Montreal Conference: 1970
Table of Contents
Our Testimony to the World
Ephesians 1:1
Ephesians 1:11
Ephesians 1:15
Love for Christ
God's Word for Our Path
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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I'd just like to read on, brethren, in connection with what our brother brought before us in First Chronicles in the next chapter, because he was Speaking of the importance of guidance and direction in our pathway.
And I do feel that it's important what is brought before us in the next 3 chapters.
In the 12TH chapter we see their hearts were true to David. They were seeking to give David his rightful place, a very blessed thing.
They were seeking to acknowledge those whom God had placed over as leaders.
But we also see the importance of the Word of God, and I do believe that in this day it's very important that we should not only speak of making Christ everything, but that in making Him everything, we follow the blessed directions that He has given to us in His Word. I believe this is the only way that we can be preserved in these last days.
Because it's by the word that we have light for our path.
Way, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Now this is the most happy occasion that binds us together for these three days.
Each one of us feel greatly refreshed from being here in fellowship with our brethren, learning together.
More about the Lord Jesus and no doubt that we will be able to go home refreshed by it. But all brethren, the enjoyment of Christian fellowship is not sufficient to keep us. We need the Word of God to guide our path. We need the wisdom and light of this precious book, and there never was a time when it is more important.
Than in this very time in 1970, the enemy is busy on every hand.
And he is seeking to call in question this precious book. And I dare to say that this book is more up to date than any other book in the world today, perfectly suited to our times, perfectly suited to the conditions that we find around about us, and alas, within our own hearts and in our own assemblies.
And so I just like to speak briefly of what we have in these three chapters that follow. Let us notice the beginning of this 13th chapter.
Just read the last phrase of the 40th verse in the 12TH chapter. For there was great joy in Israel. And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader. And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, if it seemed good unto you, and that it be of the Lord our God.
Let us send abroad unto our brethren everywhere that are left in all the land.
Of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites, which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us. And let us bring again the ark of our God to us for we.
Inquired not at it in the days of Saul, and all the congregation said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.
Surely this was a very, very good desire in the mind, that in the heart of David.
This happy occasion when so many were together acknowledging David, and now he turns to these men, these captains, these leaders that had come and he said to them.
If it's right in your eyes, if it's right in the eyes of the people, let us bring again the ark of God. This was a very good desire. The ark had been neglected. The ark was the symbol of God's presence.
Among his people. For when it was made in Exodus, it was said, there I will meet with thee, and there I will commune with thee. So this was a very blessed thing for Israel.
And they decided that they would bring this ark back to the place that had been prepared.
Well, what was wrong and what David did here on this occasion? The desire was good, but he didn't consult the word of God.
God hath given definite instructions about how that ark was to be carried. He hadn't left it to the wisdom of man. He hadn't left it to the discretion of those who were great and those who were leaders.
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Now he had given instruction himself in his own precious word, and this David neglected this the captain's neglected this all.
People neglected. The desire was good, but the word of God was neglected. And I was thinking before our brother began to speak, I was thinking of the importance of the word of God. I just like to turn to a passage in Proverbs chapter 22.
Proverbs chapter 22 and verse 17.
Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge, for it is a pleasant thing. If thou keep them within thee, they shall withal be fitted in thy lips, that thy trust may be in the Lord. I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge that I might make thee?
The certainty of the words of truth, that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee.
He recalls upon the young man to bow down his ear and listen, listen to the word of God, listen to the divine instructions to know for absolute certain that he had the truth when he turned to this book. We can't be certain that we have the truth in anything. I hope that you will test everything I say by this blessed book. If it's anything apart from this precious book, why we could be mistaken, but this?
Precious book is the living word of God, and the Lord Jesus said thy word is truth. And so here are the instructions given, the certainty of the words of truth. And the young man is called to bow down and listen, that he might have the words of truth to answer to those that sent to him.
Well, David decided that in bringing up the ark of God, says here in the sixth verse. And David went up in all Israel to Baalah, that is, to Kirgis Jiram, which belongeth to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God, the Lord that dwelleth between the cherry of hims, whose name is on it. And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the House of Abinadab.
And Arza.
And a higher Dre, the cart, and David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbres, and with symbols, and with trumpets.
Well, where did this thought come from? This idea that the ark was to be carried upon a new cart?
Well, we don't have to go back very far to find that this was an idea not obtained from the Word of God, but obtained from the Philistines.
The Philistines had taken the ark and carried it down into the House of Dagon their God, and God had dealt with them because they had despised that which was the symbol of His presence among his people.
And so God dealt with them and they decided then that they would return the ark to God's people. They didn't have any priests and Levites to carry it. They didn't have the word of God to be their guide.
Direction in the matter and so they decided that they would make a new cart and that they would get 2 oxen to take this cart and they said now if we tie up their calves at home and these oxen will take that ark and carry it back to the land of Israel with their with their cows tied up then we'll know that this is something that is contrary to nature we'll.
That God is working here. Those people were, I would say, walking up to whatever light they might have had.
And God undertook and showed that he was the God of creation, that he was the God.
Whose presence was manifested in the ark where he had placed his name. God didn't interfere if one could speak in that way when the Philistines did it.
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But all David and God's people were much more responsible. They had the Scriptures and one of the stipulations when a man became king, that he was to make a copy of the Word of God, to be a ruler among the people of God. He was to be acquainted with God's mind as it was revealed in His Word.
And when Speaking of those who have the rules over us.
Hebrews, it says, Who have spoken unto you the word of God?
Let the word of Christ dwell on you richly in all wisdom, all that we might be acquainted with the word of God, and that any of us have taken any measure. A place of leaders would be acquainted with the precious Word of God, and speak it so that those who hear might have their faith founded upon what God has spoken, and their knowledge from his.
Precious revealed mind in his word.
Well, David, as I say, he had a right idea, but it was carried out in a pattern that was borrowed from the Philistines. The people who were in the land had never crossed the Jordan, had not received the lively oracles of God who were not as responsible. And O brethren, can't we?
Start copying things that are done about us and we say God seems to prosper.
And they must be all right. God may prosper them from those who don't know as much about His Word. But when we have the precious truth, the Word of God, we are more responsible. And God may not allow things among those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, that he may allow to prosper among those who are not so gathered and who don't have as much knowledge.
For unto whom much is given of the same.
Shall not be required.
At least we can say about the Philistines that they didn't have two men up there driving the cart.
Can acknowledge that the movement of that of that card was controlled by God, who directed those oxen. But David went a little farther. David took two men and placed these two men up.
Now you say, well, what was the difference between it being carried upon the shoulders of the priests and being carried on the new cart? Well, I just suggest this thought.
That when it was carried on the shoulders of the priests, that the ark was the prominent thing when it was put down on a cart and two men were out in front driving, I would say the men were the prominent people.
One was for the exaltation of man. God's plan was for the exaltation of that which symbolized His presence among His people. Oh, what a difference. And it's always so, brethren. Men's plans are always to exalt, ma'am.
God's plan is always to exalt his Son. Yes, it tells us.
It says that when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth.
For he shall glorify me, He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.
Well have these two men were driving the car, they were the ones who were attracting a great deal of attention. And when the oxen stumbled then we find David put out his rather Aza, Pardon me, Aza put out his hand to steady the Ark. Wasn't that a good thing?
Wouldn't have been necessary if it had been handled in the way that God intended. And many of our troubles come, brethren. Many of our troubles come because we followed some human plan instead of God's word.
And then we wonder why the trouble came. But the trouble came because we didn't start from the proper starting point. We didn't seek the guidance and direction of God through His word. When we say we had Christ before us, yes, these people had David before them when they came up to make him king. But here in this chapter they didn't, or David didn't have.
The guidance of the Word of God.
I believe there's a very important lesson for us in this.
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So the trouble came, and when Aza put out his hand to study the Ark, God smote him.
And may I just say at this point that whenever it comes to that which has to do with the person and the work of Christ, let us be very careful that we show the reverence and the honor that is due to God's beloved Son and the work that He has accomplished. Any intrusion of our thoughts or our wisdom is liable to bring with it something that does not meet with the Lord's approval.
He is jealous, far more jealous than we are, for the glory of His Son and for the importance of His blessed work. Well, Hazard was smitten dead, and it says David was displeased. Do we get displeased sometimes when God interferes with our plan, with something that we try to carry through and we sought a lot of.
About it. And we thought we were doing pretty well because we had a lot of people behind us, but we didn't have the word of God. We didn't have the Lord's mind. And this was the way it was. And David was displeased that day.
This is a word to us. Do we get displeased? I say, when God interferes, when he blows upon some plan that we have made that wasn't of Him, let us be thankful that He does.
Interfere. He didn't interfere when the fellow signs did it, but He did when those who were in this special place of nearness and knowledge acted in this way. And so God's hand came in, and it says there that.
In the 12TH verse. And David was afraid of God that day.
Saying, How shall I bring the ark of God home to me? Isn't that nice? And I don't mean it was nice that he was afraid, and yet it was that he had that reverence. But I say he began to have an exercise how it should be done, how it should be done. And brethren.
Important for us how we handle situations, how we meet the difficulties, How do we have direction? Do we have the word of God to guide us? Indeed we do.
But now there's something very sweet here. In the end of this chapter, the ark was carried into the House of Obed Edom, and it stayed there for three months. And the Lord blessed the House of Obed Edom and all that he had.
I think this is very, very lovely. Here was a failure among the people of God. Here was a failure on the part of David.
How could God bring blessing out of that?
Oh, you know, forever there is a submission to the hand of God. Even in difficulties and trials, the Lord can turn them into blessing.
Let us not be discouraged if difficulties arise, the Lord intends those difficulties to cast as freshly upon him, and to prove that he is sufficient for every situation. And because, O that Edom was willing to open his home for the ark of God, why God blessed his home. And if there is trouble in the assembly where you are?
If someone has acted in the flesh and cannot.
Followed the guidance of the word of God. Don't let that keep you from getting a blessing. You can have your home open and the Lord can have his rightful place in your home, and the Lord will bless you and he'll bless what you have. It's a blessed encouragement to us in a day when there's often much to discourage because we say, well, there's failure. How can there be happiness and joy? Here was one home that God a blessing.
Even out of a mistake that was made and God is able to turn even the stakes into a blessing. Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Man's greatest sin has been turned of God into the greatest blessing because God is sufficient for every circumstance that ever arises.
Well, and in the 14th verse I just mentioned briefly.
The Philistines heard that David had been made king, and so they gathered together against David.
And whenever there's a desire to give the Lord his rightful place now, then the enemy gets busy. And so they gather against David. And now we find a second thing. And I think these two things that are brought before us in these chapters are important. I'll include first the thing our brothers spoke of is to have a person before us. Then I would say to have.
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Not the wisdom of man, but the guidance of His Word.
And then here we find prayer.
When David didn't know what to do when a situation arose, it tells us David inquired of God. Notice the 9th and 10th verses. And the Philistines came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim, and David enquired of God.
He didn't go to the captains of thousands and hundreds.
But he inquired of God, he asked him, and shall I say this, there are situations arise in our lives, for we don't have a definite scripture, but we can be before the Lord and seek His mind as to what he would have us to do. And David inquired of God, and God told him how to meet this situation. And I believe, I say again, that there are many situations arise in life.
That we can't turn to an exact chapter and verse, but we do need wisdom from the Lord. The two things so often mentioned reading of the Word and prayer. Here we find David in prayer.
And then the Philistines came the second time.
Now David might have said well.
God directed me what to do the last time and he gave me a victory. I don't need to go and ask instruction or wisdom for this new situation. It's the same as what happened before. I'll do the same thing.
In other words, I'll act on a precedent. This is the way it was done last time, and it seemed to work, so this time we'll just do the very same.
No, he didn't do that. Brethren, we get into a lot of problems because we go by precedence instead of following the Word of God, instead of looking to Him for new situations. Because as those men of Issachar, they had understanding of the times.
So the next time David didn't say, well, this is the way we did it last time, David said, Lord.
I need wisdom from thee, just as I did the last time. And as the Lord directed him the last time, he directed him again, But it wasn't the same. But there was victory because he thought the Lord and the Lord directed him. And oh, let me say to anyone, whether it's a matter in the assembly or whether it's a matter in your own life, you and I need fresh wisdom from the Lord.
For each day.
And when we return home.
From these meetings, we're going to meet situations. They may seem very similar to situations we met a week ago, but there's always something a little bit different. And we're going to need special wisdom for that new situation. And we can't meet it in the same way that we met the last one, but the Lord can meet it. He can give the wisdom that we need every time.
And he can give victory. And dear David, he learned this precious lesson.
So we find him in the 13th chapter consulting with the captains of thousands and hundreds. But when we come to this chapter, we find him in prayer, seeking the Lord's mind, and the Lord coming in and undertaking for him.
But now when we come to the 15th chapter.
And the first person David made him houses in the city of David, and prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it attempt. And David said, None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites, For them hath the Lord chosen to carry the ark of God.
And to minister unto him forever. And David gathered all Israel together to Jerusalem.
To bring up the ark of the Lord unto his place, which he had prepared for it.
How different here? Where were the captains of thousands and hundreds in every leader?
Where was the wisdom of the Philistines in this situation?
No, David in the 14th chapter had been in prayer and seeking the mind of God for a situation, and now there is direction in the word of God for this matter that's before him. The ark was to be carried up.
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God had told how it was to be done.
There was no there was no human planning about this. The arrangement that might be made according to natural wisdom was not the mind of God. And David now takes the place of being absolutely sure that he's right.
And why? Because he had the precious word of God. Can we be sure that we are right? Yes. When we have the word of God for our pathway, there is an assurance given to the soul which is most blessed. And so here we find that David, then he.
He tells the people, the leaders and all he gathered, all Israel together.
And they are going to bring up the ark and in the 12TH verse.
Said to them, Ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites. Sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel into the place that I have prepared for it. For because ye did it not. At the first the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after.
The due order.
Then 15th verse And the children of the Levites bear the ark of God upon their shoulders, with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded, according to the word of the Lord. Isn't this refreshing to read something like this?
Here was a man.
Now, and he's quite sure of what he is doing, he acknowledges his, acknowledges his mistake. In the past he said we didn't seek the Lord after the due order. We didn't go to his word. We just followed the ideas of man and the wisdom of the leaders. But in this case we find them going to the word of God.
And David confidently takes.
Stand upon this precious book and tells how the ark was to be carried. And strikingly enough, God doesn't tell us who it was that actually carried the ark. He does mention a number of names here that came together for the occasion, but he doesn't say who were chosen out of all these Levites to carry the ark. Why doesn't He give us the honor?
Of telling us who these men were. Wouldn't it be kind of nice to know who it was that?
Carry the ark? Oh no, that would completely defeat what God was seeking to bring before us.
He wasn't seeking to occupy us with man. He wasn't setting our eyes upon leaders or great Levites or men who could drive carts. No, he's occupying us with the one who has made a meeting place between himself and his people. Brethren, the greatest privilege that we can have is that we can have.
A meeting place with God. A meeting place.
With the Lord Jesus, what a privilege, the greatest privilege that we can have on earth, but it's only as we follow His word, as we go by the divine instructions, that we can have this precious portion and joy. The Philistines are gathering together. The enemy is busy. We're unable to meet the new.
Situations that continually rise among the people of God.
And the captains of thousands and hundreds are not sufficient with all their wisdom for the difficulties. But the word of God is our sure guide. Prayer is our resource. And here David here, when he does as God had said, then it says, the Lord help the Levites, the Lord helped the Levites.
I say again, he doesn't mention their name.
But just the Lord helped them. And, brethren, the Lord is able to help us through all the difficulties that arise among His people, if we are more dependent upon him, looking to Him, and following the light and wisdom of His precious Word. And so they helped him, and the ark was carried from the House of Obed Edom all the way up to Jerusalem.
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Sacrifices were offered and all.
Israel rejoiced, what a happy occasion this was, how blessed it was. And they came with shouting and joy, and David danced before the Lord. What a what an occasion of blessing this was. Shall I say I believe it exceeded what we have in the end of the 12TH chapter, because here we find not only the people gathered around David, but we see the ark of God brought.
To his place the Lord honored, and may the Lord grant that we too may value the privilege. The only person that didn't like this was the daughter of Saul. And it says that she looked out and saw David and she despised him. In her heart she was one of the flesh. She couldn't see anything.
Very glamorous or glorious that didn't give a place to man by.
To David this was very precious. The Lord was having his rightful place. And now could I just mention here in the in the next chapter, 16th chapter and the third verse.
And he dealt to every man of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone, a loaf of bread and a good piece of flesh and a flagon of wine. I think this is a very lovely because.
In the end of the 12TH chapter we have a very happy occasion for the three days, but there was nothing to carry away. Could I mention they enjoyed it while they were there, but there wasn't something to carry away. But here, when the Lord was given His rightful place, when there was prayer, when there was a turning to Him according to His word, when there was a submission to His hand that had dealt with His people, and an acknowledging of it as David.
Never did that. He hadn't sought the Lord after the Jew order. What was the result? Well, it was something to carry away. Every person had something, not just while he was there, but something to bring to his home. A good piece of flesh, a loaf of bread.
A flagon of wine. He had something I say to carry away. And the Lord wants us not only to have a happy time for three days, brethren. He wants us to have something to carry away. He wants us to have something to bring to our homes, to bring to the little assemblies where we are to bring to the situations that we're having to meet in life and in these days. And He is sufficient. His grace is sufficient. His word is enough.
And So what a beautiful sequence of events here. God working among his people for their good and for their blessing. Could I say that in the in the 12TH chapter we have.
David, a picture of Christ receiving his rightful place, then the next chapter the mistake when we don't follow His word, but in the next chapter the blessing, when we turn to Him and seek his mind.
In prayer and the situations that arise, and then the blessedness of following His precious word is the guide for our pathway. But then there's a blessing to carry away. May the Lord give us each them, it says. And I think it's interesting to every man and to every woman. It's unusual that you get to have such an expression in the Word of God.
Where it distinguishes, it often says to every man, and it includes bulls.
But here it says he dealt to everyone of Israel, both man and woman. So brethren, there's something for each. There's not only for the brothers, there's something for the sisters. There's something for each one to carry away.
So that we can enjoy when we get to our homes and walk in the good of the company of the Blessed One who delights to occupy us with himself.
Decision