Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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I'd like to turn first of all to the 25th chapter of Jeremiah. What am I had in my heart especially was how we have two things in our lives. We have the sovereignty of God and we have our responsibility. And I believe they're beautifully brought before us in God's ways, in connection with the people of God. I was thinking of the captivity which they had and how God brought them back from that captivity as it's described in the book of Ezra.
But in this 25th of Jeremiah we see that it is announced long before 25th chapter of Jeremiah, the 10th verse. Moreover, I will take from thee the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the candle. And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment. And those these nations shall serve the king of Babylon.
Years. It shall come to pass, when 70 years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it a perpetual desolation. And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in the this book which Jeremiah has prophesied.
Against all the nations.
Here we see that long before the captivity took place, when the children of Israel were taken captive and brought down to Babylon, God announced that this was going to happen. He told how long it would be they would be there, how long this captivity would last.
Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if you and I just thought for a moment that God knows all about us. He could talk about our lives for 70 years to come. He could tell exactly what's going to happen, what's going to happen to those who are acquainted with us and that we have to do with no known unto God are all his works from eternity isn't a blessed thing for us as children of God to be able to say.
That God who knows all things makes all things work together for good.
Tells us in Romans chapter 8 and verse 28. All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. And I've always enjoyed the context there because it immediately follows by these words. Whom he did for know He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. Who he did predestinate them he also called. Whom he called them He also justified.
And who? He justified them. He also glorified you. And I might say, well, my life story hasn't been written yet.
But in God's ways and in his purposes it has been written. And so as we read those verses in Romans chapter 8, we might say, well, how is all this going to work together for good? Perhaps at some time you picked up a book and you came to a very, very dark page. Dark.
Paragraph or a dark chapter in that book. And you said I don't know how this is going to work out. It certainly looks pretty dark.
And what did you do? Well, you went over to the end of the story, and when you saw that the story ended all right, you went back and you read that sad chapter with perfect confidence. Why?
Because you said I peaked, I know how the story ends. And so it's going to be all right. Maybe the tears were running down your face as you read this sad chapter. So God says, I know that's going to happen in your life too. You're going to say, how are all things going to work together for good? So God says, I'll tell you the end of the story. What is the end of the story? They were going to be conformed to the image of his son and every believer in this room.
Some are passing through real times of stress and sorrow in your life. Isn't it wonderful? When we meet in the glory, every one of us are going to say, well, I see how God worked that all out, but He knows that beforehand and He's working those things.
Would you say, don't we have anything to do? Yes, responsibility comes in. We're going to see in God's dealings with Israel how responsibility came in. The two things run concurrently in our lives.
Responsibility and sovereignty and God who knows the end from the beginning, knows how to make those things work out. So God said that they were going to be into in captivity for 70 years before this ever happened at all. And so I just want to say this word of encouragement for any who may be passing through trials or perhaps there is something ahead of you that you don't quite know about yet.
00:05:19
This often happens. We start out and everything looks very bright and some tragic things happen and we say, however, can that work together for good? Will God use this period in Babylon for blessing? We've all read the book of Daniel, and God gave a wonderful testimony in Babylon through some of those who were captives there. We think of Daniel, We think of his three friends.
Meshach and Abednego, God had his own way of bringing a testimony into Babylon through these men, and so even though they were because of their failure, brought their God can overrule circumstances like that.
And make them turn into a blessing. And so we love to read the book of Daniel and find all that God did through Daniel and his friends, how faithfully were when they were placed in that land. For they might have easily said, well, what have we done that we have to be down here because they were faithful believers. And yet God allowed it. And God turned everything out for blessing. And now let's turn over to Daniel. I'd just like to.
One thing in Daniel Chapter 9, Chapter 9 and the second verse in the first year of this reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years where of the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish 70 years in the desolations of Jerusalem, and I set my face unto the Lord by God.
To seek by prayer and supplication and fasting, and sackcloth and ashes.
And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, Oh Lord God, the great and terrible God.
Keeping the covenant with and mercy to them that love Him, and to them that keep His commandments, we have sinned and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments. Neither have we hearkened unto Thy servants, the prophets which spake in Thy name to our kings, our Princess, our fathers, and to all the people of the land. Oh, Lord righteousness.
Belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel that are near and that are far off, through all the countries, whether thou hast driven them because of their trespasses.
Because of their trespass, which they that they have trespassed against thee. Oh Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face to our kings, to our Princess, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him.
Well, here that had taken place that God had foretold because God knows the future there they were down in Babylon. Babylon, as we know, was picture of confusion, and they kept the people of God down there in *******.
But we see that those Daniel and his three friends, they were faithful. They didn't allow themselves to be irritated by their condition. They might have easy said, well, wasn't our fault that all is happening. It was fault of our fathers that it happened.
But we see them taking their circumstances from the Lord. 1St chapter of Daniel says the Lord delivered them into the hand of king of Babylon. The Lord gave them favor in the sight of those who were over them. The Lord gave them the ability that they had.
For they did very well in their school training and they got good positions. God was overall. But now we find that Daniel is one who reads the word of God. He searches the word of God. And I'd like to encourage every young person here to read the word of God and read every bit of it. You may not always understand it, but the Spirit of God is the remembrance tells us.
In John 16, He shall bring all things to your remembrance. How can He bring things to our remembrance if we have never read them? For as we were saying in the meetings, the Bible is unlike any other book. It's God's book, and it's perfect when you think of all those books, 66 books, and if you take the five books of the Psalm, 70 books.
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And isn't it wonderful that we have this?
Word of God spoken over a period of hundreds and hundreds of years and all fitting together perfectly because it's God's word. Well, here was Daniel in this captivity, perhaps feeling badly that the people of God were down there in Babylon, and he found written there that God had said this captivity was going to last.
70 years. So what does he do? Does he say, well, that's going to.
That's good news. No, he didn't just stop there. It was indeed good news. Was a wonderful thing for him to have discovered this, that the captivity was going to come to an end. But now the responsibility side comes in.
What did Daniel do? He humbled himself. He acknowledged their iniquity and their failure.
And sometimes this is a hindrance to our blessing, brethren. It's because we're not willing to acknowledge our faults and our failures. Too easy for us to see faults and failures in others, but too often we're very slow to see them in ourselves. But the Word of God would encourage us to get into the presence of God and acknowledge those things that are coming to our own lives that are a hindrance to blessing.
He restoreth my soul.
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Well, you see Daniel here confessing his sins and the sins of his people and acknowledging that the hand of God was upon them. So the sovereignty of God had allowed them to be there, and they were going to be there for 70 years. The time hadn't yet come for its fulfillment, but Daniel knew that there was going to be an end to this captivity as far as.
Those who are faithful was concerned.
And God would bring some of them back to the land of Israel.
And so here he is making confession and it's good for us. I say again, does anything in your life or mine that we have done, we've not pleasing honoring to the Lord? Let's forget before the Lord about it. You say, well, there's lots of faults in other people, but Bible says every one of us shall give account of himself to God. I'm not responsible for what you did, but I am responsible for what I did.
It's good for us to remember that we'll never be happy if we are constantly seeing the wrong and other people and not seeing it in ourselves. But if we are before God, He will point out to us those things in our own lives that are a hindrance to blessing. Well, it's very beautiful to see here, Daniel owning and confessing this. So God was beginning to work Dell. We know that later on he caused the king to make a decree that.
The children of the captivity could go back to their land.
But he first worked in the heart of Daniel, and Daniel knows and owns their failure. Now if we go over to Ezra, we'll see how God worked in the heart of the king. Ezra chapter one, verse one. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation.
Throughout all his Kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia, the Lord God of heaven, have given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he hath charged me to build him in house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? His God. Be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the House of the Lord God of Israel. He is the God which is.
Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he saw a journal, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the free will offering for the House of God which is at Jerusalem. Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah, and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the House of the Lord, which is.
Not only that were about them strengthened their hand with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered.
00:15:12
Well, we've been noticing how God foretold this would happen before it ever happened. They had spent 70 years down there. God had wrought in the heart of Daniel, and Daniel had found out from the Scriptures that their captivity was going to last 70 years. Now we see God working in the heart of this great king. You say, well, there's no hope that that would happen. Yes, it could happen. It did happen.
And God is able, and it's a wonderful thing, Brethren, you may be in an impossible situation.
I've heard people say you'll never change that person, but God can change them. God can change him. You pray about it. You may be surprised when you pray and ask the Lord that he can touch the heart of that person and make him show an altogether different attitude. I found that so often we just get sort of stubborn about it and say it's no use.
But isn't as sweet to see that God wrought in the heart of this great king.
And he said not only can the people go back, but I'm going to help them.
And I'm going to give them what is necessary so that they can go back and build that House of God.
Oh, how wonderful are the ways of God. Perhaps behind the scene it was the faithfulness of dear Daniel and his friends because we know when they were there, they didn't fail to let their light shine. And during those 70 years, we have a little record of the three friends of Daniel and himself and how they were faithful in their school life. And then how when there was a decree made that.
Everyone must have fall down and worship an image. There were three boys that said, no, we're going to honor the Lord. We will not fall down and worship that image. Even if you put us to death, we'll still not do it. And they threw them into the fiery furnace, but the Lord walked with them in the fiery furnace. God is able to do what seems impossible. He can't touch people's hearts. But what I was saying was it may have been.
Testimony of Daniel and his friends while they were there that made this King Cyrus realize.
That there was a true God in the whole world, the God of this whole world. And now he makes this decree and says that they can go back. It actually helps them. And he commands others that if they're willing, they can help them. And now we see that their hearts are stirred up to go back. And if we come to this second chapter.
Tells us here all the names of those who came back.
You might say, well I always have found it hard to read over a list of names, but I'm sure if your name was in there you would be very interested in that list. Sometimes when?
They publish a list of the ones who have graduated from certain courses.
You're very anxious to see that list if there's some hope that your name is going to be in there and so.
The Lord calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. We all like to be addressed by name. I confess I forget people's names, but it's very nice when somebody comes up to you and says hello and gives you your very name. Well, here we have the list of the names of those who came back, and the Lord takes notice of us, not just as a group. Well, 100 people or 200 people, or 500.
No, he has. He calleth his own sheep by name.
All I want to encourage you, I don't know the names of all who are here, but you know God has a list of the names of all who were here present. He knows perhaps that some it's been a real difficulty to pick time off and get here. The Lord takes notice of all those things and I'm sure it wasn't a very easy thing for these people to make those journey.
There's one little point I'd just like to notice also in this, the 61St verse.
And of the children of the priests, the children of happy ayah, the children of cause, the children of Basilia, which took a wife of the daughters of Basilia the Gileadite, and was called after their name. These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found. Therefore were they as polluted put from the priesthood. And the Zirsha said unto them, They should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim. And.
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Some of them here we find that there was care.
And this is interesting feature here too, that there is such a thing in the Word of God as defilement by association. People sometimes say, well, I'm walking godly, but are you associated with something that is contrary to the Word of God? That's very solemn association with evil defiles. We're told in Second Timothy 2 That those who would be vessels to honor for the Lord.
Had to separate from the vessels to dishonor. And so the man therefore purged himself from these. He shall be a vessel unto honor sanctified, and meat for the masters. Use and prepare it unto every good work. Be careful what you get associated with. I'm sure when these people married the daughters of Brazilian, they never thought this was going to happen. And so I say to you, dear young people.
Be careful the partner that you have.
Be careful, let you choose one who loves the Lord Jesus, who wants to follow him, who wants to honor Him. How can two walk together except they be agreed? It's going to have an effect on your whole life to get married to one who is not saved or doesn't want to follow the Lord. What a hindrance it's going to be. Well, here in this little company, there were those.
They were polluted by their association. May the Lord keep us, He's able.
And to him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory.
With exceeding joy I couldn't keep myself. I could easily have been LED astray. I just thank the Lord for His preserving grace. Ask Him to keep you. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. And I'm not going to read the remainder of this chapter, but that sort of has interested me that it should tell about the number of horses and mules. You would wonder why Everett is the word of God.
Deal with that details is that, but in that very lovely to see that God is interested in the smallest details of our lives. We all need the transportation to get here. Was he concerned whether we had a way of transportation, whether I had a car or the car was in order and able to carry us here? Yes, He's interested in all these things.
What a wonderful God we have, a God who counts the very hairs of your head.
You haven't got a friend that ever did that for you. My wife never counted the hairs of my head. And yet there's a lot of love between us and there's no one that would do that for you. But the Lord numbers the very hairs of your head and mine. What a wonderful God we have. We want to encourage you. If you belong to Him, acknowledge Him in your life, give Him His rightful place and you'll find how he'll come in. I don't see you won't have difficulties.
Christian life is beset with that, but we learn in all those difficulties that come.
How good the Lord is and how he comforts us. I tell a little story sometimes about my father. He went to the dentist in those days when they didn't freeze your when they're taking doing a filling or something. And sometimes they were quite painful. And this time the dentist was going to do a rather deep cavity. And he said, Mr. Hale, this is going to be rather painful though. Do it as gently as I can. But we have to drill this out to fill the tooth.
And you know what my father said to him, He said Doctor Lyon, that was his name, Doctor Lyon. He said if I never suffered pain, I would never know what the word PAIN meant. And when I heard about the Lord's suffering, pain untold for me, he said it would be just a word to me. I wouldn't know what pain was. But he said every time I suffer a little bit of pain, it just gives me a little conception of.
The pain that my Savior had when he bore my sins in his own body on the tree. So let's think about that, that sometimes these things teach us lessons that are going to be valuable to us even here and for all eternity.
Well, so we see the number of the horses and all that they had, and we come to the third chapter.
Of Ezra here, says here. And when the 7th month was come, and children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. Then stood up Joshua the son of John Adec and his brethren, the priests, and Rubble the son of Shealdio and his brethren, and builded the altar of the Lord God of Israel to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God.
00:25:18
And they set the altar upon his basis, for fear upon them because of the people of those countries, And they offered burnt offerings around unto the Lord.
Even burnt offerings, mourning and evening. They kept also the Feast of Tabernacles as it is written and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the custom as the duty of everyday required. I hear what was the first thing that they did.
You might have said, well, you must have felt so very feeble. You would think by themselves first of all. But no, it was the first thing they did. They gave the Lord his rightful place. That was the first thing that says. They gathered themselves as one man to Jerusalem. God had a center. When Daniel was in Babylon, he couldn't get there. There he was, but he opened his window towards Jerusalem. He said, if I can't get there.
At least recognize that God has an earthly center and I'm going to pray toward that place because the Lord who Ford knew everything he said that he would answer a prayer that was made in that place, but also prayer that was made toward that place. And so he opened his window toward Jerusalem.
Well, now there may be times when you and I might be able, we might be isolated and not be able to get to the meetings, but on Lord's Day morning, we can think of it. I know some. And they were in a place where they couldn't remember the Lord. They said, well, I just went for a little quiet time and I, we just sat there in the Lord's presence. We couldn't get to the meeting at Lord's Day, but we recognize that there was a place where the Lord put his name. We couldn't get there.
We were going to think about Him during that hour and in our hearts remember him. Well, it's a privilege when we can get there. Well, they were there, this company, Daniel had opened his window, but now here are the people and they're there, and they offered burnt offerings. Iran. No, there are different offerings that are mentioned, but the burnt offering is the first one. And the burnt offering brings before us what the work of Christ is to God.
And I think it's very precious. Not only has it met our need, but it has glorified God, and it is brought out what is in the heart of God toward us too. Sometimes I use illustrations because they help me at least to understand things.
Closing I have a debt and I cannot pay that debt. And someone says, well, Gordon, I know you've got a big debt and I'll go and pay it for you. So he goes and pays the debt. He hands me the receipt. I know my creditor can never bother me because I've got a receipt, but I don't know whether my creditor likes me or not. Maybe he likes me, maybe he doesn't. But supposing, let's put it this way, my creditor himself.
He says, you know, I love that Gordon Hayhold.
And he says to his son, he said, would you be willing to sell your house and raise the money S we can take this big debt off our books. And his son says, oh, yes, I'd be glad to do that, to tell out your heart and my heart toward Gordon Hayle. So he sells his house. The money is raised and I get a receipt in the mail and it says paid in full through the kindness of my son, in both cases, I knew that it was paid.
A lot of difference in the second case, I know my creditor, I know his son. And dear brethren, it's not only knowing that our debt is paid, but it's knowing that God himself, as it was mentioned this morning, who am I, who will I send? He said I will go. The Lord Jesus. God had one son, and he said he would send his son, and he did send him. And when you and I give thanks.
Paid many of the hymns that we sing in Christendom bring before us. How wonderful it is to know that that the debt is paid. But to me it's so wonderful that it was God himself. Who shall I say, send his Son to accomplish that work that would tell out his heart. That's what's pictured in the burnt offering. The peace offering is the communion offering. The sin offering is the wrong things that we have done.
Perhaps not always knowing that they were wrong. Trespass offering is knowing that they're wrong and still doing them. That's the trespass offering. And the peace offering is the communion offering. That is, we can be now in communion with God our Father will. They offered these burned offerings. And isn't it interesting what it says here?
00:30:20
In the third verse and they set the altar upon his bases, for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries.
And they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord, even burnt offerings, mourning and evening. Isn't this quite striking? It says, for fear of the people. Why would that? Wouldn't you say? Well, surely they would have got swords and Spears ready if they were afraid of the people now?
They said if we give the Lord his rightful place, we can count on him. If we give the Lord his rightful place. So they said the first thing is to give him that in all things He might have the preeminence. So they first of all built this altar and offered offerings, mourning and evening. Good to start the day with the Lord. It's good to end the day with the Lord too. Morning and.
We also this was done and then it tells us about them offering willingly unto the Lord. Well, I just like to go over now to the 8th chapter because.
Perhaps I could just read the last verse of the 6th chapter, this little verse. And they kept the Feast of Unleavened bread 7 days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them.
To strengthen their hands in the work of the Lord. See how the Lord took care of it. He turned the heart of the King of Syria. You know the Lord is the one that the King's heart is in the hand of the Lord. As the rivers of water. He turneth it whithersoever he will. Now in this 8th chapter we see a little company going up to Jerusalem. I just like to read from the 15th verse.
And I gather them together to the river that runs through Ahava, and thereof ode we intense 3 days.
And I viewed the people and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi. Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemia and Forrel Nathan, and for Jereb, Forrel Nathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Michelin the chief man, also for Jordan and for El Nathan, men of understanding. And I sent them with commandment unto Idol the chief.
The chief at the place, Castafia and I told them.
But they should say unto it, do I it'll, and to his brethren the Nathaniems at the place Cassafaya, that they should bring to unto us ministers for the House of our God. And by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding of the sons of Mali, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Cherova with his sons and his brethren.
18.
And Aishabaya, and with him Josiah, the sons of Murari, his brethren and their sons. 20 Also of the methods whom David and the Princess had appointed for the service of the Levites. 220 Nephilim. All of them were expressed by name. Then I proclaim the fast there by the river of Ahava, that we might afflict our souls before our God, to seek of Him a right way for us.
And for our little ones and for all our substance here, we find a little company now exercise to go up to Jerusalem very much concerned because there were enemies along in the way. But he gathered this little company together, and it says he found there, there were none of the sons of Levi. Now, you know, the sons of Levi were given to Moses and to Aaron for the service.
And you know, I believe there's an exercise for us in this.
Here we're a company that wanted to go up to Jerusalem. They're willing to endure quite a few of the hardships, but isn't interesting that says there were none of the sons of Levi. And you know, perhaps, brethren, there's a lack of more devotedness to the Lord. I think each one of us can say.
I remember what a brother said to me one time. He said, Gordon, he said, I think we're living in days of Christian convenience. He said people do things when they're convenient, but if they're not convenient, they don't bother. He said they don't want to put themselves out and be diligent in service to the Lord.
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And so I looked over these people and he said, where are the ones that really are willing to put themselves out in service to the Lord? These Levites were given for the service. You read about this in the Book of Numbers. They were given for the service of the House of the Lord. And you know, there's plenty to be done.
All of us have become aware, perhaps in recent times, of how God is working in other lands.
We marvel as we see the work of His Grace over there in Malawi. We see the work of His Grace now in Cuba. We see it in Romania, we see it through South America in a remarkable way. And I just like to encourage you, dear young people, while you've got strength and energy, don't put it all into just getting a good job and business. But may there be among us those that are Levites?
Those who devote themselves, these Levites devoted themselves to the service of the Lord. I don't mean necessarily that you're supposed to quit your job and go out into the Lorde work. The Lord may call you to that, but there's plenty it can be done and very effective things that are done by those.
Who are willing to spend time for the things of the Lord. Set aside a little time what you can do some little service for the Lord, and you will find it'll give the Lord joy, but it'll give joy to you too. I think many of us know that this work in Malawi.
As a result of those who are willing to do a little service and mail things out and write letters to people, and God has caused it to grow into real work. Well, there were none of the sons of Levi, so he said, and they found men he sent. It says that in the end of the 70s. First that they should bring us ministers or servants for the House of our God.
Good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding of the sons of Mali, the son of Levi.
The son of Israel and Sharabaya, and his sons and his brethren.
18 Not too many were there, but there were some that came. One of them it says he was a men of men of understanding. That's very helpful too in the gifts that are given. Tells us there in the 1St Corinthians 12, it speaks of the gift of knowledge and the gift of wisdom. You say what is the difference in the gift of knowledge and the gift of wisdom? Some people have a knowledge of the Scripture, but they don't seem to have wisdom about handling.
Situations they know the scriptures, but they don't have wisdom, but the Lord provides those who have wisdom. We we provide those who have understanding of his word too. We need both. And so let's turn to the one who is the Lord of the harvest. The Lord said pray therefore the Lord of the harvest that he would thrust forth.
Laborers into his harvest I just want to stir up hearts of.
You, dear young people, when you're having some times of fun, like it says in the 10th chapter of Numbers, in the days of your gladness and in your solemn days, they were to blow the silver trumpets. What are the silver trumpets? What is silver? It's redemption. And they blew the trumpets. In other words, they acknowledge that we're a redeemed people. We're not our own. We're bought with a price. We belong to the Lord. Let me say in all your good.
That you have. Be sure you give the Lord His rightful place. Be sure you do something where you recognize Him and his claims. And you'll find that it'll give joy to the Lord. It'll give joy to your heart too. And then there are others here that are mentioned. The methods who were these methods? Well, I'm not positive that I'm accurate about this, but I have read in the Bible dictionary that they were the descendants of those.
People who came and deceived Joshua.
The Gibeonites and Joshua made an agreement with them that they could stay in the land.
And that they were to become servants and so these people.
Who didn't have too good a background, if I can put it that way. They were now. It seemed like they were more devoted than the rest of the people. Because it says here that there were 220 methods. 220 methods, you say, Well, I wasn't brought up in the assembly and I don't fully understand, but you can still be devoted to the Lord.
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Much blessing has come in from those who have bought the truth.
Perhaps for myself. I was born brought up in a Christian family. I learned the truth of God from my childhood. I thank God for it.
He alone can keep us and I don't. I'm not saying this in a boasting way, but there are those sitting in the audience here that have had to buy the truth.
And perhaps there are more of them than there are with those of us who were brought up in the truth. May we value it, may we be devoted to the Lord, all this company. And now in the 21St verse it says, I proclaimed a fast there, that we might at the river of the habit, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of Him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our.
Before they started out on this journey, they got down before the Lord and they asked Him for the right way. Well, God has given us the right way in His word. Bible says there is a way that seemeth right unto all man, but the end there ever the ways of death. We know there are many people in the world that are very sincere but sincerely wrong. And you and I, even as Christians, sometimes we can be sincere.
You remember the case of David when he wanted to bring up the ark of the Lord.
That was a very wonderful desire. God was pleased with that desire, but he decided that He would do it at the same way that the Philistines had sent back the ark. And so he made a new cart, and he put the ark on the new cart, and he gave two men a position of honor to take this card and guide it and bring it up carrying the ark. But the oxen stumbled.
And then David began to think and he said.
God has told us in His Word the way the ark is to be carried. We don't just make our own plans about these things. God has said that the ark is to be carried upon the shoulders of the priests, not on a new cart. That was a Philistine idea. And so if you're going to do something for the Lord, do it according to His Word. A lot of activity going on in the Christian world. We thank God for the desire of people.
Letters seeking to do something for the Lord. But if you want to do something for the Lord that meets his approval.
Search his words and find out how he wants it to be done and do it that way. When David did it, the way that God had ordered here was the ark. And you know, it's interesting, when it was on the cart, you're watching the men that were driving it and the cart was down there and there was the ark on the cart. All the attention was to the people that were driving the car. But when it was God's way was on the shoulders of the priest and all you would see in the crowd was there was that ark up above.
The heads of all the people God delights to honor His blessed Son, and every service that he has is a service that honors the Lord Jesus, that in all things He might have the preeminence. Well, they thought of Him a right way for themselves, for their little ones, and for all their substance.
Notice this? Their little ones. So it's a wonderful privilege.
We have children, we have a lot of young people here. I love to see you, dear young people here to see you have this privilege of being brought up under the sound of the word of God. May the Lord grant that you will be among those who will value the truth of God. A right way for our little ones and for all our substance and what we have, our possessions, our cars, everything that we want to use them for the Lord.
Will he be sought the Lord, and He was entreated of them.
There were a lot of enemies in the way. Now when they wanted to bring this these things up to Jerusalem and get there themselves, there are a lot of enemies in the way but tells us here in the 23rd verse.
So we fasted and besought our God for this, and he was entreated of us, says in the 31St verse. Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the 12Th day of the first month, to go on to Jerusalem, and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy into such as lay in wait by the way. And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.
There's just another little thing I'd like to notice in between here. It tells us here in this 24th verse.
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Then I separated 12 of the chief of the priests, Sharabiya Hashabaya, and 10 of their brethren with them, and wait unto them the silver and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the House of our God, which the king and his counselors and his Lords, and all Israel their present had offered.
He even weighed unto their hands 650 tons of silver, silver vessels, and 100 towns, and of gold, and 100 tons, and also 20 basins of gold, and have 1000 grams, and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold. And I said unto them, Ye are holy under the Lord, the vessels are holy also, and the silver and the gold are a free will, offering unto the Lord God of your Father's.
Watch ye and keep them until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and the chief of the Fathers of Israel at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the House of the Lord.
So we so took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver and the gold, to bring them to Jerusalem under the House of our God.
You know this, all these vessels and everything was weighed out to them. And the truth has been, if we might use that expression, it has been weighed out to us. And we hear Paul saying to Timothy, oh, Timothy Keith, that which is committed to thy trust, we find in the message to Philadelphia. It says, I'd like to read it because I don't think I can just quote a word for word.
In Revelation chapter 3, Revelation chapter 3 and verse 11.
Behold, I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Wonderful deposit of truth has been committed to us as gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, and it's been weighed out to us, and someday we're going to have to weigh it in. Have we lost it, by the way? Have we given it off, perhaps to follow perhaps other ideas instead of following?
How often Paul exhorted Timothy.
To keep that which was entrusted to him. May I say to your dear young people who are growing up, may you value the precious deposit of truth that God has given to us. It's been given up on every hand. A lot of young people have have been turned aside into activities that are going on. And one is very thankful for all the activities where the gospel is sounded out. The God specially valued faithfulness to him. And when these people came up to Jerusalem.
And I just like to before we close, I just like to notice here in the 33rd verse.
Now on the 4th day was the silver and the gold, and the vessels weighed, and the House of our God, by the hand of Miramoth the son of you Moriah the priest. And with with him was Eliezer the son of Phinehas, and with them was Joseph Ed, the son of Joshua, and Noah Dia, the son of Benui the Levites by number and by weight of everyone, and all the weight was written at that time.
Also the children of those that have been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel.
12 bullocks for all Israel 90 and six rounds. 70 and seven lambs. 12 He goats for a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering unto the Lord. Now this was only a small little company. They're associating with the ones who were already there.
But we find here they offered 12 bullocks for all Israel.
There were only 10-2 tribes that were coming back in, just a small part of the two tribes. Why did they offer 12? Bullocks fell this morning, brethren, There was one loaf on the table. What did that one loaf represent? The company that we're here now represented every member of the body of Christ. What a privilege to be gathered on that ground.
The truth has been committed to us. We're thankful for every true child of God. But may we value the truth as those vessels were weighed in by number and by weight of everyone, not only knowing the truth of the Lord's coming, not only knowing the truth of the church, not only knowing the truth of the one body, but how much weight does it have with us? Is it something that we're saying? Well, I know that's partially important, but.
There are other things too that are important, but by number and by weight of everyone. Well, I rejoice, brethren, that we can be gathered as members of the body of Christ. What a great privilege it is. And we're just coming down here. Met a young man, He said, what church do you belong to? And I said, we're gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. Now isn't it strange that people think they have to have some name for what they have set up?
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But isn't it precious to be gathered to that only name, that name which is everything for salvation?
That name that was going to be honored and glorified forever and to be gathered not as members of a group.
When I'm not a member of the group, I'm a member of the body of Christ. What a privilege. Even if there's only two or three, we can get expression to that precious truth. May the Lord grant that we'll value it. When we see in this, as I say, we see the sovereignty of God. We see responsibility.
God foretold that they would be in captivity for 70 years. He told how they would be brought back. He knew the whole thing all beforehand, and he worked it out according to his own counsels. But there was also responsibility. There were quite a few that never got up from Babylon, never got up there. God delivered the ones whose heart stirred them up, and they came up and came, valued the place where the Lord had put his name.
Value. The burnt offerings valued those precious vessels that were used for the House of the Lord.
There were many dear believers that perhaps still remained in Babylon, but not a privilege. May the Lord grant that we'll see His hand in our circumstances, that we'll give the Lord Jesus His rightful place, and that we'll give Him that place of honor that is due to Him. Brethren, we're soon going to see that precious Savior as our brother brought before us this morning, joy unspeakable and full of glory. And won't it be worth it all?
To hear him say well done, well done, it'll be worth it all no matter what the effort was, may be may he granted for his namesake.