| The Christian Life | March 1946 |
The Day the Lord Made
“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”—Psalm 118:24
THERE have been many outstanding “days” in the progression of God’s plan of salvation for a sin-cursed and dying race. The “day” of our text was that very momentous one when the promised Christ made his first advent to earth. It was a glorious day for as many as received him at that time, but for those who rejected him it was a time of darkness and calamity. And it has been thus in connection with all the special “days” or periods in God’s plan.
The time of earth’s formation and man’s original creation was a wonderful “day” for the angelic hosts of God. We are told that they all shouted for joy. (Job 38:4-9) Yet the seeds of iniquity and rebellion soon began to work in the mind of Lucifer which later led to open revolt against God’s will, and the plunging of the human race into death. Other angels joined the ranks of the fallen Lucifer. So while to the faithful that was a glorious day, it was also a time of severe testing which demonstrated the unfaithfulness of many.
It has been six thousand years since man was created, and since he fell into sin and death. There is another thousand years still to come before the plan of salvation is complete and the fallen race will have been rescued from death and restored to human perfection upon the earth. In all this period of time there have been many long intervals during which, nothing outstanding was being accomplished by God—periods of waiting, as it were, until the “due time” arrived for another step forward in the divine plan. Such was that period of more than sixteen hundred years between creation and the flood.
It was during that time, of course, that Enoch lived—a man who walked with God, and who prophesied of a time when the Lord would come with “ten thousands of his saints.” (Jude 14) But nothing dramatic occurred until the very close of that period, and then came the flood. The flood brought that world to an end. (II Pet. 3:6) It was a momentous time, and God took Noah into his confidence, told him that the flood was coming and gave him instructions concerning the building of an ark in which he and his family could be carried over safely into the next world. (Gen. 6:13,17) That was a great “day” indeed in the development of God’s plan. It was a day which the Lord made in the sense that the flood was of divine planning, and the saving of Noah and his family according to divine instructions.
In the prophecy of our Lord’s day from which our text is taken we also read, “God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.” (Psalm 118:27) In all the outstanding “days” in the divine plan, God has given light—the light of truth—to his people, thus enabling them to co-operate with him in the carrying out of his purposes for those times.
This was true of Noah. To Noah was revealed the knowledge of the coming flood. This was “present truth” to him, and he was thus highly favored because God desired someone to co-operate with him in connection with the great events of that time. As is always the case in times of great change, it was the divine will that a witness be given to the people, and Noah became a preacher of righteousness for this purpose. There was an ark to be built, and Noah set himself faithfully to this gigantic task. Yes, God showed Noah the light, which meant that this faithful patriarch was to be a worker for God the remainder of his life. And Noah appreciated this privilege, and bound his sacrifice to the altar.
Abraham’s Day
Following the flood there was another marking of time—further waiting, as it were, for God to manifest himself again in a special manner. We have a brief record of relatively unimportant events during those years, but nothing exceptional until Abraham’s day. Then God began to deal with him in a very special way, revealing to him the glorious fundamental of the divine plan that through the seed of Abraham all the families of the earth are to be blessed.—Gen. 22:18
Here, then, was another “day” which the Lord made—a time in which the foundation promises of his plan were being laid, and the great covenant embracing those promises sealed by divine oath. The people generally of that time knew little, and understood less, of what was occurring. Even Abraham’s own nephew, Lot, didn’t appreciate it sufficiently to remain separate from entangling alliances in Sodom in order to share some of the divine blessings God was bestowing upon Abraham. This, too, has been characteristic of all the “days” which the Lord has made. God’s own people—his faithful people—have known the significance of the times in which they have lived, but the world has always turned a deaf ear to whatever “witness” has been given, and in many instances has killed the “witnesses.”
But think of the blessing enjoyed by Abraham! What did a home and riches in Ur mean in comparison with the promise that God would make of him a great nation, and use his seed to bless all the families of the earth! So when the call of God came to him he gladly forsook all and became a “stranger and pilgrim” the remainder of his life, because he looked for a city which hath foundations, “whose builder and maker is God.”—Heb. 11:9,10,13
Moses’ Day
But Abraham died, “in faith,” not having received the fulfillment of all the promises God had made to him. His son Isaac also died, and by a strange chain of circumstances the descendants of Abraham were held as slaves in Egypt. Many long years had passed since God had confirmed his covenant with Abraham, and there was nothing which particularly set one year apart from another. It was a period of trial upon God’s people, yes; and the Lord had cared for them. Joseph had been sent into Egypt to provide food to care for the family in a future time of famine. Through him his father, Jacob, together with the whole family, was finally brought to Egypt; but this led to slavery and to the need of divine intervention on their behalf if they were to survive as a nation.
So finally another great “day” arrived—the day of deliverance from Egypt. First there was the special preparation of Moses to be their leader, a preparation which required eighty years. Forty of these were spent in the palace and courts of Pharaoh in order that he might become learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians; and then there were forty more years of training in patience and humility while he tended his father-in-law’s flocks in the land of Midian. The Egyptians did not know what was occurring, nor did the Israelites. Moses, although having a burning zeal for the welfare of his people, didn’t realize until later that he was being specially prepared to be their deliverer.
Finally the period of waiting was ended, and God appeared to Moses at the burning bush. Here, in a very real sense, was the beginning of another “day” which the Lord made. Stirring events affecting God’s people were again in the offing. The whole nation, over six hundred thousand strong of just the grown men were to be led out of Egypt and delivered from under the yoke of Egyptian bondage. (Exod. 38:26; Num. 1:46; 2:32; 11:21) And to Moses God said, You are the one chosen for the leadership of this mighty task. God thus showed Moses the “light”—the truth then due—and Moses, seeing the great privilege of service before him, bound his sacrifice to the altar, thus proving faithful to the sacred commission with which he had been entrusted.
We all know of Moses’ faithfulness. At first he demurred, pleading his lack of talent for such an undertaking. But this hesitation was only temporary. Assured of divine help and guidance, Moses accepted the responsibility the “light” had placed upon him. (Exod. 3, 4) It was not an easy task, for he had to encounter the opposition of Pharaoh, and the well-nigh constant complaining of the Israelites. Very little that he did pleased anyone but the Lord. But throughout all those forty years of momentous events in leaving Egypt and wandering in the wilderness, Moses kept his sacrifice on the altar. The significance of that “day” meant much to Moses, and he was determined to be faithful to all the privileges which were his in connection therewith.
There were a few others in Israel at that time who shared the brightness of the vision of truth with him, and who likewise appreciated the privileges which were theirs because of the “light.” It was a day of great privilege, but at the same time, a period of severe testing. Caleb and Joshua, of all the grown men who left Egypt, were the only ones found worthy to enter the Promised Land. What was wrong with the remainder? Evidently there was a lack of faith and appreciation of the wonderful way God, was dealing with them. They did not realize the significance of the “day” in which they were living, that wonderful day of deliverance. Rather they longed for the fleshpots of Egypt.
Returning Captives
Eventually, under the leadership of Joshua, the Israelites entered the Promised Land. They were richly blessed under his leadership; and on many occasions during the period of the Judges and later the period of the Kings, God blessed and helped them. They were his people, and he continued to be their God; but there seems to have been no, special “day” above another in all those hundreds of years. When Zedekiah, their last king, was overthrown and taken captive to Babylon, it was a time of national calamity for the Israelites, but God did not intervene to deliver them from that calamity.
Not until seventy years after that did Israel have another “day” of outstanding experience. But a great day did come then. Under the authority of a proclamation by King Cyrus, the faithful of Israel began their long trek back to Palestine and to Jerusalem. It was a blessed time, and it was a difficult time. It was blessed for those who rejoiced in the hope of Israel, but great were the sacrifices involved for those who, having become comfortably settled in Babylon, now saw their privilege of returning to their own land.
It meant the severing of earthly friendships, and in many instances, no doubt, the leaving behind of earthly treasures. It meant a long and wearisome journey over rough, dusty roads—and a perilous journey, too. And when they arrived in their own land, they found it to be in a state of devastation. Their homes had to be rebuilt. Their temple had been destroyed. The walls of Jerusalem were broken down. Yes, there was much to be done—plenty of hard work, and much sacrifice.
But it was a great day, a day which the Lord had made, a day in which they could return home. Surely God had remembered them, and a few of the Israelites rallied to the occasion. A few appreciated the “light”—the “present truth” of their day—but the majority did not. This majority doubtless knew what was occurring, and perhaps looked with approval upon those who were willing to make the necessary sacrifice to return home. They might have cautioned the zealous ones to be “moderate” in their efforts to return, but at the same time were probably glad that some had the necessary zeal and spirit of sacrifice to do what all knew the Lord would be pleased to have them do.
Jesus’ Day
The next momentous period in the progress of God’s plan was the time of Jesus’ first advent. This is the special “day” mentioned in our text. And what a truly great day it was! It dawned with the proclamation that the Christ of promise was born, and that God’s good will was being manifested toward men. The shepherds who heard the good news were doubtless thrilled; and how awe-inspired they must have been as they stood gazing at the infant Jesus in the manger.
They probably didn’t comprehend the great importance of the time in which they were living, nor did they consider how highly honored they were to be the ones to whom the birth of Jesus should be announced. There wasn’t much to be done about it just then. Jesus was merely a babe, and he had to be a man of thirty before he could enter upon his divine mission. Some or all of these shepherds may later have joined the ranks of Jesus’ disciples, although the Scriptures do not so inform us.
John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, grasped quite fully the importance of the times. He recognized Jesus to be the Messiah, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29) How truly startling must have been the message of truth then due. “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 3:2) That great kingdom theme of all the prophets was about to materialize; a new age was beginning. Christ had come. What a day that was!
Of course Jesus appreciated the significance of the times. God showed him the light—the heavens were opened to him. (Matt. 3:16) In response the Master said to his Heavenly Father, “Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.” (Heb. 10:9) It was the time of all times in the plan of God thus far, but it was to be a hard time for Jesus—a time to sacrifice, to suffer, and to die. Two of his disciples, grasping only imperfectly the great facts concerning Jesus and his place in the divine plan, asked to sit one on his right hand and the other on his left hand in the kingdom.—Mark 10:35-40
Yes, these wanted whatever blessings were available at the time. They were keen upon having the chief blessings. They wanted to be very near to the Lord, to feel the warmth of his love, and to share in the brilliancy of his glory. But the Master said to them that they did not comprehend what their request implied. There were indeed wonderful blessings to be obtained. It was a blessing and an honor to be with Jesus in his kingdom, but to attain such a blessing meant hard and bitter toil and sacrifice, so he asked, “Are ye able to drink of the cup that I drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”—Matt. 20:22
Right at this point many of the Lord’s people falter and fail. Oh, how we all rejoice in the vision of kingdom glory and blessings to come! How we rejoice also in the present blessings which the Lord so bountifully showers upon us. “It is just like the Lord,” we say, and we are right! Inspired by his love, we long to be with him in the kingdom. We want to be there. We pray to be there. And then we hear the Master say, “Are ye able to drink of my cup?” “Are ye able to be baptized with my baptism?” Happy are we, if, like the disciples, we can reply, and carry it out, “I am able.”
Jesus occupied a very special place in the divine plan. His responsibility was great. We can’t imagine him doing anything else except discharging those responsibilities faithfully. And are we not called to be like him? Christian responsibility is absolutely essential to Christian victory. But how easy it is to shirk, even in little things. But Jesus did not shirk. He bound his sacrifice to the altar, and kept it there until on the cross he cried, “It is finished.”—John 19:30
Again we notice how very few sensed the importance of that great “day” which the Lord had made. It was the turning point of an age. It was the time when the Redeemer died for the sins of the whole world. (I John 2:2) It was a day of miracles, even to the awakening of the dead. It was the time when Jesus was highly exalted far above angels and principalities and powers, to the divine nature and. to the throne of God. But the world and nominal believers went on unaware that the Creator of the universe was especially directing the affairs of some of his people and that these were co-operating with him in the outworking of his plan. They were so blind that some of them crucified the Lord of glory.
But a few called apart from the world did sense the true meaning of the times. Their understanding was meager at first. Peter thought it was a tragedy for Jesus, earth’s new King, to be crucified. The disciples were confused by this sudden turn in events. But being loyal of heart, it was not long after the resurrection until the eyes of their understanding were enlightened. And how they then rejoiced! This was at Pentecost.
We might include the pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit as belonging in that “day” of Jesus’ first advent. So far as the disciples were concerned, it was the climax of all the wonderful events of that period. Just as the heavens had been opened to Jesus, so now, at Pentecost, they were given to understand heavenly things. Now they learned with clarity why Jesus died, and why he had returned to the heavenly courts. Now they understood better his invitation to them to walk in his steps, to die with him.
While Jesus was with them in the flesh the disciples thought mostly of the glory of his kingdom, and of the share they would have in that glory. How truly inspiring such meditation must have been! At Pentecost they received the Holy Spirit and were able to grasp more clearly what the glory of the Messianic kingdom implied. It was to be more glorious than they had ever supposed it could be. But now they learned something else also. There was a price to pay for that glory.
And they were ready to pay that price. God had shown them the light and they were willing to bind their sacrifice to the altar. Yes, there was real work to be done. The commission was to go into all the world and preach the Gospel, beginning at Jerusalem. They knew what this meant. They had seen what it meant in the case of Jesus—it meant his death. They knew that they too would meet with opposition; that they would be persecuted. They knew that arrows of bitter words would be hurled at them, and literal stones as well. They knew that they would be hated of all men for his name’s sake.
There was one way they could escape all this, and that was by thanking the Lord merely with their lips for letting them know about the wonderful time in which they were living, and then doing nothing more about it. But this would have been the attitude of the lukewarm, the indifferent, the casual believer, and the disciples were none of these. They were ardent and loyal in their devotion to Christ, and now that they saw the light of truth, and it had revealed God’s will to them, they accepted the responsibility imposed by the truth and gladly gave up their lives in the service of the Lord.
In the prophecy from which our text is taken, Jesus is referred to as the stone which the builders rejected. Yes, nearly all Israel rejected him. Some believed halfheartedly, and for a time, but only the few saw the light of that blessed day and acted in harmony with it. It was a testing time; and those who bound their sacrifice to the altar passed the test successfully, while the others failed.
Our Day
After Pentecost the disciples continued on faithfully in the service of the truth, and the Gospel of Christ was carried to many parts of the then known world. As long as the apostles remained alive they watched over the interests of the church, but when they fell asleep in death a great apostasy : set in which finally resulted in the Dark Ages. During all the centuries of that dark period there was no special manifestation of God’s providence in the affairs of his people as a whole. Again it was largely a matter of marking time until the end of the age.
The wheat and the tares were to grow together “until” the harvest. (Matt. 13:30) The three measures of meal were to become corrupted with the leaven of false doctrine. True, there was a work of reformation, leading up to the “cleansing of the sanctuary” in 1846; nevertheless they were “days of waiting.” Daniel had prophesied of a time of “blessedness” when the “thousand three hundred and five and thirty days” were fulfilled, and that time came in 1874.—Daniel 12:12
Thus finally another “day” of the Lord’s making was ushered in. It had been foretold in various ways. It was the time when Jesus returned and when in fulfillment of his promise, he girded himself and served meat in due season to the household of faith. (Luke 12:37) This meat in due season was the “light” which revealed to God’s people the true significance of the times; and made plain to them the divine plan of salvation for a lost world through the establishment of Messiah’s kingdom. It revealed that the harvest time had come, for the end of the age had been reached. Sensing the significance of this “present truth” the Lord’s people rejoiced in the foretold “blessedness” that had come to him, as Daniel had foretold.
Jesus said that a “faithful and wise servant” would be entrusted with this glorious truth and with the privilege of dispensing it to the household of faith. (Matt. 24:45,46; Luke 12:42-44) We have recognized who that servant was and have noted his wisdom and faithfulness. Through him we have been enlightened to see the presence of our King and to know that he is marching on to certain victory over the kingdoms of this world. We have seen that chronologically the Gentile times have ended, the proof of which is in the crumbling thrones of earth.
What a day this is in which to be living! The late President Roosevelt remarked that it was given to this generation to hold a rendezvous with destiny. This is a thousand times more true of the church of Christ. Never have the people of God on earth had the privilege of living, and of co-operating with God in such a wonderful time in the divine plan!
Perhaps at times we may think of what a joy it would have been to live in one or another of the former outstanding times in history. How grand it would have been to live in the days when Jesus was treading his weary way up and down throughout Judea, Samaria, and Galilee! How inspiring it would have been to sit under the personal instruction of the Apostle Paul! How strengthening to faith to note the miraculous manner in which God delivered his people from Egyptian bondage!
But brethren, WE are living in the most wonderful of ALL times! It is the time of Christ’s second presence. It is the end of the Gospel age, and the beginning of the Millennial age. It is the end of the “present evil world.” (Gal. 1:4) God’s plan has been revealed in all its glorious harmony and beauty. Never before has God shown his people the light so clearly, and so all-comprehensively, as he has in this harvest time of the Gospel age. Do we realize the full import of the time in which we are living? Is the light of truth changing our way of life? Has it aroused us from our complacency, and made us realize that there is just one thing worth living for now, and that is for God and his Kingdom of righteousness and truth?
Noah went to work on the ark and became a preacher of righteousness. Abraham left his own country and his father’s house. Moses went into full time service for God. The Israelites who returned from Babylon spent the remainder of their lives in a reconstruction project. Jesus was crucified; and his disciples gave up everything to follow in his steps. When Brother Russell saw the light of “present truth” he gave up his business and his fortune in order that we might rejoice in the same truth. (II Pet. 1:12) What are we doing?
When Jesus said to the Jews that in order to have life they would need to eat his flesh and drink his blood, many of his disciples said, “This is an hard saying.” (John 6:41,52,53,60) The point we are making in this review of God’s dealings with his people may likewise seem “hard.” We are prone to think of the truth as being merely a better religion than that enjoyed by our neighbors, and to rejoice God has been so good as to bless us with this knowledge, overlooking the divine purpose in thus giving us the light.
It is a glorious truth. God has been good in revealing it to us. It is THE TRUTH, but its purpose is to show us our part in the divine plan in order that we may be acceptable co-laborers with God in the outworking of that plan. Are we co-laboring in the plan, or are we merely studying the plan? Having been shown the light, are we binding our sacrifice to the altar?
Do we fully sense the importance of the time in which we are living? Do we realize the utter futility of all material things of this world? The expression, “The time is short,” is more literally true today than most of us realize. (I Cor. 7:29) With Christ present; two major spasms of the time of trouble already past; large areas of the earth laid waste by the time of trouble; and’ now the atomic bomb even threatening the instruction of the United States; can we not see the importance of the time in which we are living? In view of these things, we should be straining every nerve to do God’s will. Are we seeking “first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” in full realization of the brevity of all that earthly things; and with the assurance that while devoting ourselves to God’s service, we do not need to take any anxious thought concerning what we wear, or what we eat, or where we live?—Matt. 6:28-34
Yes, this is truly a day which the Lord has made! It is the “day of the Lord.” It has come upon the world as a “thief in the night.” But WE are not in darkness. We are the children of the light, children of this new day, therefore let us not sleep as do others! How well did the apostle realize the danger of spiritual lethargy creeping over the Lord’s people, and how we need to be on guard against it!—I Thess. 5:1-6; II Pet. 3:7-13
“Let us watch and be sober,” Paul adds. Yes, we need to watch ourselves, our own relationship with the Lord; and we need to watch the signs of the times that we may know of the progress of God’s plan. And let us be sober. That is, we should not be intoxicated with the spirit of the world, nor with the spirit of ease or of pleasure. We should be sober in the sense of taking a balanced view of all the divine instructions governing us, and let nothing prevent our carrying out those instructions.
This is the day the Lord has made, and in it there is no time for any other consideration except the doing of his will. This is the only sober, the only moderate viewpoint we can take. In the divine economy, God has purposely arranged for a remnant of his people still to be here in the flesh during these closing days of the age; and he has us here for a purpose. Are we faithful to that purpose? Are we binding our sacrifice to the altar?