The Feet: May 2023
Table of Contents
The Feet
“How beautiful are the feet [of Him whom God sent to] bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom. 10:15). “Behold My hands and My feet” (Luke 24:39). John views Him and exclaims, “Behold ... [the] shoes of His feet I am not worthy to loose” (Acts 13:25). “A woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping, and began to wash His feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment” (Luke 7:37-38). “They went out to see ... and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus” (Luke 8:35). “Mary ... also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard His word” (Luke 10:39). Do all behold Him and take a respectful, adoring place at His feet? With pain our Lord must say of those who crucified Him, “They pierced My hands and My feet. ... They look and stare upon Me” (Psa. 22:16-17). As we come into the Lord’s presence, may we heed what the Lord said to Moses, “Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground” (Acts 7:33).
At His Feet
To be at the feet of Jesus is to be in the most blessed spot in God’s universe; it is there that every problem is solved and every question settled, whether the questions are of sin, sorrow, self or service. There is no place like this for the guilt-laden sinner—no place like this for the happy or perplexed saint.
Jesus Is Greater Than Our Sins
The first great truth that dawns upon the soul as we come to this place of blessing is that Jesus is greater than our sins; it was this that the woman proved in Luke 7. He had said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” It may be that she had heard those words, and so she sought Him out. No doubt she would hesitate upon the threshold of the house of Simon as she saw the frown gather upon the brows of host and guests, but two mighty powers worked together to bring her to Jesus’ feet — her great need drove her there, and His great love drew her. Her hesitancy was overcome, and she found a place of refuge and rest at the travel-stained feet of the Son of God. Simon would not have had her touch him, the disciples would doubtless have treated her with scant grace, but He, the lowly Jesus and yet the mighty Prince of life, allowed her to weep out her repentance and her gratitude at His feet.
She found that He had a heart of infinite tenderness, for He neither spurned her nor fastened her sins upon her, but His hand lifted the burden, and she heard His own voice declare, “Thy sins are forgiven. ... Thy faith hath saved thee, go in peace.”
The past, present and future were all settled there for her who had long been the prey of men and the devil, and her whole heart, cleansed from its evil ways by the sanctifying power of His blessed love, poured out its affection upon Him. “She loved much,” for He had forgiven much.
At His feet she found salvation, and the same priceless boon is still to be found there, for He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Jesus Is Greater Than Our Service
We do not say that the beloved Mary of Bethany is identical with the woman of the city; we merely point out that she loved the spot where that woman’s burden rolled away. In fact, in each instance which is recorded of her in the Scripture, she is at Jesus’ feet. The first of these instances is in Luke 10:38-42. We have no word of condemnation for Martha’s service, for the service was right, but the servant was wrong; she had missed the secret of a peaceful and unburdened spirit, and “many things” cumbered her, whereas “one thing”—and one thing alone—was Mary’s object — Himself.
We often admire Mary for taking the place of the disciple on this occasion; may it not be that we waste admiration on her that might well be bestowed upon the Lord? He it was who drew her to that place of blessing, and she had but responded to His drawing as the needle to the magnet. He came forth from the Father to do the Father’s business — to fill up the hearts of sinful men and women with a satisfaction and joy of which the world knows nothing. He, at whose feet Mary sat without a fear, was none other than the One before whom mighty angels veiled their faces, but she knew Him in the revelation of His grace. His words were the words of eternal life, and her heart delighted to feed upon them. Oh! if only Martha had known that He had come not to be ministered unto but to minister, that His heart found a peculiar and unspeakable joy in filling up the vacancies in human hearts with the knowledge of His Father and Himself, the Father’s sent One, she would have left her serving awhile and joined her sister at His feet and there found the satisfaction that Mary found. May we prove this also, for He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Jesus Is Greater Than Our Sorrows
The chill winds of bereavement had passed over that home of peace at Bethany, and the sisters were crushed, broken and bewildered by the wrecking of their circle. When all hope had failed them, for their brother lay in the sealed sepulchre, Jesus came to them. And when Mary was come to where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying unto Him, “Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died” (John 11:32). With a broken heart she cast her heavy sorrow at His feet. What passed between them is not recorded for us, for there are moments such as these when the communications that pass between the Lord and His sorrowing saints cannot be expressed. The sense of His love and sympathy is too deep for words. One thing we know: He walked by her side, and in His company, with Himself so near, her heart must have said, “All is well.”
Presently His voice of power unloosed the bands of death and set the captive free, but Mary saw something more wonderful than His power. She knew His sympathy, for she saw His tears, and never would she have known how much He loved her or how tender was His heart or how all-sustaining His sympathy, had it not been for that great sorrow. Sorrowing saints of God! Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Jesus Is Greater Than Self
The last we read of Mary is in John 12, and it is fitting that the record of her life should close there. The pound “of spikenard very costly” would have distinguished her in the midst of her acquaintances, but she lavished it upon Him, well knowing that He was going into death. The world had nothing to give Him but a shameful cross and a grave, and she only among all His loved ones seemed to realize this. She said by her action, “The best I have shall go into His grave, for He is worthy.” The Lord interpreted that action and said, “Let her alone: against the day of My burying hath she kept this,” and “verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her” (Matt. 26:13).
Thus the Lord valued that which was despised of men, that which was the result of self being eclipsed and Christ all in all. It was this point that Paul had reached when he said, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto Me, and I unto the world” (Gal. 6:14).
To this point the Holy Spirit would lead us, and it is at the feet of Jesus that these lessons are learned. Soon every ransomed soul will bow before Him, in the Father’s home on high, there to cast our crowns before those blessed feet once pierced in death for us, and forever, without a rival in our hearts, to worship and adore Him who has won our hearts. But if worthy then to be our all in all, He is also worthy now, for “Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”
You cannot see the sun except by its own light; neither can you see Christ except by His own light, that is, by the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures.
From clearer knowledge to deeper love, and from deeper love to closer communion! This, Lord, is our prayer — our earnest desire!
J. T. Mawson
Hinds' Feet
To those in the modern world, the expression “hinds’ feet” may seem a little antiquated. However, a hind is simply a deer, and the expression conveys to our minds the ability of the deer simply to jump over many obstacles in its path. It is well-known that if property owners or gardeners wish to keep deer off their property, they have to build high fences, as the deer are able to jump over ordinary fences quite easily. However, the Lord has a lesson for us in mentioning hinds’ feet in His Word, and He mentions this phrase three times — 2 Samuel 22:34, Psalm 18:33 and Habakkuk 3:19.
In all three cases, the reference has to do with the ability of the deer to overcome obstacles simply by jumping over them. David was accustomed to serious difficulties in his life before he became king, and he rehearses all this in 2 Samuel 22, which is word for word the same as Psalm 18. After the Lord had delivered him from all his enemies, David rejoices as he looks back and sees how the Lord had strengthened him and helped him during those difficult times. In these two songs of praise, David is also a type of Christ in a coming day, when He puts down all His enemies and rules in righteousness over this world in the millennium. Later, when Habakkuk wrote, he was likely familiar with the psalms of David, for he wrote several hundred years after David lived. Because of their sin, God might raise up the Chaldeans, “that bitter and hasty nation” (Hab. 1:6), but in spite of God’s judgment, the promise was that “the just shall live by his faith” (Hab. 2:4). Then the godly ones would be able to trust in God, in spite of the results of the judgment. God would enable them to have “hinds’ feet” and enjoy the blessing of God’s high places.
They Rise Over Obstacles
The deer cannot, of course, jump over every obstacle in its path; there are some things that stop it. However, it is able to jump over a good many things, and especially when it is trying to evade predators. In the same way the Lord Himself encourages us as Christians to have feet like “hinds’ feet” and to rise above the difficulties of life down here. When it jumps over an obstruction, the deer must, of course, come down on the other side, but in all three references to which we have referred, the faithful one is set upon high places, and even walks upon high places. You don’t need to come down with a thump on the other side!
This precious truth is brought even more vividly into focus when we consider the truth in the Apostle Paul’s ministry in the New Testament. The Old Testament believer might have faith in Jehovah, and in a coming day the godly ones in Israel during the great tribulation will also be able to rise above their serious difficulties in that day. However, none of this compares with what we have as believers today—a heavenly calling!
Heavenly Places
Ephesians 2:4,6 tells us that “God ... hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” This is our position, but then we are exhorted practically to take this place down here and to live in the good of it. Christ is our head in heaven, and our home is where He is. He wants us to live above the circumstances through which we are passing, while at the same time learning from those difficulties the lessons that He seeks to teach us. We are not bodily in heavenly places yet, but by faith can enjoy heavenly things as if we were there. The Spirit of God, who indwells every true believer, seeks to take our minds and hearts up to Christ in glory, and thus Paul could say to the Colossians, “If therefore ye have been raised with the Christ, seek the things which are above, where the Christ is sitting at the right hand of God: have your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth” (Col. 3:1-2 JnD).
The “cares of this life” are not always easy to rise above, for some of them can be very serious and very trying. Since the believer follows a rejected Christ, he cannot expect an easy path through this world. But our blessed Master has trodden the path before us, and He wants to give us those “hinds’ feet” to enable us to rise above it all and to enjoy those “high places” in the heavenlies, where Christ is. Christ has sanctified Himself (John 17:19); He has separated Himself from this world and is now risen and seated at the Father’s right hand. Now He calls on us also to be “sanctified through the truth.”
It is a privilege to walk through this world with “hinds’ feet” and to be able to rise above all that is around us, whether it is the difficulties of the way or the attractions of this world. Human energy cannot do it; only by faith and with the energy of the Holy Spirit can we have strength to do so.
W. J. Prost
Make Straight Paths for your Feet
“Lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed” (Heb. 12:12-13). What a grand opportunity we have today for the practical carrying out of this important little exhortation! On all sides may be seen hands hanging down, knees feeble, and lame pilgrims dotting the road to heaven.
It is not as when in triumph Moses could review his 600,000 warriors, fresh over the Red Sea, and discover that “there was not one feeble person among their tribes” (Psa. 105:37), but the rather as when he beheld them, amid the desert, the sad witnesses to their disobedience and unbelief, dejected and complaining as those who had “despised the pleasant land.” Their feebleness, indeed, marked them, and lameness was seen on every hand. It must have been a sorry spectacle to their leader, though he bore with God-given patience their many rebellions!
So today! How different is the aspect of the church from the fair picture she presented in the opening chapters of the Acts. Then all was fresh and in the bloom and vigor of a living, acting, and God-honoring faith. The world was kept outside by the force of the inherent fire that burned within; consequently they walked “in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost” and “were multiplied.” There were giants in those days, giants in faith and devotedness and power, just because the heart was fresh and warm and true.
Nothing to Boast In
They could not boast of learning; no, their foremost teachers, Peter and John, were regarded by the chief priests as “unlearned and ignorant men,” and ignorant, no doubt, they were of the wisdom of this world and the learning of the college. But the lack was wonderfully counterbalanced by their knowledge of a few eternal facts, made theirs as eyewitnesses of the life and death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus, held in living power in their souls by prayer and uncompromising faithfulness. Their little was rightly used and yielded a splendid result.
Thank God for such grace — a Gideon’s barley loaf or a David’s sling and stone; if only God be there, all is sufficient. To the winds with Saul’s armor and all that appertains thereto, when the Lord’s battles must be fought. God wants no power or wisdom but His own, and wise are they who, even in this late day, believe and act thereon.
This is power, and He who was with His people of old is with His people still. The bloom may be gone, but Christ abides. Circumstances may have changed, but the Word and Spirit remain. Now the call is that we should lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees. God calls us to act in grace toward each other.
The Many Needs and Opportunities
Look around at the “great multitude of impotent folk” who swell the ranks of the church; look upon the battlefield and see the vast number of wounded and maimed, and ask yourself if this is a day for smiting with the fist or of hustling one another out of the way.
No, we are to watch so courageously that our evident joy and blessing may make the weak feel that it is their own assured portion also; thus strength and healing will be administered to them instead of discouragement. But in order to do this, there must be personal dealing with God. Our own souls must be feeding on that which raises them above the perplexities of the day — feeding on the Word of God itself rather than on human thoughts of it. And thus, instead of leading souls away from their source of blessing, they will be established and comforted. It is love that would lead us to the consideration of the weak and lame. Such abound on all sides, and that increasingly.
May our hearts be drawn more to the lame, in the bowels of Jesus Christ, and be enabled to show that the church is something else than a field of battle and controversy, something else than a school for the acquisition of doctrine—that she has the truth as a matter of enjoyment, and that there is such a thing as “fellowship ... with the Father, and with His Son” — the richest and most precious privilege on earth — in itself always a distinct testimony of triumph over the enemy.
J. W. Smith
Washing the Disciples' Feet
“Before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end” (John 13:1).
The faithful in Christ Jesus, gathered out from the world to have their portion with Him, are those whom Jesus calls His own. He is theirs, and they are His. His love to them never ends. He loved them while He was in the world with them; He loves them also while He is with the Father — they being in the world still.
As the love of Christ to His own continues, so also does His service, in whatever way He sees we need it. Some service we do not need, because we have it already and are perfect in it; other service we do need, and in this Christ ministers to us in love.
Complete in Him
The Word of God brings salvation through Christ to all them that believe, and they are complete in Him. And so says the Apostle: “Ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power: in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ: buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead; and you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Col. 2:10-13). In all this abiding blessing the saints of God are forever set: These are they which are His own, whom He loves to the end, and whose feet He washes while they are in the world. In this, liberty with Him is kept up, and communion with Him is enjoyed. He who is overtaken in a fault is restored. As the word of His salvation brought deliverance to His own, by the power of God, when in an altogether unclean state in the flesh, so the word of His grace brings us deliverance as to our walk, in the washing of our feet. He washes our feet that we may walk worthy of God (1 Thess. 2:12). “Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord; walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8).
The need of those that are Christ’s own to have their feet washed does not take from them their holy condition of being clean every whit, but neither does their being thus clean make allowance for an unclean walk. This would be to turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness. See Jude 4.
Ye Are Not All Clean
In Judas we learn, not the failure in walk of one perfect in Christ, but the horrible condition of a totally unclean man: “Ye are clean, but not all: for He knew who should betray Him; therefore said He, Ye are not all clean” (John 13:10-11). Judas had no faith in the Son of God. Of him it could not be said, he needed not save to wash his feet, because he was unclean every whit. The word of life had no place in him; here the Lord would teach us that no association with people, but only faith in Himself, is the foundation of blessing. A man weak in the faith would not betray Christ for the gain of this world; a man not in the faith would. The one knows he could not do without Him; the other sees no value in Him. The one is clean and the other is not. “If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24).
Jesus Washed Their Feet
After Jesus had washed their feet and had taken His garments and was set down again, He said unto them, “Know ye what I have done to you?” We should understand in the presence of our Lord the blessing we have received at His hands; it is for the glory of Jesus that we should know it, and our future service for Him is connected with it. Our Lord and Master calls for service from us toward one another, according to the pattern of His own loving service to ourselves. “Ye call Me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (John 13:13-15). When we receive blessing from Christ for ourselves, He would teach us in it to be a blessing to others, and here it is, in washing one another’s feet, knowing that He has washed ours. What an example did our Lord give us in this! He laid aside His garments and took a towel and girded Himself, and so in washing one another’s feet we should present ourselves as the servants of one another in love. Jesus so manifested Himself to His disciples as serving them that Peter first exclaimed, “Lord, dost Thou wash my feet?” and then he adds, “Lord, Thou shalt never wash my feet.” It was such amazing humbleness that Peter was unwilling to see his Lord so act for him, until he learned the necessity and blessing of it. So it should be in the servants of Christ, in their service of love one toward the other, drawing down blessing from Him in cleansing power from every filthy way, praying for one another and exhorting one another. In all this service our love must be in the truth, as says the Apostle John: “The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; for the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us forever” (2 John 1-2). The brethren in the Lord are Christ’s own, loved by Him and cleansed in Him, and all that is of Him in them is to be loved in them, and in this the Holy Spirit — the Spirit of truth—glorifies Him.
Observe, while He washed their feet, He said unto Peter, “What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter.” This proves that by it our Lord signified another washing, also evident from Peter’s saying unto him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.” This washing is not the cleansing of their persons or pardon of all their sins, as declared by our Lord, saying to Peter, “He that is washed [bathed] needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit.” Here the entire cleansing of His people is described; they are compared to him who has just left the bath and is perfectly clean. However, we know that his feet might become that moment defiled, and this is precisely our case. I now speak of believers, and Christ appears in the presence of God for us. This proves that He has forever removed all our sins; for this He came into our world and lay in the grave. His resurrection and now appearing in the presence of God are, I say, a sufficient proof that He has forever removed from God’s sight all our sins. His blood is in their place, through which they are clean every whit, but our feet are continually defiled. We live in a defiling world; our earthly nature continues. Satan and the world act on it, and what is the consequence?
The Removal of Defilement
It troubles us. It obscures the glory to which we are called. It interrupts our communion with God and the blessedness of fellowship with Christ and the Father. Here is the defilement of our feet, from which we need continual washing, but because we have a part with Christ, though now in His glory, He never ceases to wash our feet. How does He wash them? By removing from our mind and conscience everything that interrupts our communion with God and its glory and blessedness.
Yes, we have fellowship with Him in His present glory, but a defiled mind and conscience interrupt its comfort and blessedness. “God [says Paul in Ephesians 2] hath quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” We resemble the priests who served in the court of the temple and had free admittance to the holy place. They were never removed from their service. Why? Because their persons had been washed and arrayed to prepare them for it. No need to repeat this, no renewal of their title to their sacred office. But their hands and feet were continually defiled by the blood of the sacrifices.
Then what must they do? Not depart from their place and office; provision was made for cleansing them. The laver was placed between the brazen altar and the holy place, in which they washed their hands and feet, and then they served within the veil. This, dear brethren, is precisely our case. “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”
Bible Subjects for the Household of Faith, Vol. 1, 1863 (adapted)
The Dust of Your Feet
A very important thing is suggested at the opening of Matthew 10. In sending out the twelve, He told them to heal the sick and to preach the kingdom of God. They were to cure diseases and to challenge the claims of God in the face of the world. But had God come into the world, bringing salvation, in order to surrender His own rights to man’s necessities? He could not do it, and we, if in a right mind, could not wish it. The glory of the gospel is that He is glorified while we are saved. Could we enjoy a robbery? It would be robbery, if we could get a blessing which took glory from God. We get this in the cross, if we read it in a right way. It is the glory of the gospel that God could be just, and yet the justifier of him that believes in Jesus. We get a sample of that here. He tells them, then, to take with them neither scrip nor money nor bread: “You are going forth on My message; lean on Me. No man goeth a warfare on his own charges. I will take care of your necessities, and you, let your moderation be known unto all.” Then, “whosoever will not receive you, shake off the dust of your feet.” While there is a graciousness attaching Christian ministry, there is a solemnity too. The Lord would have that character affixed to it. We see it in Paul at Antioch when he shook off the dust of his feet and came to Iconium, and we see it in Nehemiah when he shook his lap and said, “So God shake every man from his house that performeth not this promise.” There is a constellation of glories, not only in the character, but in the style of the Lord’s ministry.
J. G. Bellett
Our Lord's Feet on the Mount of Olives
In Zechariah 12:4, we have one of the most remarkable predictions to be found in the prophetic scriptures: “His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.” It was from the mount of Olives that our Lord ascended up to heaven (Acts 1:12) and a cloud had received Him out of the sight of the disciples, and while they were still wistfully gazing after their departed Lord, two angels said to them, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). No words could be more precise or state more definitely that Jesus Himself should return to the earth, and that in a visible manner. Now we learn from Zechariah that He shall return to the very spot whence He ascended, and that the very same feet that once trod Olivet, in company with His disciples, shall once again stand in the same place. No ingenuity whatever can explain away the simple words, “His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives,” and in this way, as another has pointed out, “Jehovah identifies Himself, so to speak, with the meek and lowly Jesus formerly on the earth, in order that the identity of the Savior and Jehovah should be clearly acknowledged.”
The Nations Tremble at His Presence
But when Jehovah thus comes in the person of the Messiah, He comes with power and great glory; the earth will acknowledge the presence of her rightful Lord, and thus the mountain on which He will stand cleaves in the midst. As we read indeed in Psalm 18:7, “The earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because He was wroth.” So will it be again on that eventful day. The effect will be that a great valley will be formed by half of the mountain removing toward the north, and half toward the south, running east and west, its western end being immediately opposite to the eastern side of the city of Jerusalem, and its eastern end terminating, it would seem, at Azal. Isaiah cries, “Oh that Thou wouldest rend the heavens, that Thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at Thy presence, as when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make Thy name known to Thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Thy presence! When Thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, Thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at Thy presence” (Isa. 64:1-3). So will it also be in this day of which Zechariah speaks, and the wonders flowing from the presence of Jehovah will strike terror into the hearts of the beholders, for they will flee as they fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah.
The prophet does not pursue this aspect of his subject. Jehovah has come, and His feet stand upon the mount of Olives, and He has thus renewed His relationship with Judah, or at least the remnant, of whom the disciples (who saw their Lord ascend and who received the promise of seeing Him return) were the representatives. He now recommences (the second part of the chapter beginning at this point) with the coming of the Lord. He says, as if addressing Jehovah, “The Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with Thee” (Zech. 14:5). The introduction of the saints as accompanying or forming the entourage of Jehovah is an additional feature, and the instructed reader will see in this a remarkable confirmation of what he has learned of the Lord’s coming from the New Testament. Here, as it is His return to Israel, it is His public manifestation, when every eye shall see Him, and when, therefore, as Zechariah states, the saints shall come with Him. If, however, the glorified saints return with Christ, they must have been caught up to be with Him previously, and this is what the New Testament scriptures teach. Thus, in 1 Thessalonians 4, we learn that when the Lord descends from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, both the sleeping and the living saints will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so will be ever with the Lord. Here in Zechariah and Isaiah there is no question of any being caught up; the Lord comes to His own on the earth for their succor and temporal salvation. This shows the difference between the hope of the church and the hope of Israel. Believers now wait daily to be caught up to meet Christ, and hence, afterward, “when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:4), whereas the believing remnant, in the day of which the prophet speaks, will await the coming of the Messiah in glory, as described in this chapter.
E. Dennett
The Glories of Christ: All Things Put Under His Feet
Psalm 8; Hebrews 2:5-9
Christ’s supremacy in the coming age opens out before us the blessed consequences of His humiliation and death upon the cross. For example, we read in Philippians 2, “He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a [or ‘the’] name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:8-11).
Earth, Heaven and Under the Earth
In Psalm 8, His dominion does not appear to go wider than the whole earth, but when we come to the epistle to the Ephesians, it is evident that the circle is enlarged to include things in heaven as well as things upon earth. It accordingly runs, “That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things [better, ‘head up’ all things] in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth” (Eph. 1:10). Then also, if we refer again to Philippians 2, we find that things under the earth are also to be subjected to Christ. Of the limits of His sway there will be no end, for nothing is excepted, as Paul teaches, save Him, God the Father, who put all things under Him (1 Cor. 15:27).
This will help us to understand the meaning of the words, “He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things” (Eph. 4:10), for when all things in the universe are put under His feet, He will surely flood them all with the light and blessedness of His own glory.
Of the vast universe of bliss,
The Center Thou and Sun;
The eternal theme of praise is this,
To heaven’s beloved One:
Worthy, O Lamb of God, art Thou
That every knee to Thee should bow.
The Source
There are several scriptures that reveal the source of this gift of all things to Christ. The Apostle John, as guided by the Spirit of God, says, “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand” (John 3:35). John reveals directly the Father’s delight in the Son as the fount and source of the gift. This divine complacency in the Son is strikingly illustrated in another scripture, as also the delight of the Son in the Father. Answering the Jews who were seeking to kill Him, “because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God,” the Lord said, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth Him all things that Himself doeth” (John 5:18-20). It is true that it is of Christ as the Son that these things are said, but surely it is of the Son as become man. It was because of the Father’s complacency in His beloved Son that He has decreed that all things should be put under His feet.
There are two grounds of the bestowal upon Christ of this universal supremacy. In the first place, it was God’s answer to man’s rejection. Yes, it was through the sufferings of the cross that Christ reached His throne. It is on this account that in Revelation 5, where the Lord takes the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne, He is seen as “a Lamb as it had been slain.” The aspect presented, however, in John’s Gospel is that the gift proceeds from the Father’s heart according to His eternal counsels for the glory of His beloved Son. Therefore the Son of Man must be lifted up before He can take up His inheritance. What a subject for meditation! And how plain it is that all God’s thoughts circle around His beloved Son!
The Various Steps
The various steps the Lord takes before He assumes His inheritance are pointed out very clearly in Hebrews 2, where Psalm 8 is cited, interpreted and applied. Here is the whole passage: “Unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that Thou visitest Him? Thou madest Him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst Him with glory and honor, and didst set Him over the works of Thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under His feet. For in that He put all in subjection under Him, He left nothing that is not put under Him. But now we see not yet all things put under Him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Heb. 2:5-9).
The point of the Apostle is to show that, according to Psalm 8, the world to come is put under man, not angels. Then he exclaims, “But now we see not yet all things put under Him.” How then was the psalm to be fulfilled? This he goes on to demonstrate: “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower that the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor.” Jesus then is the Man, the Son of Man (which Adam was not), under whom all things are to be put.
The steps are now given by which Christ as the Son of Man attains His supremacy. The first of these is His incarnation, expressed in striking language: “Made a little lower than the angels.” This could only apply to the form which our blessed Lord was pleased to take when He came into this world, to the body, in fact, which God had prepared for Him. Paul tells us that, in our blessed Lord’s stoop from the highest height to the lowest depth, He took upon Him the form of a bondsman (Phil. 2). Surely then He was made a little lower than the angels, and our hearts might well pause to admire and adore, as we think of this grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, though He was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty might be rich.
The Suffering of Death
The next step is manifestly His death: “Made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death.” There were two reasons for the suffering of death in the Lord’s pathway to His exaltation and supremacy in the world to come. In Hebrews 1 we read that He was appointed “heir of all things,” and hence it was a divine necessity that He should take up all the liabilities that lay upon His inheritance before He could possess it. This, in fact, is implied in the clause in verse 9 — “that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man [thing]” — not only for every man, but also for everything that went to make up His inheritance. In Colossians 1:20 is also found the other, the first and foremost, ground for the suffering of death — having made peace by the blood of His cross, through glorifying God concerning the sin which had come into the world. On this foundation God can righteously come in and bring everything into suitability to Himself, so that He can rest in perfect complacency and delight in the whole scene which has been subject to Christ and which He will irradiate with the effulgence of His glory.
“It Became Him”
A word or two may be given upon the remarkable connection of this scripture. After saying “that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man,” the Apostle proceeds: “It became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (vs. 10). The significant point is the introduction of the “many sons” whom God is bringing unto glory, in connection with the “all things,” thus opening out the whole scope of the purposes of God, whether in regard to the “all things” or to the “many sons” who are under the leadership of the Captain of their salvation. It is, we cannot doubt, to teach that it was requisite for the glory of God in the accomplishment of His purposes (“it became Him”) that the Lord Jesus should pass through the suffering of death. It was in this way that an immutable basis was laid for the establishment of the universe of bliss, wherein all the glory of God will be displayed and where Christ will be the Center and Sun of all. We also observe the association and identification of Christ with the “many sons” as another reason of His being made perfect through sufferings, for both “He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren.”
E. Dennett (adapted)
Iron and Clay
Doubtless many a Christian, surrounded as he is by various commotions and conflicts between the rulers of the land, and those who are ruled, has turned his eye toward scripture to see if that gives any key to the cause of these contentions.
Happily we are relieved by God from taking any part in the politics of the world. “Our commonwealth [citizenship] has it existence in the heavens” (Phil. 3:20 JND), and we cannot be a citizen of two places at the same time. We must renounce the one before we can take up the other. God has delivered us from the earthly citizenship, and given us that of heaven. This is also seen in the division of mankind into Jews, Gentiles and the church of God (1 Cor. 10:32), “the church of God” is distinct from the Jews and the nations, out of which it is gathered.
The Jews Under the Romans
Doubtless some would have been pleased to have enlisted our Lord, when on earth, to take up the cause of the Jews against the bondage of the Romans. On one occasion they related to Him how Pilate had committed the grave desecration of mingling the blood of some Galileans with their sacrifices. It was an event that was well calculated to arouse the spirit of a Jewish patriot. But our Lord turned their attention at once from the outrage of Pilate to the sin of the Galileans, and from thence to that of His hearers, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). The people did not repent, and perished at the destruction of Jerusalem by the same Roman power. Pilate may have abused his power, as we know he did in condemning our Lord, but it was a part of God’s dispensation that the Jews should be subject to the Romans at that time.
This is further seen when the Pharisees and the Herodians tried to entangle the Lord in His talk by asking, “What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?” If He said, Yes, how could He be a good Jew? and if He said, No, they would have something to accuse Him of to the governor. The money the people were using settled the question as far as the Romans were concerned. The inscription on the money was acknowledged to be Caesar’s. Then our Lord said to them, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” (Matt. 22:15-22). How simple the answer, but how wise! There are certain things, as tribute, custom, honor, obedience, etc., that are due to Caesar. Let them be given to him; this will in no way clash with what is due to God.
Nebuchadnezzar Sees the Image
The great image, seen by Nebuchadnezzar, and explained by Daniel, clearly points to different forms of governmental power. The head of the image was of fine gold; his arms of silver, his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, and his feet part of iron and part of clay. These referred to different kingdoms, and the kingdoms that succeed the first are explained as being “inferior.”
It is to be remarked that Nebuchadnezzar, who was described as “a king of kings,” was declared to be the “head of gold.” He was an absolute sovereign: “All people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down” (Dan. 5:19).
This is the form of government that God compares to gold. The people had simply to obey; the responsibility of what was commanded rested with the monarch, and as we know, God called him to account, and punished him severely.
The ten horns (Dan. 7:7) exactly agree with the ten toes of the great image. The way the emperors were often set up by the army, the contests they had with the people, and the violent death many of them endured, are vividly portrayed by what we read of the iron and clay: “Whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided: but there shall be in it of the strength of iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay” (Dan. 2:41-43).
The Iron and Clay
Surely this is a true picture of what we see all around us. The iron perhaps represents those in power, while the clay represents the people. God tells us that “they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.” We need not wonder then at the conflicts that exist in so many places. God has forewarned us respecting it. We read of some in the New Testament who “despise government,” and “are not afraid to speak evil of dignities” (2 Pet. 2:10); and even some inside the professing church “despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities” (Jude 3), usurping an authority which even the angels which excel in strength would not venture to exercise. Such is man in his pride; and yet he is but “miry clay.”
Thank God, that amid all the contentions around, the Christian’s duty is simple, and the spirit he should manifest is plainly revealed in scripture. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation [judgment]” (Rom. 13:1-2).
This was written to the Christians at Rome about A.D. 59, when Nero was emperor, which makes it clear that the injunction to obey “the powers that be” had nothing to do with the character of the ruler. Nero was a notoriously wicked man, and yet it was true of him that “the powers that be are ordained of God.” All rulers are of course answerable to God for how they rule the people, while it is the people’s duty to obey those whom God has ordained.
One Exception
There is, as we know, one exception to obeying the civil authorities, namely, when their orders clash with what God has bid us do. Peter, when commanded by the rulers of Israel not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus, said, “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” On another occasion he said, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 4:19-20; 5:29). On both these occasions it was the religious rulers that ordered them to be silent, but there have been instances in which the civil powers have given similar orders.
This in no way clashes with the general instruction to obey those in authority. And this simple rule is a great blessing. Many of God’s beloved people, not seeing this, mix themselves up in the various political issues, and deem themselves competent to judge of what the rulers do, and thus get entangled with all the political questions of the day, to the great detriment of their spiritual progress.
As we have seen, our citizenship is in heaven, and God has graciously relieved us of all care and anxiety as to national matters. We have nothing whatever to do with them: we belong to another country, and are only strangers and pilgrims here. And what have strangers and pilgrims to do with the politics of the land through which they are passing, in which they lodge, but to which they do not belong?
May God open the eyes of all His beloved people to see this happy liberty He has brought about for them, and may they walk as a heavenly people, even as the blessed Lord Himself walked when He trod this earth. It will surely be for His glory, and their own blessing.
Things New and Old, Vol. 33
Hindrances to Communion
When the affections have been chilled, even though there may be nothing to disturb the conscience, there will be a grave hindrance to communion with Christ. At such times the service of feet-washing comes in to remove the hindrance.
In Scripture we find that water is often used as a symbol of the cleansing effect of the Word of God. At conversion the Word is applied by the power of the Spirit, producing a thorough change and imparting a new nature. This entirely alters the thoughts, words and actions of the believer. This change is signified by the Lord’s words, “He that is washed all over needs not to wash save his feet, but is wholly clean” (John 13:10 JND).
There can be no repetition of this great change. Yet those washed all over may often grow dull of spirit. As the travelers’ feet are soiled and wearied by the dust of the road, so the believer, in contact with the daily round, the duties of the home-life and the pressures of business life, as well as the continual conflict with evil, may often be wearied in spirit. Thus, he is hindered from having communion with Christ in His things.
It is not that the believer has done anything that conscience would take account of, calling for confession and the work of the Advocate. Rather, his spirit is wearied and needs to be refreshed. Such refreshment Christ loves to give, if we will but put our feet in His blessed hands. He will refresh our souls by presenting Himself before us, in all His perfections, through the Word.
Thus, too, we are given the privilege of washing one another’s feet — a blessed service, not carried out by seeking to find fault with one another, but by ministering Christ to each other. Only the ministry of Christ will bring refreshment to a weary soul.
Hamilton Smith
Who Can Wash Another's Feet
And here let us observe in passing, that when we are in need ourselves of feet washing in order to be restored, it is not the moment for us to attempt to wash our brethren’s feet. The man himself must be clean who would sprinkle the water of purification on one who had been defiled by a dead body (Num. 19). If we lack vigilance in our walk, we lose not only the communion consequent upon it, but the great privilege of service toward others.
Christian Truth, Vol. 33
Thy Word - My Feet
In a dark night and on a bad road the value of the lamp to the feet will be most appreciated. Upon an even path in broad daylight no one wants a lamp, but, says the psalmist, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psa. 119:105). For to walk aright in the world was to him not easy to do. He needed divine light to guide his steps, and in the Scriptures he owned with joy that he had that light. Moreover, he addresses God respecting His word, saying, “Thy word,” and a happy thing for us it is to receive the Scriptures as the word personally given us of God.
Thy word ... my feet! How happy are the “Thy” and the “my” here! Most personal is this interest in the Word of God. And this is how we must take up the Scriptures. We need to receive the Word of God for light for our own feet for each step we take. The world is a dark place; our path is a difficult one; we can take only a step at a time aright as we do so in the light given to us by the lamp of divine truth.
“A light unto my path” is a most gracious truth. The light thus given does not shine many footsteps in front of our feet, but just far enough to preserve us from pitfalls. All around may be dark, but there is sufficient “light unto my path” to keep us traveling on safely.
Evidently the psalmist made use of the Word of God as his guide. Sometimes men go out at night with a dark lantern; they pull the cover over the light. Now, we must make use of the light if we would walk thereby, and, however dark our way may seem to be, we shall never fail of our God’s guidance if we humbly go to His Word to be shown by that light what our steps in life should be.
Faithful Words for Young and Old, Vol. 16
Be Ready to Go
Exodus 12:11 looks as if the children of Israel were prepared to depart. “Thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand.” What would that bring before us, eating in that way? How long is the Christian supposed to be in this world? The Christian position is to be ever ready to leave. He has not to gird his loins and put his shoes on, but, “Ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord” — waiting for that word to depart.
Christian Truth, Vol. 32
The Feet of the Priests
“And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; and as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest)” (Josh. 3:14-15), and so forth; that is, the difficulties were greatest at this very time. Jordan was peculiarly full. Therefore it was harder, if anything, to have crossed then. How then was it that God met the difficulty? “The waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan” (vss. 16-17). When the priests’ feet bearing the ark touched, the waters shrank, and in the midst the priests abode till the people crossed. Faith was thus in lively exercise.
W. Kelly
Beautiful Feet
In the day of Israel’s deliverance, the words of the prophet will be fulfilled: “Beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good” (Isa. 52:7). But beautiful even now, not only upon the mountains, but on earth, in valley, plain, hill or city, on shore or at sea, is the proclamation of the gospel of peace, till the Lord shall descend into the air and this day of salvation shall close.
J. T. Mawson
My Feet and His
What is it now beneath my feet?
It’s solid, steady ground!
Where once I floundered,
Sunk in clay,
At last my night has
Turned to day;
My feet on rock are found.
What is it now my heart can sing?
A brand new song of praise!
My Rescuer has
Lifted me;
My once-blind eyes can
Finally see
The wonder of His ways.
I have Him with me on life’s way;
His lantern guides my feet;
The way is rough and
Steep at times;
His hand takes mine; we
Make the climbs;
Companionship so sweet.
What is it now beneath my feet?
A bowl of water clean;
Traveling life’s road in
Dirt and dust…
I need the cleansing,
It’s a must…
To wash from where I’ve been.
Who is it now keeps company
Along life’s varied way?
The One whose feet were
Pierced, in love…
That He might bring us
There above,
To everlasting day.