The Local Churches Typified in the Book of Psalms
The Local Churches Typified in the Book of Psalms |
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Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Witness Lee and Watchman NeeThe last psalm we shall consider here is Psalm 133. Verse 1 says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in oneness!” (Heb.). This verse speaks of the goodness and pleasantness of dwelling together in oneness. According to verse 2, such a dwelling together in oneness “is like the precious ointment upon the head, that spread upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments” (Heb.). Notice that this verse speaks of ointment, not just of oil. Ointment spreads more slowly than oil does. In the church life the ointment does not run; rather, it spreads slowly, gradually, and gently. The precious ointment spreads from Aaron’s head even to the skirts of his garments. This indicates that it comes down from the Head to the entire Body. In verse 3 the dwelling in oneness is likened to the dew of Hermon and to “the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion.” Hermon, a high mountain, signifies the heavens, from which the dew descends. The mountains are the local churches, and the dew is the grace of Christ. This dew that descends upon the local churches is very refreshing. We can testify that the refreshing element of Christ descends upon us in the local churches. Praise the Lord for the heavenly dew that descends upon the local churches for our enjoyment! The ointment and the dew bring in life. Verse 3 says, “For there the Lord commanded the blessing, life forevermore” (v. 3, Heb.). Note that this verse does not say, “The Lord gave the blessing”; it says, “The Lord commanded the blessing.” In the church life as the house of God, we enjoy the commanded blessing of life. Even in Old Testament times, when God’s people came to a material temple, they enjoyed a wonderful life in the house of God. They gathered together around the temple and offered the top portion of the rich produce of the good land. Then they enjoyed these offerings with God and in the presence of God. This was their life, their living, and their worship. They worshipped the Lord through enjoying the riches of the good land. Because this was their living, they were planted and flourished in the house of the Lord. This is a picture, in typology, of what can happen on the ground of oneness. (Witness Lee, Genuine Ground, 72-73) After such a wonderful Psalm as Psalm 132, we see a wonderful church life, the wonderful life of the brethren living together in unity. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Ps. 133:1). “It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments” (v. 2). The unity is like the precious ointment. This ointment is the Spirit, the Spirit which includes all that Christ is and all He has accomplished. It runs down from the Head to the entire Body. Now, praise the Lord, we are under His skirt. Since we are all His members, we are all under His skirt, under His garments. Hence, we all partake of the anointing ointment. This is a picture of the Body. Another aspect of the unity is that it is like the dew of Hermon which descends upon the mountains of Zion. Hermon, a high mountain, signifies the heavens, the highest place, from which the dew descends. The mountains are the local churches, and the dew is the refreshing Christ. In Psalm 110 we are the dew to Christ, but here in Psalm 133 Christ is the dew to the church. Praise the Lord, we are His refreshment, and He is ours. Day by day He is refreshed by us, and we are refreshed by Him. The refreshing element of Christ comes down upon all the local churches. Sometimes when we are in the meetings late in the evening, we experience the refreshing dew as in the dawn of the morning. Many times we are very tired in body, but tremendously refreshed in spirit. We would like the meetings to continue through the entire night. Such unity is as the dew of Hermon that descends upon the mountains of Zion. It is not only as ointment upon the Body of Christ, but also as heavenly dew upon the local churches for our enjoyment. It is not only a Body life, but also a local church life. Hallelujah for such unity! It is here, in such a place of unity, that “the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore” (v. 3). Note that it does not say “the Lord gave the blessing,” but “the Lord commanded the blessing.” The blessing is life, fullness of life, for evermore. How glad we are to hear of the local churches being full of life. This is the fulfillment of Psalm 133. Where the brethren are dwelling together in unity, the Lord commands the blessing, even life for evermore. The beauty, the joy, and the blessing of the unity of God’s people are with the Body of Christ and in the local churches. (Witness Lee, Christ and the Church, 202-204) Now let us go on to Psalm 128:5, “The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.” The Lord’s blessing is out of Zion, and the good is of the city Jerusalem. In these Psalms of ascension, the concept is always of Zion, Jerusalem, the house and the city. “Thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem (the good of the city) all the days of thy life.” All my expectation is that I may see the good of the local churches as the city all the days of my life. I have been seeing it for forty years now, and I hope to see it until the day I shall see Him. The Lord bless thee, brothers; the Lord bless thee, sisters, out of the local churches! O what a blessing it is to see the good of the local churches all the days of our life! We have only tasted a little, but according to this taste, suppose that there should be no more church life. I believe that many of us would be weeping. What a barren desert that would be! But, praise the Lord, we are in God’s recovery; we are living in the local churches. (Witness Lee, Christ and the Church, 199) | ||||