| The Christian Life | July 1944 |
Christian Meditation
“My meditation of Him shall be sweet; I will be glad in the Lord.”—Psalm 104:34
THERE could be nothing more soul-satisfying to Christians, than to realize that their chief delight is in calling to their own mind, and to the attention of others, the goodness of the Lord; and in being assured that His lovingkindness is still over all their ways. Throughout the Psalm from which our text is taken, David recounts many evidences of the Lord’s love and power in caring for His earthly creation; then he assures us that the “glory of the Lord shall endure forever.” (Verse 31) David, with his poetical mind, was fond of entering into these reveries of thought concerning the goodness of the Lord, and in giving glory to God for all blessings of life.
David’s meditations were not of the idle, unprofitable kind. As he thought upon the Lord he drew practical lessons from the evidences of divine love that came to his mind. He notes for example, that the “high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.” (Psalm 104:18) And while he rejoices in the fact that some consideration is given for the wild goats, he is reminded that a still more wonderful provision is made for himself, and for all who intelligently and whole-heartedly give their devotion to their Creator.
In Psalm 121:1,2 the Psalmist says, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.” This passage as it stands, is more or less contradictory, in that it first of all suggests that our help comes from the hills, and then states that it comes from the Lord. It has been suggested that the first verse should really be stated in the question form, thus: “Shall I lift up mine eyes unto the hills? From whence cometh my help?” The answer then would be, “My help cometh from the Lord!” This arrangement seems to be more in keeping with what the beloved David had in mind. The literal hills have been a refuge for the “wild goats,” and the symbolic hills—the various kingdoms of the earth—may be considered a place of safety by those who are not the Lord’s true sheep. But, says David, “My help cometh from the Lord.”
In this we have revealed a closeness of fellowship and trust which is possible only to those who have really come to know the Lord. Many are able to trust in the Lord and to rejoice in His watchcare over them, so long as they can see some visible manifestation of His lovingkindness; but those who have great faith are able to reach out beyond the material evidences of God’s love, and to rejoice in the Lord Himself. David had come to know that while all the material things with which he was surrounded gave evidence of the handiwork of divine creative power, yet he had also learned that back of all created things was the Creator. It is of his glorious Creator that David declares, “My meditation of Him shall be sweet.”
How We Know God
To really know God so fully that “meditation of Him shall be sweet,” is one of the superlative attainments of the Christian life. But how does the Christian attain such an intimate, soul-satisfying knowledge of God? What is it that we must learn about God in order to have the very thought of Him bring delight to our hearts? A very informative statement on this point is given us by the Lord, who says, “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.”—Jeremiah 9:23,24
Millions of earth’s inhabitants have professed to believe in God, but few indeed have learned to know Him as a God that takes delight in exercising “loving-kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth.” And how does the Christian learn to know God after this manner? David learned much about God by studying His marvelous creative works; and the Christian likewise can find much in the book of nature that tells of His lovingkindness—“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.”—Psa. 19:1,2
But David was not satisfied merely with the revelation of God which came to Him through the study of nature. There was a still deeper knowledge which concerned the Psalmist. After eloquently portraying the glory of the Creator as seen in His creative works, David continues, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever, the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned; and in keeping of them is great reward.”
The “law of the Lord,” the “testimony of the Lord.” the “commandment of the Lord,” and the “statutes of the Lord” were to David what the divine plan is to the Christian at the present time. In these David found revealed the will of God for him, and to the extent then due, the plan of God for the blessing of the people in general. By the full surrender of himself to God, thus coming wholly under the influence of His “law,” His “testimony,” His “statutes,” and His “commandments” David came face to face with God in a manner which his study of nature had neither approximated nor comprehended.
Wisdom From Above
Yes, David had found that the written Word of God was capable of “making wise the simple.” At one time he might have been one of those described in the passage quoted from Jeremiah’s prophecy as being “wise,” but whose wisdom was foolishness in God’s sight—a wisdom in which there was no cause for rejoicing. But now he was truly wise; the “wisdom from above” had come into his heart, being conveyed there by the “law,” the “statutes,” the “testimony,” and the “commandments of the Lord.”
This heavenly wisdom, the possession of which truly makes wise, is a wisdom that is based on the great fact of knowing God; and just as David found that the full depth of such a knowledge was obtainable only through God’s revealed will to him, so Christians also will find that God is now revealing Himself to them through the truth. A moment’s reflection will show why this is so. While it is true that Christians, and others also are able to some extent to visualize God’s love and glory and power by looking up into the heavens at night and by studying the works of nature that are about us on every hand, yet this vision of creative glory is offset to a large extent by the apparent miscarriage of divine love that is everywhere in evidence about us.
We can see God’s glory in the stars, but what is there in a deathbed scene, with all its attendant suffering and heartaches, to call forth praise to the Creator? Degradation, misery and want stalk up and down in the earth. Disease and death are gradually taking possession of our bodies. These facts would tend to drive us away from the very thought of God were it not for His written Word, in which He reveals His plans and purposes. And so it is that only through the divine plan can we truly know God.
God’s plan reveals His wisdom in the permission of evil. It shows His love—transcending, self-sacrificing love—in the gift of His beloved Son as a Redeemer, thus making possible an ultimate deliverance from sin and death. It reveals His power as from age to age we note the irresistible, onward march of His purposes which ultimately will accomplish the deliverance of a lost race, during the “times of restitution” soon to come.
When we know the truth, we see God’s majesty everywhere in evidence. Did we not know the truth, the statement that God takes delight in “exercising lovingkindness, judgment and justice in the earth,” if fully analyzed, would seem like hollow mockery. But the truth changes our entire vision of God, and through it we are able to see and know Him as He really is. Because of this, our meditations of Him are truly sweet and inspiring. Yes:
“The heavens declare Thy glory, Lord
Through all the realms of boundless space
The soaring mind may roam abroad,
And there Thy power and wisdom trace.But not alone do worlds of light,
And earth display Thy grand designs;
’Tis when our eyes behold Thy Word
We read Thy name in fairest lines.”
Wisdom From Above
But when we speak of the “truth” we mean more than a mere theoretic knowledge of certain features of the divine plan. Our knowledge, of course, begins with a mental grasp of the various doctrines of the divine plan, and this forms a basis of our knowledge of God; but unless we go beyond a mere mental appreciation of the truth we will never truly know God, and will never reach that point in spiritual development in which we will find sweetness in our meditations of Him.
The primary purpose of the doctrines of the divine plan is that in and through them the Christian may learn what is the will of God concerning him. It is a doctrine of truth that if we expect to live with Christ in the future, we must now be dead with Him. This fact is valueless in our lives unless we see to it that we are dead with Christ. To be dead with Christ means the full surrender of our wills to God. It is only as we actually do thus yield our all to Him, accepting His will as our daily rule in life, that we are in a position to be taught by Him and of Him. And it is when we begin to experience the verification of His promises and purposes in our lives—through our obedience to the truth—that we begin to know Him with an understanding obtainable only by such experience.
“If we suffer with Him we shall also reign with Him,” is another fundamental of the divine plan. With this great fact of the truth before his mind the Christian is able to interpret his sufferings in the light of divine love; hence each hardship of the way will to him be a stepping-stone to higher attainments in the knowledge of God. When the trials come he will remember that Jesus learned what it is to be obedient in suffering, and will rejoice that the Heavenly Father is dealing with him in the same way He dealt with His well-beloved and only begotten Son. The Christian will remember also, that “whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth.” He will know that these chastening experiences are not necessarily in the nature of punishments for wrongdoing, but intended as a part of his training for future glory with Jesus in the Messianic Kingdom. Knowing this—because he knows the truth—he will see, even in his suffering, further evidence of the love of God. Thus daily, by experience based upon a knowledge of the truth, he learns to know God more and more intimately.
God’s promises of grace to help in every time of need are also found to be verified in the lives of those wholly devoted to the doing of the will of God. Thus, we learn to trust God—to trust Him where we cannot trace Him. When unexpected experiences loom up before us, we remember the promise that “all things work together for good to those that love the Lord, and who are called according to His purpose.” So we accept these new circumstances as a part of His will for us; finding, sooner or later, that each new scene He sends us, comes as a glad and sweet surprise. It may be neither glad nor sweet, so far as the flesh is concerned. Indeed, it may be the very opposite; but the Christian knows—because he knows the truth—that his flesh is on the altar of sacrifice; hence he knows better than to expect that the fire necessary to consume the sacrifice will be pleasant.
Exultant Victory
And so it is, that while many of the experiences which the Lord in His kind providence permits to come to us are hard to bear, seeming often almost to crush us; yet, if we know the truth, and His promises are verified in us because we have fully accepted them by faith, then our wills will continue to yield joyfully to Him; and with the prophet we will exclaim with confidence, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him!” Yea, we will more than merely trust Him! We will rejoice in Him, because in His daily dealing with us we will learn to read the shining letters of His love.
Yes, even though all our friends may turn against us because of the truth; even though persecutions may arise, even though the day may be dark and the night long, if the truth means as much to us as it is capable of meaning, the Lord will become to us an ever-increasing source of joy and delight. And even if our experiences are such as to presage the actual death of the flesh, we will rejoice in the thought as expressed by the poet when he wrote, “The worst they can do beloved is to change your cross for a crown.” Then we will thank God for the experiences His love sends to us which assure us of the final gaining of the crown.
But not alone in the clouds does the Heavenly Father reveal Himself to His children. The one whose will is fully surrendered to the will of God will find that in the outworking of the divine plan for him there are many exceedingly pleasant experiences to be enjoyed. Jesus promised to give His joy to His followers; and His true followers have had that joy.
Jesus’ joy consisted of doing His Father’s will. It was a joy to Him to heal the sick, to raise the dead, to proclaim the Father’s love; and through all of these experiences Jesus saw the benevolent hand of the Almighty. By faith Jesus could look down the corridor of the ages and see all the sick restored to health, all the dead raised to life, all the hungry fed. Thus the “joy that was set before Him” in the divine plan enabled Him to interpret even His sufferings in the light of God’s love, resulting in a continuous, abounding joy. It was because God was with Him in all of His experiences that Jesus’ joy was made full.
So it will be with the Christian. Not only will he accept his trials as of divine appointment, but will rejoice in every part of the divine will for him. He will rejoice in the promises of future glory. He will be glad for the sweet experiences of telling others of divine love.
His fellowship with the brethren will still further enhance his appreciation of God. In short, he will seek more and more to interpret every experience of life in the light of divine love. Thus God will be his daily meditation, and in the very presence of God will he continue to walk in the narrow way.
David did not understand the truth as the Christian of today is privileged to know it, yet he had tasted the sweetness of at least a limited knowledge of his Creator. How much more then, should we, to whom God has revealed the length and breadth and height and depth of His love, rejoice in the God of our salvation! May it be our blessed portion to be able through faith to turn our every experience in the direction of a better knowledge of God.
Our study of God’s Word should ever to be to this end. Our activity in His service—activity which He commands and approves—should result in a closer acquaintance with Him. As we seek to tell others of His love, revealed through the truth, our own appreciation of that love will be enhanced and enlarged until we are engulfed in its effulgent glory, and it becomes the directing, all-dominating force in our lives. Thus may all our time be spent for and with Him. And as our daily meditation upon our loving Heavenly Father increases in sweetness, may our hearts respond in fullest submission to His glorious and perfect will.