VERSE 5 (CONTINUED)
"Thou anointest my head with oil." How sweetly conscious the pilgrim is of the Lord's nearness to him!
This is the strength of his heart. The honor conferred is great and may be duly esteemed; but that which the heart loves most is the presence of the Lord. Comparatively it matters little who may be at a distance, or even opposed to us, when the Lord is near. In His presence we enjoy a rest from all that surrounds us which we can find nowhere else and which, we doubt not, partakes of the perfect rest above.
Is this, O my soul, thine own experience? Knowest thou the sweet peace and the quiet confidence which conscious nearness to the Lord gives? Surely those who have experienced the power of that presence in days of weakness and trial can never forget it. There is a way of learning such things which neither time nor change of circumstances can efface and which will be remembered with profit throughout eternity. But before the Lord teaches thus, the soul must be stripped of all self-dependence and of everything that has its roots in nature. A destitution must be felt that looks to the Lord alone and welcomes the supplies as coming directly from Himself. Then, the arms that enfold the fainting one, the power that raises the stricken one and the fullness that fills the emptied one must ever be remembered with adoring gratitude.
But may not a soul enjoy great nearness to the Lord without having passed through trial or known much of the difficulties of this present life? These, most surely, form no ground, but are often the occasion, of great conscious nearness. It is the happy privilege of all who, through grace, believe to enjoy spiritual nearness to God in Christ through the power of the Holy Ghost. This is their birthright. "Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:3. We are not only pardoned but reconciled. Though, strange to say, I have talked with many who knew their pardon, but were strangers to reconciliation. Such, of course, knew nothing of that personal nearness to Christ of which we are speaking. The sweet, happy home feeling of reconciliation is unknown.
But, it may be asked, Why? Because the truth is not fully apprehended. And, it may be further asked, What is the truth? As we are merely referring to the fact at present, we cannot go into the subject; but the reception of the prodigal son may be taken as an answer to the question and as the divine illustration of the doctrine of reconciliation. The first thing the prodigal received from his father was the kiss of peace— of reconciliation. He is the living picture of a soul quickened, pardoned, sealed, accepted, reconciled, worshiping. Was there one in all the father's house that felt more at home than the prodigal? Not one. He was there in the full credit of Christ-radiant in His beauty—exalted in His dignity and adorned with the jewels of heaven. The Father in His love, we may say, knows not how much to make of him. But how few, alas, drink deeply at the fountain of the Father's love—a love that is unchangeable, and that is infinitely above robes and rings and fatted calves! O Father—Father of the Lord Jesus—give us to know more of the love that so receives and so welcomes every returning prodigal! Oh, give us to taste of this perfect peace—this perfect reconciliation—this happy, joyous worship!
But may every truly converted sinner now read, in the prodigal's reception, the history of his own? He ought to. The Father is not changed. And he may also connect with the love that receives the love that seeks. So that he ought to rejoice in the love of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. And with the additional light of the epistles, we see even something more than in that ever fresh, ever precious story of Luke 15. The new ground—namely, the death and resurrection of Christ and His exaltation to the right hand of God—is unfolded and expounded in the epistles. This is the entirely new ground on which the believer is placed in reconciliation with God. Hence the doctrine so fully taught in the epistles of our oneness with Christ as the risen and exalted Man in glory. There we read that the Christian is in Christ Jesus—joined unto the Lord—seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:1; 1 Cor. 6:17; Eph. 2:6.)
But we return to the question of our experimental nearness to the Lord. True enough, it is our blessed privilege to know our place of nearness to Him spiritually and His presence with us at all times and under all circumstances; but who can speak of it? Rather let us meditate on the experience of the man of faith, as recorded by the Holy Spirit. Much of the experience of this Psalm will apply to Christ Himself, in His path down here, and to those in all ages who follow His footsteps. It is the path of a godly man, under the eye of the unfailing care of Jehovah. There is suffering and humiliation, honor and glory, in the way. The former for a time, the latter forever.
But however much the Lord may be known and enjoyed in the simplicity of faith, it was by the way of Marah's bitter waters and the dark shadows of death that our pilgrim reached the King's table and became an honored guest in His banqueting house. It is better that the sufferings should be first and the glory after than that the glory should be first and the sufferings after.
While the pilgrim is still seated at the table which the Lord prepared for his refreshment, new honors and richer blessings await him. The host, we may say, according to eastern custom, now rises from his seat and pours the fragrant oil on the head of his guest. In oriental nations this is esteemed a mark of the very highest honor and is usually reserved for distinguished guests and strangers. The oil is mingled with the most costly perfumes so that the banqueting hall is filled with its sweet odors. It is not unusual, on certain occasions, for the servant to anoint the head of each guest; but when the master himself performs this service on some favored one, what must his honor be! Yet faith can say of Him who is King of kings and Lord of lords, "Thou anointest my head with oil." No servant is employed on this occasion; the royal Host takes the place of servant Himself.
It is quite evident, from what our Lord says in the house of Simon, that this custom prevailed amongst the Jews: "My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed My feet with ointment." Luke 7:46. What self-righteousness so ungraciously withheld, the poor penitent supplied. The Pharisee did not think He was worthy of a little water for His feet, far less the costly oil for His head. But who ever heard of self-righteousness having either oil for the head, water for the feet or a kiss of gracious welcome for the lowly Son of man? But the humble penitent finds them all. The fountains of her heart are broken up to bathe His feet with tears. Like a man who once said to the writer, after the Word had reached his heart, and who could scarcely speak from emotion, "I seem to have got a well in my heart, and it is constantly springing up to my head." This woman, too, found a well—a springing well in her heart; and also the means of finding the costly ointment and every other tribute of respect for the Savior of her soul. Oh, what a scene, what a lesson! A poor, fallen, degraded sinner—an outward breaker of the law—enters the abode of man's righteousness, bows at the feet of the son of David, and carries off the blessing in the very face, and from the very center, of the Pharisee's vain glory. She is enriched with the noblest prize that soul ever found, while the chiefs of the people, who refused to bow to Jesus, are left poor and miserable and blind and naked. "For every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Luke 18:14.