"Set your heart on your ways." (Haggai. 1:5, 7. Margin.)
AG 1:5{AG 1:7{The above is, as given in the margin, the literal translation and conveys more force than " consider your ways." There are stated seasons for stock-taking among the careful business men of the world. They like to know, as far as possible, exactly how they stand in their business and leave nothing in uncertainty. The blessed Lord said (Luke 16) that " the children of this world are, in their generation, wiser than the children of light." Let us then who, through grace, are of the latter class take a lesson from the former. The beginning of another year, seems to be a suitable occasion for spiritual stock-taking. How beautiful and forcible are the words " Set your heart on your ways," for there needs to be real heart and conscience work in a matter of such serious import.
That it may not he a superficial thing, we would do well to remember the lesson taught in Psa. 73 how the one there whilst judging on nature's platform formed an entirely erroneous judgment; so much so that, after being in " the sanctuary of God,' he says, " my heart was grieved and I was pricked in my veins," for his previous wrong estimate of the matter before him. Now a child of this world might go so far as to change his opinion. But what marks the child of light,' when he has been truly in the light of God's presence (" in Thy light we see light " Psa. 36) and finds himself wrong, is that he not only changes his opinion, but judges and abhors himself for his previous wrong estimate.' So, in Psa. 73, he proceeds, " so foolish was I and ignorant; I was as a beast before Thee."
Beloved ‘child of light ‘ it is a most blessed but most solemn thing getting really into the presence of God and having to do with Himself. We are creatures of such mixed motives and so apt to look at things from nature's stand point, and there are so many influences that act and blind our judgment: our likes and dislikes, self-interest, self-will, &c., which are only really detected when we get into the presence of God. In Lev. 10:9,109Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: 10And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; (Leviticus 10:9‑10), the priestly family were enjoined " not to drink wine nor strong drink " (anything that would excite nature) "when going into the tabernacle of the congregation " (where God dwelt among them, see Ex. 29:43-4643And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. 44And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office. 45And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. 46And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God. (Exodus 29:43‑46)). Why? Lest ye die," which for us is loss of communion, the result of which would be utter inability to carry out the priestly function that belonged to them as mentioned in verse 10, viz., to " put difference between holy and unholy " (what was fit for God and the opposite) " and between unclean and clean " (what was fit for the child of light ' and the opposite). All this to precede " teaching," ver. 11. (Compare Isa. 52:1111Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord. (Isaiah 52:11)).
Now let us turn to Psa. 139 " O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me." All excuses and the subterfuges of our deceitful, treacherous hearts are unavailing now.
Then in ver. 2, " The downsitting and uprising known "; the inmost " thought " understood. Ver. 3. The " path " (walking about) "and lying down " (couch) compassed " (lit. winnowed '); every detail thoroughly 'sifted. The result being, " Thou understandest (art thoroughly acquainted with) all my ways."
Everything about me, not merely what meets the eye of man, the very thoughts and motives ALL laid bare and detected.
When creatures of such mixed motives as we are get really into the presence of God there can be but one result. What is it? It comes out clearly in Job's case. Now Job was one of whom the Lord said, "There is none like him in the earth.' There was, nevertheless, something in his heart which the Lord saw and which He would have Job see and judge. In Job 27, conies out the self-complacency, self-sufficiency and taking credit to himself of what God had done for and in him. Well, Job was like many one meets in the present day-converted, knowing a good many truths which they have heard by the hearing of the ear, but who have never really known what it is to stand in God's presence; consequently they are characterized by a good deal of self-complacency and self-sufficiency and a fairly good opinion of themselves. Now, good opinion of self betokens moral distance from God. Job could talk about God quite fluently and say a great many true things about His greatness and His majesty, &c., which he had "heard by the hearing of the ear." All that, yet one thing had never happened to him; he had never seen himself in the presence of God. Dear fellow ' child of light' has there ever been a moment in your history when the word of God was applied in such power by the Holy Ghost to your inmost soul that you felt yourself, as to your conscience, in the very presence of God. There is one result inevitable when such is the case. It comes out clearly in Job's case: " Now mine eye seeth THEE. Wherefore I abhor (` loathe ') myself and repent in dust and ashes." Abhorrence of self (not merely of what he had said or done) and self-abasement was the result of Job's seeing himself in God's presence. We see the same result too in Isaiah's case. See Isa. 6
Just a few words more and I am done. Turn again to Psa. 139, and see other precious results of being truly in God's presence and having been " searched " and known " and sifted and scrutinized. In ver. 17, "How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them." And then lest there might be anything remaining to hinder the full enjoyment of God's. thoughts and communion with HIM, " Search me, O God, and know my heart try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." He realizes that God " desires truth in the inward parts " (Psa. 51) and feels he cannot trust his own heart (he that does so " is a fool," Prov. 28:2626He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered. (Proverbs 28:26)) to search it thoroughly, but he can now trust God's heart and "so turns to Him in full and perfect confidence to do so. What reality! What uprightness of heart has been brought about. Dear fellow child of light' get alone with God and let the stock-taking be a deep reality!