me!
  Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You.
  2 Let my prayer be set before You as incense,
  The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

  

  3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
  Keep watch over the door of my lips.
  4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
  To practice wicked works
  With men who work iniquity;
  And do not let me eat of their delicacies.

  May God give us holy appetites, that Christ's food would be our food,
  and our lips would only be opened in accord with our Father's will for us.

  John 4:34
  Jesus saith to them,
  "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work."

  ---

  Related:

  Lenten Reflections: He answered nothing...But Jesus still answered nothing.
  Lenten Reflections: the servant's tongue
  Why Naphtali?
  Why Naphtali? – Revisited
  Communication: Naphtali style
  Communication Naphtali Style: Jonathan Edwards
  "As soon as the ball left my hand"....The Power of the Tongue
  my deep concern for the churches
  Father, forgive me for joking
  "Satan tempted me to hold my tongue..." (Whitefield)
  William Perkins on Isaiah 6 and the tongue
  Your word & my tongue
  dedication 2010 (addendum): may He temper my tongue with love
  the dogs and the pigs (from the archives)
  from the archives: "How do we know if we're speaking the truth in love?"
  You whine and complain (Letter 70 on assurance & fighting for joy)
  As I abide in the Vine ~ the minister's meditation on the tongue
  "ALL public work must be subservient to my prayer work." (Evan Roberts)
  the journey to Jericho (Joshua 4-6): the journey of dependence on the LORD
  update/prayer requests - July 8, 2010
  You speak as one of the foolish women would speak ~ Job 2:9-10
  one way or the other God will be glorified (Bible Reading - Numbers 20)
  "today's a new day" (pressing on through sin, failure, fear & doubt)

  My posts on Nehemiah including:

  • Naphtali News: the Ministry of the Word & Prayer
  • Do you see the trouble we are in? A call to prayer for revival (Bible reading - Nehemiah)
  • Lord, teach us to pray once again: the burden of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:1-4)
  • Lord, teach us to pray once again: the confession of Nehemiah (Neh. 1:4-11)
  • Lord, teach us to pray once again: Nehemiah's continuing burden (Nehemiah 2:1-5)
  • Lord, give us ears to hear like Nehemiah, Isaiah & Samuel
  • Nehemiah 2:9-20: We trust You, O God of heaven
  • A year ago today, God put it in my heart (Nehemiah 2:12)
  • Nehemiah's Song ~ "even here, even in the night seasons, even in the ruins" | letter 106 on joy

  Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  Scripture quotations marked KJV taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

  Work found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_Reconstruction_of_Jerusalem_and_the_Temple_of_Herod_(R%C3%A9constitution_de_J%C3%A9rusalem_et_du_temple_d%27H%C3%A9rode)_-_James_Tissot.jpg  / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Public Domain

  • 3:34 PM
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