20. Marked Recurrence of Like Language

Marked Recurrence of Like Language

Chapter 19

Certain prominent words, phrases and sentences, meant to be emphatic, recur conspicuously, never without a purpose. In cases where such words or phrases are found but twice, it is usually, if not uniformly, either for confirmation, completion or contrast; where thrice or more, for progress of thought by successive additions, as also in recurrence of ideas where language may vary. Probably not a single case of such verbal recurrence can be found which does not illustrate this rule.

We should not only note what special words and terms the Spirit chooses and uses, but with what comparative frequency, whether once, twice, thrice or oftener. Especial meaning usually attaches to what is rare or exceptional, found but seldom and then in some conspicuous relation, or recurring at stated intervals like a refrain in a poem or a musical composition. The recurrence of the noun “passover,” or kindred verb, “pass over,” is very significant; compare Exodus 12:11-12; Exodus 12:23; Exodus 12:27; Exodus 13:16; Exodus 13:22; Exodus 15:16; Hebrews 11:29, etc. The word, passover, first occurs in connection with Jacob’s passing over the River Euphrates, in fleeing from Laban (Genesis 31:21), and recurs when he passed over Jordan; but its first highly significant use is when the Hebrews were exempted from death, in the last of the Egyptian plagues. As the two previous instances suggest a passing over from one place to another, this is also the thought in Exodus 12:13 : Jehovah, seeing the blood, passing over the threshold into the house, taking possession, becoming, as it were, the household Head, and a fellow pilgrim, stranger and sojourner with His people (Psalms 39:12). Hence His claim upon the first born as special heritage of the new Head of the house. It was more than passing through the land or passing by the blood sprinkled door posts, when Jehovah passed over the threshold into the house, in token of covenant relations and fellowship.

We have other significant passings over; as at the Red Sea, where Jehovah opened a path through the place of Death and Judgment, and Israel passed over from one side to the other, a type of passing over through Death into Resurrection—which the “Egyptians assaying to do were drowned” (Hebrews 11:29), another very significant fact, for the unbeliever, passing indeed into death, passes not through and over into resurrection life, but is drowned in death. At the Jordan again Israel passes over from the Eastern and wilderness side into the Western or Canaan side—a type of consecration and separation in, and appropriation of the promises. Thus the three Passovers stand respectively as types of emancipation and deliverance from Judgment penalty, identification with Christ in Death and Resurrection, and appropriation of the Promises of Grace; and, taken together, embrace the whole experience of the believer.

Thus the first Passover of the Exodus stands for Protection from the Destroyer, Jehovah’s Proprietorship of the Redeemed, and their Fellowship with Him in Pilgrimage; the Passover at the Red Sea, for conquest over sinful habit and every foe, Death included; and the Passover at the Jordan, for full present Rest, and Possession of the Promises and privileges of the Believer.

There are three conspicuous references to the vine (Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalms 80:8-19; John 15:1-16). The first emphasizes God’s care for His vine and His disappointment at its wild grapes; the second, its desolation under the ravages of foes; the third, the secrets of growth and fertility in union with Christ.

Mortify is found but twice (Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:15). It means to make a corpse of, implying that, having judicially died with Christ, all that pertains to the “old man”—the former sinful self and life—should be given over to death, actually and practically (Romans 6:19; Romans 7:5; Galatians 5:24-25). When the “members,” so to be mortified, are specified, the first four of the five refer to various forms of sensual appetite, showing how hostile this is to spiritual life: impurity, with covetousness, thus cover nearly the whole array of carnal foes. And, if these members are not killed, they kill—if not put to death, they spread death; practically, therefore, it is a choice between living and dying unto God and holiness—death to the flesh or death to the spirit. The word “panoply,” translated “whole armor,” or “all his armor,” is found but twice (Ephesians 6:11-13; Luke 11:22).

Further search shows a designed contrast in this case; in one case the panoply is that with which God clothes Saints, to resist the Devil; in the other it is panoply with which the Devil clothes the sinner, that he may fight against God; and further meditation will suggest something in each of the sinner’s various pieces of armor that corresponds to those of the Saint: The Helmet of Salvation is contrasted with a Delusive Hope. The Breastplate of Righteousness is contrasted with a proud Self-righteousness. The Girdle of Truth is contrasted with Lies, Deception. The Sandals of Alacrity are contrasted with Procrastination. The Shield of Faith is contrasted with Unbelief. The Sword of the Spirit—the Word of God—is contrasted with the word of Man. The word, “centurion,” in the New Testament, occurs twenty-four times, and always, save in one case (Acts 27:11), favorably. Four centurions are conspicuous. He, whose faith the Lord so commended; he who, at the crucifixion, confessed to Christ’s Deity; he, at whose palace occurred the Pentecostal outpouring; and he who was connected with the shipwreck, in the Mediterranean, and whose mediation saved Paul (comp.Matthew 8:5-13; Matthew 27:54; Acts 10:27). Is there no practical lesson in all this? The Jews being under the Roman yoke were tempted to despise and hate whatever was Roman. Yet, here were Rome’s representatives, having authority over large bands of soldiers, to keep the Jews in subjection, yet showing real nobility, and shaming them by their treatment of the Messiah whom the Jews rejected and of the disciples whom they persecuted! One of them showed a great faith not found even in Israel; the alms and prayers of another went up for a memorial before God; the confession of another was boldly made to the fact that Christ was truly the Son of God, when even disciples forsook Him and fled and He hung upon a cross between thieves; and other centurions interposed to save Paul from the scourge, from conspiracies against his life and from death as a prisoner. How delicate the indirect rebuke of bigotry and racial hatred, and the lesson of tolerance and impartiality of judgment.

There is frequent and gracious mention of the Samaritans. Instance the good Samaritan, whose merciful ministry is contrasted with the apathy of priest and Levite; the Samaritan among the ten lepers, the only one who returned to give thanks; the Samaritan woman who found the Savior at the well and forgot her water pot in her zeal to save souls; the Samaritans who, in such throngs, welcomed the ministry and message of Philip (Luke 10:33; Luke 17:16; John 4; Acts 8). Surely deep wells are here if one has something to draw with, a long enough rope of research, and a large enough vessel of charity!

Five times, in the Epistles of Peter, the word “End” recurs.

• 1 Peter 1:9—“Receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls”

• 1 Peter 1:13—“Hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought,” etc.

• 1 Peter 4:7—“The end of all things is at hand.”

• 1 Peter 4:17—“What shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel?”

• 2 Peter 2:20—“The latter end is worse with them than the beginning”

Around these uses of this one word, END, much of the teaching of these epistles gathers!

Toward one universal end moves the whole creation, physical and moral. Evil moves on toward its consummation in antichrist, and good likewise to its consummation in Christ. The evil development includes some, from the nominal church of Christ, as well as the whole world of the ungodly that lieth in the wicked one, and all evil angels who are reserved unto the same final judgment of perdition. The good development includes all true believers, good angels, and “the whole creation;” only that, while sinners among men and fallen angels are involved in the same condemnation, saints and angels do not share the same salvation or exaltation; for the saints, now “a little lower than angels,” at the end rise higher than they, through their identification with the Lord Jesus Christ as Redeemer. The phrase “Dead Works” occurs only twice, in both cases in the same Epistle (Hebrews 6:1; Hebrews 9:14); in the first instance, used of the unregenerate, in the second of the regenerate.

“Dead works” differ from either wicked works or good works, as “wild fruit” does from good fruit or bad fruit; as the wild fruit has the form and appearance of the good, without its flavor and savor, so dead works, while having more or less of the appearance of good works, lack life. Therefore even doling out goods to feed poverty and giving the body to the flames are pronounced unprofitable, because not prompted by that love which is the life of all true service (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

Dead works should be studied in connection with Numbers 19, where the ordinance of the red heifer is found, to which Hebrews 4:13 refers. The red heifer was the appointed remedy for contact with the dead or death, in every form. He that would serve the living God must not bring to Him dead works. “The body without the spirit is dead” (James 2:26). God cannot be imposed upon by externals. The word, kataphilēō, translated “kissed,”—meaning to kiss repeatedly and caressingly—is found but four times in the New Testament (Matthew 26:49; Luke 7:38; Luke 15:20; Acts 20:37), and these instances are representative and exhaustive, the father’s kiss of welcome, the penitent’s kiss of gratitude, the friend’s kiss of farewell, and the traitor’s kiss of betrayal; in three cases Love’s sign, and, in the fourth, its damnable prostitution.

Note the phrase “stand still.” The earliest lesson on this subject: “Stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord,” is in Exodus 14:13. For the first time men were taught the virtue of standing still in a great crisis of danger to witness the Lord’s deliverance. But here a permanent lesson is taught, of which other representative and illustrative instances are found in subsequent times; indeed, at every great emergency, this policy is again inculcated, as for example, at Kadesh Barnea (Numbers 14:9), and on the verge of entrance into Canaan (Deuteronomy 20:1-4); and when the Syrians encompassed Elisha (2 Kings 6:16). To Jehoshaphat Jahaziel repeated these very words, when the Ammonites and Moabites massed their forces to drive the Jews out of their inheritance (2 Chronicles 20:15-17), and when the Assyrians came against Hezekiah the lesson was repeated. (2 Chronicles 32:20-21; Isaiah 37:14-37). The numerous instances in the apostolic age find their key here. The lesson is that in all such cases the Battle is not ours but God’s. We are not to depend upon ourselves nor on our fellow man, but “let God fight for us.” “Our strength is to sit still” (Isaiah 30:7).

One of the foremost lessons of the New Testament, especially after the Day of Pentecost revealed man’s complete dependence upon the Holy Spirit, is that in all matters pertaining to our witness, work and the warfare for God, we are to renounce all our own wisdom, strength and energy, and simply let God have His way. Our Lord’s last injunction was, “Tarry ye, until ye be endued with power from on high;” and ten days were spent in quietly waiting for God to work. At every succeeding crisis in the apostolic church, there was the same simple dependence upon Him. When the Sanhedrim forbade the disciples to speak at all or teach in the name of Jesus, under threat of persecution, they went to their own company, and with one accord committed to God the whole matter: “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings, and grant unto Thy servants that with all boldness they may speak Thy Word by stretching forth Thine hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of Jesus.” And when they had prayed the very place of assembly was shaken (Acts 4:29-30). And so in all that follows. The angel of the Lord opened prison doors, the Philippian jail was shaken by an earthquake; Herod, the persecutor, smitten with death, as Elymas, the Sorcerer, was with blindness; and in face of every danger and difficulty the infant church, standing still, saw God work in His might.

There are four or five special forms or phases of truth as to which men would crave and need instruction: Faith, Love, Hope, Good Works, and the danger of spiritual declension. Each of these has a prominent human exponent. Paul is especially the Apostle of Faith, Peter of Hope, John of Love, James of good works; and Jude warns against apostasy. Thus each follows his own natural bent, and in so doing fills out the design of the Holy Spirit, that each aspect of truth and duty shall have its presentation.