| Christian Life and Doctrine | February 1950 |
Rejoicing in the Lord
“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” —Philippians 4:4
THE desire of every intelligent creature is to be happy, to live in a state of joy and rejoicing. This is a natural and legitimate desire. Sadness is abnormal, and the divine purpose for the human race is that ultimately sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Tears are a symbol of the long night of suffering through which the world has passed, and. God’s promise is that he will wipe away tears from off all faces, and that the former conditions of unhappiness and suffering shall pass away. What a glorious prospect!
The apostle speaks of the “children of the day”—that is, of that new day of peace and joy for the world—and admonishes such to “walk” as though they were already living in that blessed time. (I Thess. 5:5; Rom. 13:13) These “children” are the footstep followers of the Master, and it is our privilege now not only to conduct our lives in keeping with the high standards of righteousness which will be enforced during that day of the Lord, but also by faith to live lives of rejoicing because of our knowledge of the divine plan for the world and of the high calling to which he has invited us.
True, we are still surrounded by sickness, suffering, and death. The circumstances of life are such that we do not know from one day to another what difficulties we may encounter, or what circumstances may arise to cause us mental or physical suffering, or both. In these ways our experiences are not unlike those of the world. But if we are the Lord’s, and because of our relationship to him as “children” can claim his promises, we should be able to live above the immediate circumstances of life which so often tend to rob us of our joy in the Lord.
Spiritual Senses
The apostle says that if any man be in Christ he is a “new creature.” (II Cor. 5:17) As such we may properly think of ourselves as having spiritual senses. In the natural realm it is through the senses that a person is brought into contact with the things which contribute to his joy or sorrow. If what one sees is pleasing to the eye, it is enjoyed. To hear the harmonious strains of music is a delight. To smell the fragrant odor of the rose is a joy. To taste the delicious flavor of well prepared food is a pleasing sensation to the palate, and to feel the tender embrace of a parent or a friend, or for the sense of feeling to function in other legitimate ways, also adds to the joy of living.
Our sense of sight as new creatures is our ability to discern the truth of God’s Word, and, through the truth, to “see” the Lord himself. Jesus, speaking of the truth due to be understood in his day, referred to it as the “mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,” and said to his disciples concerning their ability to understand these mysteries, “Blessed are your eyes, for they see.” (Matt. 13:11,16) Many in Jesus’ day, and later, had an opportunity to learn the truth, but they did not possess the spirit of discernment. Of the Pharisees, Jesus said that they were “blind leaders of the blind.”—Matt. 15:14; 23:16,24
True, the disciples of Jesus were not begotten of the Holy Spirit until Pentecost, so even their ability to discern the “mysteries” of the truth until then, was limited. Jesus said to them, “I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when it the Spirit of truth, is come, it will guide you into all truth: … and … show you things to come.” (John 16:12,13) What the disciples possessed prior to Pentecost was the necessary humility of heart, and desire to learn. These qualities are essential in order to be able to “see” the truth.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matt. 5:8) A pure heart is a sincere heart, and only those who are thus pure, sincere, will be able to “see” God. Probably it is the lack of these qualities that prevents many from seeing the truth. Two people may be approached with the message of God’s love. One “sees” it and is filled with joy, the other insists on placing his own interpretation on every text of Scripture cited, and goes away still blind to the truth. One “sees,” the other does not. How true, then, are Jesus’ words, “Blessed are your eyes, for they see.”
How do we see God? For the faithful followers of Jesus there will be the unspeakable privilege in the “first resurrection” of being presented before the Father, and of seeing him face to face. This, indeed, is a glorious hope, a hope which should lift us up to things above where even now, by faith, we can see “the King in his beauty: “ in “the land that is very far off.”—Isa. 33:17
However, there is a way in which we can see God now, and that is through his truth. The truth reveals the glorious attributes of God’s character—his wisdom, justice, love, and power. And what a glorious vision this is!
Have the eyes of our understanding been opened to behold the glory of the Lord as it is revealed through his divine plan of the ages? If they have, then we know something of the joy that belongs to those who are thus blessed. We are enraptured by the sight! Nor tongue nor pen can describe the delight that fills the hearts of those who can thus “see” God. Nor is it merely a momentary sensation of joy. It is a rejoicing that continues always, because it is a rejoicing in the Lord.
We see God’s love, and at once we realize that such a love is all-comprehensive in providing our every need. We see it to be a love that is tender and sympathetic and compassionate—a love that is everlasting. We see his wisdom, and we know that he is too wise to err, even as he is too loving to be unkind. We see from this that no matter what he may permit our experiences to be, it is because he loves us and knows what we most need in order to be prepared to share his glory beyond the veil. We see his justice, that all his ways are just, even his ways of dealing with us. We see his power also, and seeing this, we realize that nothing can possibly interfere with what our Heavenly Father proposes to do, either for us or for the world.
And what a basis this is for peace and joy! Think of it! Our Heavenly Father, whom we see by faith through his Word, loves us with an everlasting love, a love that has made provisions more generous and more abundant than anything we could ask or even think. And he is so wise that no mistakes will be made in the administering of his bounties; nor will his justice permit any experiences to reach us, even though they may be difficult to bear, that will not be necessary for our discipline and training. And then to crown it all, we see that his power stands as a guarantee that not one of all his good promises will fail.
When thus we “see” our Lord, can we not rejoice in him? Should one in the natural realm, as a human being, discover that every possible need of his life was to be provided; that there could be no possible contingency that would rob him of his security of both mind and body; that all his surroundings were to be only of the sort that would contribute to his good, would he not be happy? Well, this is what occurs to us when we “see” the Lord and devote ourselves to the doing of his will. And when we thus see him by the keen vision of faith, he becomes more precious to us than any earthly object we have ever seen. We are enraptured with the vision, and our prayer goes up to him,
“Oh may no earth-born cloud arise
To hide thee from thy servant’s eyes.”
Nor is our joy in seeing the Lord, one that is based merely on the fact of knowing that he will supply all our needs. We rejoice also, and even more, in the fact that we see him as a God so abundant in mercy, and so loving, that he has made a plan whereby all may be blessed. As we see the manner in which his love operates for the blessing of all his creatures, we rejoice in him for his own sake and not merely because he has promised that no good thing will he withhold from us if we walk uprightly. Even when he permits trials that hurt, and even if, at times, we may cry to him in our distress and he does not seem to answer, we will continue to rejoice in him, for just the joy of seeing him more than compensates for any sorrow that may temporarily overwhelm our souls.
Tasting that the Lord is Good
As new creatures in Christ, we also have a spiritual taste. And like our spiritual vision, our spiritual taste is primarily for the Lord. The Scriptures speak of tasting that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8) But here again, our knowledge of the Lord reaches us through his Word, so we feed upon that Word, eating every word that the Lord has given us, and with each morsel—each glorious promise he has made—we appreciate more the goodness of the Lord.
And now, at this end of the age, the Lord’s people are served with special “meat in due season.” And what rich delicacies we are finding at the table which the Lord has spread for us in the midst of our enemies—the table of present truth. How good the Lord becomes to us as we learn to know him by partaking of the truths which he has provided. And just as “seeing” the Lord causes us to rejoice, this rejoicing increases as we taste his goodness. True, the “little book” of truth that is so sweet to our taste becomes bitter as we digest it—that is, assimilate and practice its precepts—yet even this bitterness of persecution and trial that comes as a result of our faithfulness to the truth cannot take away the joy that is ours from tasting the goodness of the Lord.—Rev. 10:8-11
Ears that Hear
Jesus also said to his disciples, “Blessed are your … ears for they hear.” (Matt. 13:16) Thus the ear is used as a symbol of understanding and heart appreciation. Millions have heard the Word of the Lord but have not understood, and have not realized that the Lord was speaking to them. To hear the voice of the Lord and to recognize it brings great joy to the new creature, for it is indeed a joyful sound.
Abraham heard the voice of God speaking to him in terms of that wonderful promise to bless all the families of the earth. Those who have heard the voice of God since that time, have heard a message in keeping with that all-comprehensive promise. Restitution is implied in that promise, and Peter tells us that the hope of restitution was spoken by the mouth of all God’s holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:21) Jesus preached restitution, and illustrated restitution blessings by his many miracles. The apostles taught it, and it is on this glorious theme song of divine love that the Bible closes, in the last three chapters of Revelation.
What joy came into our hearts when we heard this voice of the Lord revealing his love for all mankind. We rejoiced to learn that blessings were provided for others beside ourselves. We said, That’s just the kind of a God we want to worship and serve. Thus we were drawn by his love, a love that was not only for ourselves, but for the whole world. Some hear this voice, but do not discern that it is the voice of God. They insist that God has planned to torture most of the people rather than bless them. Many of these have been heard to say that if there isn’t a hell of torture there ought to be, revealing thus their animosity toward their fellowmen. Naturally one in this condition of heart would not discern the voice of God speaking in terms of compassion and love.
Having recognized the voice of divine love, and having devoted ourselves to God’s service, he continues to speak to us. He speaks also through his Son, who is our Good Shepherd, and we learn to know his voice too, and, if we are true sheep, we will not follow the voice of a stranger. The Good Shepherd’s voice, like the voice of our Heavenly Father, is one of love. It is the voice of truth—the truth of the divine plan to bless all the families of the earth.
New creatures in Christ, called during this Gospel age to be partakers with him of the divine nature, hear the voice of God as a voice behind them; that is, it comes from the past—from the prophets and apostles, and from our Good Shepherd. It is not only a voice of assurance and comfort, but one of guidance and instruction as well, for it is a voice which says, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” (Isa. 30:21) What joy it brings to our hearts to realize that we have such an infallible guide, and that, by following the instructions of the Lord’s voice from behind, we can never, never lose our way!
It is a voice of encouragement also, and how often we need to be encouraged! At times the shadows are deep, and the pathway in which the Lord instructs us to walk seems rough and difficult. Our feet become weary and bruised and we falter by the wayside. Then we hear the voice of God speaking wonderful words of encouragement. “Be of good courage, weary one,” we hear him say, “for I will go with thee, and I will sustain thee. Just put your trust in me, and I will give you strength to mount up on wings as eagles, to run and not be weary, to walk and not faint.”—Isa. 40:31
Could any joy be greater than that which stems from a realization that our God is thus speaking to us, that every one of his exceeding great and precious promises was made to us, and that through them he strengthens us to walk in the way which he has appointed—the narrow way? Think of the hardships of the way which were endured by Paul, yet even with his back bleeding and his flesh weary, because he could hear the voice of God saying, “Fear not, Paul, I will be with thee,” he could write for the encouragement of others, “Rejoice in the Lord,” for he himself was thus rejoicing, and rejoicing always.
Strength from the Lord
Then sense of touch, or of feeling, also has a counterpart in the lives of new creatures. If we are living close to the Lord we will be able to “feel” his everlasting arms round about us—not literally of course, but by means of his promises and providences. And it is when we feel the weakest in our own strength that the many promises of mighty power to sustain us mean so much. It is then, as in the case of Paul, that the Lord enables us to realize he is near, that he knows our every weakness and will make up for those weaknesses by his grace. Yes, we hear him say, and we feel the uplifting strength of his promise, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”—II Cor. 12:9
Not only do we feel the arm of the Lord sustaining us in our weakness, but it is also our privilege as new creatures to reach out and “touch” him and thus be assured of his nearness, that he is present to guide us over the rough places which we know are in the pathway ahead. Many sought to touch the Master and thereby to draw upon his healing virtues. This, of course, was in a literal sense; but now, as new creatures, we can by faith and through prayer, “touch” both him and our Heavenly Father, and from them receive virtue and strength that will enable us to press on victoriously in the good fight of faith until we gain the crown.
So let us, beloved make contact with this never failing source of strength, for it is there always, and it remains only for us to reach out by faith to lay hold upon it. No matter what our need may be, He is able and willing to meet the emergency. And may we, by “touching” Him through prayer and the application of His promises, realize more and more each day what it means to be “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.” (Col. 1:11) Ah, yes, “with joyfulness”! Can we help but have joy when we realize His almighty power is sustaining us in our every trial, helping us to bear every burden, and enabling us to endure, even unto the end of the way of sacrifice!
Of Jesus, our Head, and of every member of his body, our God and strong tower has said, “Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.” (Psalm 91:14,15) This is one of God’s precious promises to those who love him—who love him more than they love anything else in life; who love him so supremely that his will is their law.
Do we thus love the Lord? Then, by the hand of faith we can grasp his promise, and in claiming it, realize that the strength of our God is employed on our behalf and that no matter what experiences he may permit, he will not suffer us to be tested above that which we are able to bear, that he will deliver us from trouble and finally set us on high, even at the right hand of his beloved Son, to live and reign with him a thousand years. Surely, to enjoy such a privilege of favor with God that we can “touch,” or make contact with him at any time and be assured that his promised help will be ours, is great cause for rejoicing. “Happy Zion, what a favored lot is thine!”
In the Holy
Our rejoicing in the Lord takes place in our new minds. It is only as new creatures that our spiritual senses are exercised by our knowledge of the Lord through his truth. Only as new creatures can we appreciate the sweetness of his will, and the blessedness of his many promises. This life of the new creature is pictured in the holy of the typical tabernacle, wherein was the table of shewbread, the golden candlestick, and the golden altar of incense.
Antitypically, we are feeding upon that “bread,” and thereby tasting that the Lord is good. Through the eyes of our understanding, we are enlightened from the antitypical candlestick. By that same light, we are also shown the way to the altar of incense where we have the privilege of offering up our heart devotions to God as a sweet smelling savor to him. We know, of course, that in the type the fragrance from the incense that was burned on the golden altar permeated into the most holy, thus preparing the way for the entry of the high priest as he passed under the veil from the holy
But is it not logical that the sweet odor of the burning incense also filled the holy? We think so, and in this we have an illustration of how our spiritual sense of smell is exercised. The smoke from the burning incense was a sweet smelling savor to God because it was evidence that the work of sacrifice enjoined upon the priest was being consummated. This assures us that in the antitype our sacrifices are pleasing to God, that they give evidence of our love for him and our desire to be like him; for, if our sacrifice is being offered upon the proper basis, he knows that we are devoting our lives thus to his service because of his sacrifice for us. Yes, true sacrifice is an evidence of Godlikeness.
And then the question arises, Do we love the things which God loves? Is the smoke which arises from the sacrifices of his people a sweet smelling savor to us as well as to him? This is a test of how well developed is our spiritual sense of smell. The Apostle Paul was continually offering up his heart devotion to God in sacrifice, often at great cost to himself. While in a Roman prison, he wrote to a little group of fellow-sacrificers at Philippi, saying, “Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.”—Phil. 2:17,18
What a beautiful example of saintly rejoicing in the sacrifices of fellow-members in the body of Christ! To Paul, the sacrifices of the Philippian brethren, including the great effort they had made to send him gifts, were as a sweet smelling savor, and he was delighted in this aroma which testified so eloquently of their love for him and for God.
They rejoiced also in his sacrifices. It was a joy to them to know of his faithfulness, and although his devotion to God and to the truth and to the brethren had resulted in his imprisonment in Rome and a position of ignominy in the eyes of the world, they did not forsake him. The smoke of the burning sacrifice did not become a stench in their nostrils, but continued as a fragrant aroma of love which they were willing and glad to reciprocate.
How well is our spiritual sense of smell developed? Naturally we rejoice in the great sacrifice God made in sending his Son to be our Redeemer. As we view the cruel cross of our Savior and realize that he bore it all for us, a deep sense of gratitude wells up within us, and we give thanks to God and to Jesus for their love. Do we likewise appreciate the sacrifices of our fellow-members in the body of Christ, and do we show our appreciation by standing shoulder to shoulder with them—rejoicing with them in their joys and weeping with them in their sorrows?
May we never develop a fault-finding spirit, saying that brother so and so, or sister so and so is doing too much, and if they bring suffering upon themselves it will be their own fault. These criticisms might seem sincere and harmless at first, but later become vindictive and harsh. It could be that the fundamental cause of this wrong viewpoint, or of this faulty sense of spiritual smell, is that the faithfulness of another reveals our own unfaithfulness. Perhaps we are not willing to go quite so far in the way of sacrifice as another brother in the class, and we unconsciously endeavor to hide our own lack of zeal by criticizing his greater devotion.
Let us, dear brethren, be on guard against any and all influences which might cause us not to appreciate the sacrifices of one another. If we are offering our lives sincerely to God, we may be sure that the smoke of the burning incense is penetrating beyond the veil, even into heaven itself, and that our Heavenly Father, seeing this evidence of our devotion to him and to his people, rejoices. He joys over us, not because of what we accomplish, for that is nothing, but because we are endeavoring as best we can. to show our appreciation to him, that with every sinew of our being we are saying, Thank you, dear Heavenly Father, for calling us out of darkness into thy marvelous light, for showing us your plan, for revealing your great love, for the loving gift of your Son that we might live, for his supreme sacrifice and for his blood of cleansing.
Yes, we are rejoicing in the Lord and all he means to us. We love him. The Apostle John reminds us, though, that unless we love the brethren whom we have seen, then we cannot truly love God whom we have not seen. The fullness of this thought would indicate that much of our rejoicing in the Lord is through our association with the brethren, and seeing in them the evidences of Godlikeness by the sacrifices they are making for him, for his truth, and for one another.
Is our spiritual sense of smell appreciating the sweet odors of the sacrifices being offered by the brethren? Is this one of the contributing causes of our rejoicing in the Lord? It should be thus, for how can we rejoice in the Lord except we rejoice in his people? And how can we rejoice in the works of the Lord unless we rejoice in that part of his work that his people are doing? And we do rejoice! The smoke which ascends from the burning sacrifices of the people of God is incense sweet indeed, stimulating us to greater faithfulness as we, likewise, present our bodies a living sacrifice.
Thus is our rejoicing in the Lord complete.
We have seen him in all his glory and beauty.
We have heard his sweet voice telling us of his love for both the church and the world, and instructing us in the way that we should go.
We have tasted that he is good, and are continually feeding.’ upon the bread of life which he has provided, appreciating especially “the meat in due season” which he has placed upon his banqueting table at this end of the age by that “faithful and wise servant.”
We have learned also that by “touching,” or making contact with our Heavenly Father through prayer, and by faith laying hold upon his promises, we receive rich supplies of grace and strength sufficient for our every time of need. Oh the blessedness of the feeling that his everlasting arms are round about us, holding us secure by the power of his might that we may not stumble or fall!
And the evidence of his love, and the love of his people is as a sweet odor of delight as we recognize thus the fuller meaning of his divine grace.
Thus by all five of our spiritual senses we come to know the Lord, that he is the God of our salvation, the spring of all our hopes, and the fountain of all our joys. If we keep our senses properly exercised, our rejoicing in the Lord will continue, and his joy will ever be our strength.