Vous êtes sur la page 1sur 5

'

I
'.
Bible Study
Jeremiah
Judgment and Restoration
by Joe Morecraft, III
Part III: Introduction
The Christ of Jeremiah
I. THE PROMISE OF THE
THRONE OF GOD (3:14-18)
The Lord of the Covenant graciously
calls his apostate people to himself in
repentance, 3:14. He still loves them as
a father, seeing that he calls them,
"sons," although they were unworthy of
the name. Moreover God reminds them
that he is their Husband, ("master to
you"). His bride has committed spiri
tual adultery, but still he calls her back
to himself and to their marriage. In
order to stimulate his people to return
to him, God through the mouth of Jere-
miah makes some rich promises that
would be fulfilled "in those days,"
(3:16,18, and "at that time" in verse
17), i.e., in the days of the longawaited
Messiah. We know that these phrases
and others similar to them, (such as "in
the latter days," 30:24 and "the days are
coming," 31:27,31), have the Mes-
sianic Age, beginning with the birth of
Christ, in view, because the New Cove-
. nant of Jeremiah 31:3lf. is introduced
with . the words: "Behold, days are
coming .... " And in 31:33 we are told
that this covenant is made "after those
days." Hebrews 8:8-12 and 10:1518,
which quotes Jeremiah 31:31f., clearly
refers it to Christ and to the Messianic
age, commencing two thousand years
ago.
The Promise of a Faithful
Shepherd (3:15)
Parallel passages, (II Sam. 5:2; Ho-
sea 3:5; and Ezekiel 34:23) teach us
that the meaning of this messianic pro
phecy is that the succession of godly
shepherd ruler -pastor. teachers, which
were absent in Judah, during Jeremiah's
day, 2:8,26, would be restored and cul-
minated in that great Shepherd of the
sheep, the Lord Jesus Christ Jesus iden-
tified himself as the fulfillment of this
promise in John 10:14, when he said:
"I am the good shepherd." In contrast to
Judah's unfaithful prophets, priests,
kings, and princes, Jesus, the Messiah,
will be a shepherd "after God's own
heart," who will nouris.h and guide his
people as the source of wisdom and
knowledge, which are bestowed upon a
life in living communion with the
Lord, Deut. 4:6; 29:8.
The Promise of Multiplica-
tion (3:16a)
Here God promises to increase vastly
the number of His people, which have
been thinned by his judgments. The
promise of numerical multiplication of
the people of God and numerical in-
crease of God's church is a characteristic
trait of messianic prophecy and of cove-
nant hope: Gen. 15:56; 17:2; 28:14;
Jer. 23:3; Ezek. 36:11; Hos. 1:10;
2:23. The point is that during the e s ~
sianic age, the true people of God will
greatly multiply so that their numbers
will become greater than the stars of the
sky and the sand on the seashore. We
see this beginning to come true in the
book of Acts, 1:15; 4:4; 2:41.
The Promise of the Absence
of the Ark of the Covenant
(3:16b)
Jeremiah prophesies of a time when
the ark of the covenant will no longer
exist, when people shall no l onger miss
it. The ark was prominent in the wor-
ship of the Old Testament. The prophe
cy that it would disappear was quite
shocking; but the prophecy that no one
would long for its restoration was even
more shocking.
The ark of the covenant was the only
piece of furniture in the second room of
the Tabernacle, behind the veil, called
the Holy of Holies. The ark was a chest
made of acacia wood of precise dimen-
sions, overlaid with gold inside and out
with a crown of gold about it It had
gold rings at the comers, so it could be
carried. On top was a "mercy-seat" of
gold, with two winged cherubim of
gold over-arching it. It contained the tab-
lets of stone, the pot of manna, and
Aaron's rod that budded. It was a pledge
and guarantee of Jehovah's special favor
and presence; the supreme place of di-
vine revelation; the symbol of God's
rule over Israel; and, as a mercy-seat or
propitiatory, was the place of
atonement of sin, I Sam. 4:1-11; 5:16;
7:1-14; Jer. 3:16f. The ark teaches us
that "the goal of atonement, of r edemp-
tion, is the rule of God over a kingdom
wholly subject to the law of the cove-
nant, joyfully so." -Rushdoony
Jesus Christ i s the fulfillment of the
ark of the covenant, Hebrews 9:11f. He
is our ark of the covenant in that he is
the sign and guarantee and dwelling
place of the very presence of God with
his people, Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23. More-
over, in a very real sense, the Church of
Christ is the ark of the covenant, for it
is a redemptive body with covenant law
written (deposited) in our hearts, the pil
lar of the truth, the dwelling place of
the Lord, and the symbol and instru-
ment of God's covenantsovereignty.
This is what Jeremiah is referring to
when he says that the literal ark of the
covenant will disappear and no one will
long for its return--its fulfillment in
Christ is far more satisfying. He brings
God's presence near. He reveals God's
will to us. He fully atoned for sin. He
rules over all.
E.W. Hengstenberg, in his great
book, Christology in the Old Testa-
The Counsel of Cbalcedon, February, 1988--------------------------Page 15
ment, made some insightful remarks on
this prophecy. The following is an' ex-
quotation:
In the ark of the covenant God "gave
them (his people) not a symbolical re-
presentation merely, but an embodi-
ment of the idea, so that they who
wished to seek Him the God of
Israel, could find Him in the temple,
and over the ark of the coveD.anr.only.
was in this no partial favor for
Israel, nothing from which careless sin-
.ners could derive comfort. God's dwel-
ling among Israel rested on his holy
Law. as the covenant is kept
or not, and the law is observed or not,
it manifests itself by increased blessing,
or by severer punishment. If the cove-
nant be entirely broken, the conse-
quence that God his dwelling,
and it is only the curse which remains,
and which is greater than the curse in-
flicted upon those .among whoin he
never dwelt, and whiqh, by its great-
ness, indicates the greatness of the for-
mer grace. Now, if this be the case with
the ark of the covenant; if it be the sub-
stance and center of the whole former
dispensation, what, and how much
would not fall along with it, if. it fell;
and how infinitely great muSt the com-
pensation be which was to be granted
for it, if, in consequence of it, no. desire
and longing after it .was to rise at all. .
.. "Without the ark of the covenant--no
temple, II Chron. 8: 11. Without ark of
the covenant, no priesthood; for what is
the use of servants when there is no
Lordpresent? Without temple and priest-
hoOd, no sacrifice. We have thus. before
us the announcement of the entire des-
truction of the previous form of the
kingdom of G<XI,, but such a destruction
of the form as brings about, at the same
the highest completion of the
a perishing like that of the
which dies only, in order to
bring forth much fruit, like of the
body, which is sown 'in corruption, in
Qrder to be raised in incorruption. Be-
cause a more sublime religion, a more
glorious state of things will take the
place of the Mosaic dispensation, there
will be no cause for regretting the loss
of the symbol of the preceding dispen-
sation, and people will no more remem-
ber it. -
"It 'Was necessary' that theTheoeracy ..
should sitlk beneath its former glory, in'.
order that . the futUre glbry, which was . .
far to outshine it, should so much the
more be longed for. :Qt the Kingdom of
God, nothing perishes, without some-
thing new arising out of this decay. The
extinction of the old was the guarantee,
that something new was approaching.'
On the other hand, the absence of the ark
of the covenant was, it is true, at the
same time, a matter-of-fact prophecy of
a sad character. To those who clung to
the fonn, without having in a living
manner laid hold of the substance, and
who, therefore, were not able to partake
in the mo:re glorious display of the sub-
stance, to these it announced that the
time was approaching when. the form,
to which they had attaclted themselves
with their i-hole was to be
broken.
"fu this. respect, the non-restoration
of the of the covenant showed that
the Chaldean destruction and that by the
Romans were connected as conunence-
ment and completion; white, in. the
other aspect, it declared that, with the
return from. the captivity, the realization
of God's great plan of salvation waS be-
mg prepared."
The Promise of the Throne of
God (3:17)
Ancient Jerusalem was considered tl1e
city of Jehovah the King,. Psa. 48:3,
the capital of the theocracy, be-
Jehovah's "throne" (the ark of the
covenant containing the King's law)
was there in the Holy of Holies. The
Holy" of Holies was the throne room of
Jehovah, who sat on his throne.between
:the cherubim.
"At that time," i.e., during the Mes-
sianic age, Jerusalem, in shambles,
;rl'ter 586 B.C., will be fully restored as
the dwelling place of tl).e Lord Jehovah
and the center of his government over
the world. All the nations of the world,
3:17, will submitto his rule and will
obey him rather .than "the stubborn in-
clinations of their wicked heart." There
God will reveal his "name" to these con-
verted nations, i.e., He will reveal his
character and will to them and will
.come to them witlt all his
blessings. As- Laetsch has written{"1n
revealing his' name, God reveals hirii-
self. The presence of his name posits
his own personal presence, not God as
an abstract but as a living, active
Being he records his name, he comes,
he blesses. To Jerusalem one must go
in order to know the name of God as
the Covenant God of infinite grace
through the merits of the Redeemer.
And whatever is called Jerusalem by the
Lord, there his name can be found, there
is God himself ready to bless all who
Wherever the name of Jehovah is
recorded, wherever the revelation of his
loving-kindness is proclaimed, there is
Jerusalem, the Church of there. the
nations can assemble; there they .:can
become fellow citizens with the saints,
children of Jerusalem.';
The New Testament . in fact,
make clear that the Jerusalem of the
New Covenant ,is the holy Christian
Church, Gal. 6:15,i6; Heb.
Christ sits on his throne, as well aS his
body' from which he rules the world,
Eph. 1:20-23. .
ll. THE PROMISE OF THE
SPROUT OF DAVID (23:18;
33:14-18) . . .
In 23:1-2, God denounces 'the leader-
.ship of Judah for negleeting
ties, and by their rebellion againstJeho-
vah; for scattering the flock of Israel,
which belonged to Jehov3b, and which
had been to their charge.
God declares his intent to judge them
severely for their failure to lead proper-
ly. At the same time; God reveals his
love for his misguided people by refer-
ring to them. as "the sheep of my
ture," and"my people," and "my flock;"
Yet, God clellfly says that this scat-
tering of the flock of which the:ungodly
leaders were -guilty was aiso the 'dis-
of God on his people
for their apostasy--"! myself shall
gather the remnant of my flock. .
.whither I have scattered them .... "
(23:3). In these verses God's sovereign-
ty and hurllim responsibility are brought
together; and his and his lave
also.
Against this backdrop of the of
Page 16 --------------------:--------'flie Counsel o( Cha1cedon, J.<:ebruary, .1988
God's people by their leaders, God re-
veals is mercy for them by promising
his faithful people a blessed future un-
der a kingly Messiah. He promises
them that they will be restored to their
own land, under the Messiah's rule and
protection, so that their safety would be
secure and permanent, not temporary.
This would take place with the restora-
tion of the church in Christ
In these verses God calls attention to
the promised Messiah to remind them
that there is no hope of salvation pos-
sible except through the Mediator sent
from God and that they were not wise
or knowledgeable unless they turned the
concentration of their minds upon him.
Without Christ God will not be a
Father or a Savior to men. And without
Christ, the Jewish people cannot hope
for the fulfillment of the promises of
salvation.
The Promise of Regathering
7-8)
God promises that he personally will
re-gather "the remnant" of his people
back to himself and to covenant life. He
shall re-gather them from all over the
world. And when they are back in God's
"pasture": (1). they will be fruitful and
increase, in fulfillment of the Abraham-
ic Covenant; (2). they will be governed
and provided for by the Good Shepherd
himself, the Messiah, instead of the
ungodly leadership of the day. This is
the True Shepherd promised by God in
Jeremiah 3:4-8. (3). They will be safe
and secure under the Messiah's care.
And (4). the promised land, (extended to
include the whole earth according to
Matt. 5:5; Rom. 4:13; and I Cor. 3:21-
23) will be theirs to enjoy and to build
a God-honoring culture.
This re-gathering, this second Exo-
dus, will be so remarkable that it will
make the first Exodus of Moses' day
pale into insignificance in comparison,
23:7. The ultimate restoration and re-
gathering of God's people in Christ was
promised by Moses in Deuteronomy
30:1-10. Moses promises that beyond
the Exile lay the promise of restoration.
In Deuteronomy 28:64ff., Moses des-
cribes the hopelessness of unbelieving
Israelites in their dispersion throughout
the earth. In Deuteronomy 30 Moses
looks beyond their dispersion to a new
gathering, a (re)New(ed) covenant in
Christ. The hope of Moses and Jere-
miah was that the Jews and Gentiles
would be restored to the covenant Lord
in his Kingdom (Theocracy). This is
fulfilled in Christ and his kingdom.
Meredith Kline has written: "As the
development of this theme in the pro-
phets shows, the renewal and restora-
tion which Moses foretells is that ac-
complished by Christ in the New Cove-
nant The prophecy is not narrowly
concerned with ethnic Jews but with the
covenant community, here concretely
denoted in its Old Testament identity as
Israel. Within the sphere of the New
Covenant, however, the wall of ethnic
distinctions disappears. Accordingly,
the Old Testament figure used here of
exiled Israelites being regathered to
Yahweh in Jerusalem, vv. 3,4; 28:64,
rmds its chief fulfillment in the univer-
sal New Testament gathering of sinners
out of the human race, exiled from Para-
dise, back to the Lord Christ enthroned
in the heavenly Jerusalem."
E.W. Hengstenberg makes this help-
ful comment: "How indeed could it be
said of the bodily bringing back from
the captivity, that it would far outshine
the former deliverance from Egypt, and
would cause it to be altogether forgot-
ten? The correct view was stated as
ly as by Calvin, who says: 'There is no
doubt that the prophet has in view, in
the first instance, the free return of the
people; but Christ must not be sepa-
rated from this blessing of the deliver-
ance, for, otherwise, it would be diffi-
cult to show the fulfillment of this pro-
phecy.' The right of thus assuming a
concurrent reference to Christ is afforded
to us by the circumstance, that Canaan
had such a high value for Israel, not
because it was its fatherland in the
lower sense, but because it was the land
of God, the place where his glory dwelt.
From this it follows that a bodily
return was to the covenant-people of
value, in so far only as God manifested
himself as the God of the land. And
since, before Christ, this was done in a
manner very imperfect, as compared
with what was implied in the idea, the
value of such a return could not be
otherwise than very subordinate. And,
in like manner, it follows from it, that
the gathering and bringing back by
Christ is included in the promise. For
wherever God is, there is Canaan."
The Promise of the Righteous
Sprout of David (23:5-6; 33:15)
All of these great promises center
around the greater promise of the com-
ing of a Messiah, in fulfillment of the
Davidic Covenant, who would bring all
of them to certain realization. 23:5-6
tell us of this Messiah's person, reign
and accomplishments.
First, concerning his person. He
would be raised up by God from the
descendents of King David. He, who
would be a kingly Messiah, was fully a
human being. He was a "sprout" grow-
ing out of the stump of the fallen dynas
ty of David. He was a fresh growth
from the seemingly dead root of the
house of David, growing by the ornni-
potence of the covenant Lord into a new
tree, "a family tree with innumerable
branches and leaves." Furthermore, this
human Messiah will be a thoroughly
"righteous" person. His character was in
perfect conformity to the holy character
of God himself. Righteousness was
(and is) of his very essence, his nature,
his being.
The Messiah was not only fully hu-
man, according to our passage, he was
truly God. In verse 6 he is called "Je-
hovah," meaning he was fully and truly
Almighty God, the God of Abraham,
Moses and Jeremiah in human flesh.
This divine-human Messiah would be
the direct fulfillment of the Davidic
Covenant. (See my paper on "Jeremiah
and the Covenants of Promise") [In
next month's issue -Editor]
Second, concerning the Messiah's
reign. This Messiah would be a mighty
King, whose reign would be character-
ised by wisdom, justice and righteous-
ness, 23:5. His kingdom will reflect his
character--it will be a living, life-pro-
ducing kingdom that will never perish.
Because the King is God, he knows
fully the will of God; so he is able to
carry out God's plan of .salvation to
successful completion. He also knows
The Couusel of Chalcedonr February, 1988--------------------------Page 17
the of. so
krtows how to utterly defeat thein.
He not only iS righteous himself; as
King he will "execute" or "establish": a
new norm of, righteousness, by which
his people will be governed. "It is a
norm that is established by the righ-
teous King, and a righteousness ,that
this righteous King, whose righteoUs- '
ness is that of I ehovah, acknowledges
as an all-suffiCient righteousne,ss,"
wtote Laetsch. The present state of dis-
9rder and injustice will be replaced by a
' new order of righteousness Under the
kingly Messiah.
This reign of righteousness will se-.
cure tbe eternal salvation of all of God's
people, 23:6. And this salvation shall
be accomplished by him who will be
called, "The Lord our Righteousness,''
23:6". Careful note should be made of
the manner in which this name is in-
troduced: "And this is his name by
wltich he will be called, 'The Lord our
Righteousness."' "Name" .is not a mere
label or tag. Rather it denotes the very
nature, anc;l being of him who is
the "Sprout of David." And God ex-
presses. his sovere]gn will that . all hu-
manity should know this messianic
"Sprout" by that .God-giV,eri mune
which describes to us .. his innermost
essence, as God hin)self understand( it
"Jehovah our (Yahweh-
tsidk.enu in Hebrew). 'Hls nail)e.
"Jehovah is the vindication o'f our
right," or "Jehovah is . our .Justice,"
ferring to his . saving .PreSence .and sav-
ing activity. He is 'the ODe by whom
and under whom Jehovah will be our
righteousness; and that divine righteous-
ness is our
In this title, the ttue charaCter of
Christ is revealed, not just in oo:leJ:' to
manifest the divine character, but to
bring that righteousness to us which is
able to secure our salvation. God in
Christ is righteous, if we are to be
saved, his righteousness must lxlcome
our righteousness, in some way, Im-
puted to us, if we are to be accepted by
him. "If, then, we desire to have God as
our righteousness we must seek christ;
fot this cannot be found except in him.
The righteousness of God has been set
forth for us in Christ; and all who turn
away from him, though they may take
' '
many circuitous courses, can yet never
fmd the righteousness' of God," wrote
John Calvin.
Jeremiah anticipated Paul's gospel of
justification by faith, that sinners are
received by God as righteous thrOugh
faith in die Messiah Jesus; because
Jehovah imputes his righteousness to
them, charging his righteousness to
their empty account, exchanging olir
demerits for is merits. To be accepted
with the holy God, sinner.s must have a
righteousness that is as holy as God's
righteousness. Sinners cannot produce
it, but in the gospel of Christ, God be-
stows what he himself demands through
faith in Jesus. "For I am not ashamed
of the gospel, for it iS the power of God
for salvation to everyone who believes.
. . For in it the righteousness of God
is revealed from faith to faith; as it is
written: 'But the righteous man shall
live by faith,'" Romans 1:16-17. "But
now apart from the Law the righteous-
ness of God has been manifested, being .
witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
even the righteousness of God through
faith in Jesus Christ for all those who
believe .... ," Romans 3:21f. "He
(Jehovah) made Him (Jesus) who knew
no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we
might become the righteousness of God
in him." II Corinthians 5:21.
The Additions of Jeremiah
33:14-18
Basically this passage is a reaffll111a-
tion of the Messianic promise of Jere-
miah 23:1-8 . . God promises to be faith-
ful to his people by sending them a
kingly, divine-human Messiah who.
will save them by establishing judg-
ment and righteousness in the earth.
the Psalmist says that "Righteous-
ness and judgment are the foundation of
His Throne," (89:14; 97:2). "And the
Strength of the King loves judgment;
thou hast established equity; Thou hast
executed judgment and righteousness in
Jacob," (99:4). "But the Lord abides for-
ever; He has established His Throne for
judgment, and He will judge the world
in righteousness.;, (9:7-8) .
. To say that the Messiah is righteous
is to say that he never acts out of aecord
with his holy character. He always actS
in strict adherence to his own character, .
therefore he is always tnistworthy and
reliable--"The Lord is righteous in all
His ways," (Psa.145:17). To say that
he will establish righteousness and judg-
ment in the earth is to say that he will
govern men and nations, ruling o"er
them, judging them, discriminating fair-
ly between them, and maintaining his
covenant, always in accordance with his
character as revealed in his word. "Judg-
ment" is the process-whereby the Mes- .
siah discerns between right and wrbng
and takes action as a result. He seeks
out the wrongdoer to punish him and
the righteous to . vindicate his
Judgment, then, is divine discrimina-
tion plus vindication which lead to the
destruction of the wicked and the de-
liverance of the righteous, Dt 10:18;
Ps. 25:9. The Messiah's righteous judg-
ment is the outworking of his mercy
and his anger fOr the salvation of ltis
people. It creates a process that tries and
sifts men. It separates the righteous
from the wicked. Psa. 90:13. "They
that take the gospel to themselves
either live by the glory of the gospel Qr
perish beneath the judgment of the
gospel." -Casserley. "The message . o,f .
Jesus is not only a proclamation of sal-
vation, but also the announcement of
j udginent, a cry. of warning, and a call
to. repentance in view of the terrible ur-
gency of the crisis." -Jeremias.
Jeremiah .33:17-18 reveal that in this
Davidic Messiah, God's people will
have an eternal king to rule over them,
lead them and protect them; and an eter-
nal priest, who will make a pentUlnent
atonement for their sins, and who
contiriually intercede for them )VitP
God. The book of Hebrews clearly iden-
tifies Jesus as this perpetUat priest, far
superior to the Levites, 7:1-28_, lt is
absolutely certain that this
ly Messiah will come and briilg salva-
tion, because the covenant-faithfulness
of God guarantees it, 33:19-22.
Through Him, Jehovah will
"restore their (his people) fortunes and
will have mercy on them." 33:26 "The
divine mercy will reverse all the devasta-
tions of the past and revive the des-
troyed institutions in a new age when
Page 18 .... --------------------------The Counsel of Cbalcedon, February, 1988
(
the seed of Abraha.m, Isaac, and Jacob
will enjoy all the expectations ever
entertained for the nation. Only in
Yahweh's mercy could that happen." -
R. Carroll.
The most significant difference be-
tween the prophecy of 23:1-8 and that
of 33:14-26 is the identity of the one
called, "The Lord our Righteousness. In
23:6 it is the Messiah
himself that bears that name. But in
33:16 it is a different matter. There we
read: "In those days Judah shall be
saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell in
safety; and this is the name by which
SHE shall be called: the Lord is our
righteousness." What a glorious and
heart-satisfying statement. The people
of God are given the name of their Lord
and Savior. We are called "the Lord our
righteousness!" How can this be? God
is the uncreated Reality and we are
created reality. The distinction between
Creator and creature is unequivocal. And
yet this verse (33:16) stands. What does
it mean? We will let Theo. Laetsch
answer: "This does not mean that the
Church will be essentially Jehovah,
equal to God. She shall be called, one
shall give her the name Jehovah,
because she is Christ's, Jehovah's, .
spouse, one with Him in mystical
union. The Chureh is 'our righteous-
ness' because only through the Church .
do we obtain the righteousness of
Christ by means of the Gospel the
Church preaches. If Christ is our righ-
teousness, then the Church, one with
Christ, is our righteousness."
The Scottish preacher of the last cen-
tury, Robert Murray McCheyne, wrote
a moving poem on the phrase "the Lord
our Righteousness," which in Hebrew
is "Jehovah Tsidk:enu."
I once was stranger
to grace and to God,
I knew not my danger,
and felt not my load;
Though friends spoke in rapture
of Christ on the tree
Jehovah Tsidkenu
was nothing to me.
I oft read with pleasure,
to or engage,
STUDIES IN BIBLICAL DOCTRINE
What is Calvinism?
or the Confession of Faith in Harmony
with the Bible and Common Sense
In a series of dialogues between a Presbyterian
minister and a young convert
by William D. Smith, D.D.
DIALOGUE XIII
Sinless Perfection
Minister.--The doctrine we proposed
to examine this evening, viz: Whether
any one in this life ever attains to abso-
lute sinless perfection is thus plainly ex-
pressed in our Confession of Faith: 'No
mere man, since the fall, is able in this
life perfectly to keep the command-
ments of God, but doth daily break
them, in thought, word, and deed."--
Shorter Catechism, Ans. to Qu. 82. I
need not stay to prove, that "the com-
Isaiah's wild measure '
and John's simple page;
"But e'en when they pictured
the blood-sprinkled tree
Jehovah Tsidkenu--
'twas nothing to me.
Like tears from the daughters
of Zion that roll,
I wept when the waters
went over His soul;
Yet thought not that my sins
had nailed to the tree
Jehovah Tsidkenu--
'twas nothing to me.
When free grace awoke me,
by light from on high,
Then legal fears shook me,
I trembled to die;
No refuge, no safety
in self could I see--
Jehovah Tsidkenu
my Savior must be.
My terrors all vanished
before the sweet name;
mandments of God" are our standard
of holiness, and anything that comes
short of a perfect fulfilment of all their
requirements, in all respects, is not per-
fect obedience. And we not only sin in .
every positive violation of the law, but
also in every want of perfect conformity .
to all its holy requirements. Gal. Ill; 10--
"Cursed is every one that continueth
not in all things which are written in
the book of the law to do them.!' It is a
plain dictate of common sense, as well
(Continued on page 23)
My guilty fears banished,
with boldness I came
To drink at the foontaiil,
life-giving and
Jehovah Tsidkenu
is all things to me.
Jehovah Tsidkenu!
my treasureand boast,
Jehov3h Tsidkenu!
I ne'er can be lost;
In thee I shall conquer
by flood and by field--
My cable, my anchor,
I
my breastplate and
, .
. .
Even treading the valley,
t,he shadow of death,
This 'watchword' shall rally
my faltering breath;
For while from life's fever
my God sets me free,
Jehovah Tsidkenu
my death-song shall be.
written November 18, 1834
0
-The Counsel of Chalcedou, Februar,I, 1988 .. _____________ ....;._..;.......:.... ________ .:.. Page 19

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi