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The Ministry of Consolation.
#29. "Written for our learning . . . . . comfort of the Scriptures"
(Rom. 15: 4).
pp. 26, 27
In the three papers preceding this one, we have brought together teaching from the
Psalms, which may be summarized as follows:--
The believer, though bowed down in soul, and surrounded by adversaries, may
nevertheless be confident of victory, for he trusts in God Who "perfects" or brings all
things to their appointed end, and so his heart is "prepared" and unmoved.
This attitude of heart is moreover very closely connected with the "exaltation" of the
Lord, which foreshadows the ascension of Christ. The exalted Lord is by no means
inaccessible, but on the contrary is One Who "hath respect unto the lowly".
It seems fitting that we should not conclude these brief observations without drawing
the reader's attention to their N.T. fulfillment.
The "perfecting" God is seen at His blessed work in Hebrews, where "to go on unto
perfection" (or the end) is a key passage. Hebrews, moreover, is vitally connected with
the ascended Christ, His finished work being emphasized by the fact that He has "sat
down on the right hand of the Majesty on high". He has "passed through the heavens"
(Heb. 4: 14), and in Him we have One Who, having been touched with the feeling of our
infirmities, bids us draw near to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace to help
in time of need; and as One Who has been made high, yea "higher than the heavens"
(Heb. 7: 26), He "ever liveth to make intercession for us". This exalted One is,
moreover, Head of the church, the one body, and as the ascended One He gave "gifts
unto men" (Eph. 4: 8-11), which gifts in their turn are instrumental in leading on to the
"perfect" man.
Whilst (if Eph. 3: 2-11 be true) the dispensation of the mystery cannot be a subject
of revelation in the O.T., nevertheless the ministry of consolation is as wide as suffering
saintship, and knows no dispensational boundaries.
There is far more of victory in the ascension of Christ than we have as yet perceived,
and it is good in the midst of trouble to remember that One at the right hand of God, and
also be able, in His triumph, to be "more than conquerors" (Rom. 8: 34-37).
"O magnify the Lord with Me, and let us exalt His Name together" (Psa. 34: 3).