The Local Churches Typified in the Book of Psalms

Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Witness Lee and Watchman Nee

Now we come to the highest peak of all the Psalms, Psalm 68.

…We will see that in this Psalm we have firstly Christ, secondly the house, thirdly the city, Jerusalem, and fourthly the earth. But we do not have the law. The law has been left behind; the law has been dropped. When we come to the highest peak of all the Psalms, we only have Christ in the house within the city for the whole earth. These are the four key words of Psalm 68—Christ, the house, the city, and the earth. If we would understand this Psalm, and indeed all the Psalms, we must understand these four words. The whole book of the Psalms is found in miniature in Psalm 68. By now we have already laid the foundation for this Psalm. Before we have come to the peak, we have already glimpsed it. We have seen Christ, we have seen the house, we have seen the city, and we have seen the earth. We have such a foundation. Now it is easy for us to understand Psalm 68.

We may briefly define this Psalm by saying that it tells us how, in God’s move on the earth, Christ ascended to the heavens and as a man received gifts from God for the building of God’s dwelling place. The building up of God’s house is for the expansion of the city, and the expansion of the city is for Christ’s reigning over the entire earth. Christ has conquered all His enemies, He has won the victory, He has led captive a train of vanquished foes, He has ascended and been exalted to the highest place in the universe, and He has received gifts for building up the house of God. This house is for the city, and the city is for the whole earth. Now you have Psalm 68. Without these points, though you may read this Psalm one hundred times, you will never comprehend it.

(Witness Lee, Christ and the Church, 99-100)

[Psalm 68] [v]erses 31 and 32: “Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall haste to stretch out her hands unto God. Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah.” These two verses indicate how the whole earth will be gained by the Lord. Through the city the Lord recovers the earth. “O God, thou art awe-inspiring out of thy sanctuaries (today we may say that He is awe-inspiring out of the local churches); the God…is he who giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God” (v. 35).

These are the nine main points of Psalm 68: God’s move on this earth, His victory in Christ over all His enemies, Christ’s ascension after His victory, Christ’s receiving and giving of gifts, the building up of the house of God by the gifts, the enjoyment of God in the house as everything to us, loading us with good and applying His victory over all situations, our praises issuing from our enjoyment, the enlarging of the church from the house to the city, and eventually the recovery of the earth through the city. It is marvelous! This is the climax of all the Psalms.

(Witness Lee, Christ and the Church, 117)

Now we must go on to Book IV [Psalms 90-106], keeping in mind the message of the first three books. Book IV tells us that the saints, being joined to Christ, are one with God, so that He can recover His title over the earth through Christ in His house and city. This sentence is full of meaning. The earth is the Lord’s, and now He is coming to claim His legal right and title over the whole earth through Christ in the church. This is the message of Book IV.

(Witness lee, Christ and the Church, 166)

The second section of Psalm 102,…the Psalm begins by telling of Christ’s suffering, and then turns suddenly to the house and the city of God. Verse 13 says, “Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time, is come.” I do believe that this was a time when the house and the city were in desolation, and the saints desired to see the restoration. “For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof” (v. 14). Do not forget that this is poetic expression. The stones mentioned here are the believers. And the dust refers to the ground of Zion. The servants of the Lord take pleasure in the members of God’s house, and they favor her ground. Verse 15: “So the nations shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.” Again, you see the relation between the house, the city, and the earth. When the city is in the proper situation before God, then the earth may be gained by the Lord. It is through Zion, through the church, that the nations will turn to the Lord and the kings give glory to the Lord. When we love the church, when we take pleasure in her stones and in her ground, these things will occur. The turning of the earth to the Lord depends upon our attitude toward the house of the Lord.

I say again that this is poetry. We must understand what it means to take pleasure in all the stones of Zion and to favor her ground. It is not easy for most Christians to understand these words. I believe that before we came into the local church we could not understand the meaning of favoring the ground of Zion. But today we have the position, and we are in the position to understand this poetry and to have such an experience. We take pleasure in the stones of Zion, and we favor the dust thereof. We are so happy with all the dear ones in the local church, and we are standing upon the ground of the church.

(Witness Lee, Christ and the Church, 176-177)

Main

God’s House

Zion

City of God

Bride

Practical Salvation

Built Up

Victory

Bibliography

Links