The Exercise of Maturity


	PSALM 132: The Exercise of Maturity The Mature One is Desperate for the Substance of the Lord's Testimony Psalm 132 shows us a mature saint who knows how to rest, how to be in submission, and how to wait on the Lord. Yet in this situation of restfulness the writer still has a desperation. This may seem like a contradiction, but it is accurate according to our experience. The times when we are most anxious are often the times that we are most restful, and the times when we are most restful are often the times that we are most desperate. What is it that we are desperate for? We are desperate for the substance of the Lord's testimony to be produced. When we have grown to this stage of maturity we have a burning desperation. We cry out from within ourselves, "Yes, I see the Lord's testimony. I see the local churches. But where is the substance of all the things I see? Where is the substance of all the things we talk about? We have heard so much, we know so much, we understand so much, but we are so short of the substance of the Lord's testimony!" This is why Psalm 132 is so crucial in our experience. It shows us a mature saint who has grown by the Lord's transforming hand. He has become one with the Lord. He no longer thinks, "How can I bless other saints? How can I be used by the Lord? How can I be a blessing to the church?" Now he is in a different realm. He can tell the Lord, "I don't care whether I'm a blessing or not. I don't care whether I'm used by You or not. These things no longer matter to me. But Lord, I am still so desperate! I ask You, where is the reality? Where is the substance of all the things we have talked about?" Some of us have been in the church life for a long period of time. After being in the church life for many years it is easy for us to develop an attitude of indifference. We begin to say to ourselves, "What's the point? Nothing works. All of the conferences and trainings are good, but afterwards we are always the same. We have heard about so many high things, but in practice they all seem ineffective. There is no impact. It just doesn't matter." This only shows that we need to grow unto maturity. We need to exercise according to what is described in Psalm 132. This psalm shows us a person who realizes something of the Lord's testimony. He knows that God has a habitation among His people. However, the psalmist also realizes, "We are short of reality. We are short of substance." Instead of feeling discouraged or becoming indifferent, he rises up and begins to fight. He fights for the reality of what he has seen. We also should have such a fight. We should struggle for the reality and the substance of the Lord's testimony. We all realize that the Lord's testimony and His habitation are here with us, but we also know there is something lacking. We know that we are far short of the substance of what we have seen. Instead of becoming defeated or discouraged we must rise up to fight. Instead of being indifferent we must begin to struggle to bring in the very substance which establishes the reality of the Lord's testimony among us. This is a marvelous and glorious struggle. The Mature One Vows to "the Mighty One of Jacob" The psalmist begins, "Remember, O Jehovah, for David's sake all his afflictions; how he swore to Jehovah and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob" (v. 1-2). Why does the psalmist tell the Lord to remember David? David was a man after God's own heart. Despite of all his iniquities and shortcomings David satisfied God's desire. The psalmist reminds Jehovah that David vowed to "the Mighty One of Jacob." In the Bible, Jacob represents someone who experiences the transforming work of the Spirit. Jacob was eventually transformed into Israel. Furthermore, when Jacob became Israel God's testimony was produced. When David vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, he vowed to the One who is the God of transformation and the God of testimony. Transformation will always lead to God's testimony. If we vow to "the Mighty One of Jacob" we are saying, "Towards me, God is the mighty God of transformation. Towards the church, His habitation, He is the mighty God of testimony. I vow to this very God!" This is the beginning of our exercise in maturity. The Mature One Does Not Have His Own House The psalmist continues, "I shall not go into the tent of my house; I shall not go up onto the couch of my bed; I shall not give sleep to my eyes, slumber to my eyelids; until I find a place for Jehovah, a tabernacle for the Mighty One of Jacob" (v. 3-5). This is very hard to understand, and we must apply this in the way of experience. The psalmist, quoting David, says, "I shall not go into the tent of my house." The word "tent" here can also be translated "tabernacle." In the Old Testament the tabernacle of God was His dwelling place. Therefore the phrase "the tent of my house" actually means "the tabernacle, God's dwelling place, of my house." But how can our house be the tabernacle? We would think that each of us has our own house, and God's tabernacle is a separate matter. But David said, "the tent of my house." David was a mature person who could testify that his house was God's tabernacle, and God's tabernacle was his house. In other words, David did not have a habitation separate and apart from God's dwelling place. The psalmist, by quoting David, applies these words to himself. His own house and God's dwelling place are the same. How many of us can say this? We would normally think, "There is God's house, and there is my house. God has His tabernacle, and I have my own house." But here in this psalm a mature person declares, "I don't have my own house. My house is God's house. I don't have anything for myself. All that I have is consumed by God for His habitation." The Mature One's Consecration: "My House and God's House are the Same" When we see what the psalmist is describing, we must admit that we feel very inadequate. The psalmist was truly a consecrated person. To most of us, our consecration is always in the principle of an "exchange." When we give something to the Lord we expect that the Lord will reward us. If we offer something to the Lord then He must give us something back in return. Not many of us can say, "My house is God's tabernacle." To say this means that there is no other motive. There is no thought of an exchange. A mature person's consecration is like a marriage. There is no thought between a husband and wife, "Whatever I do for you, I must get something back in return." Yet this is often our concept in the church life. For example, we may tell the Lord, "I will separate certain time-slots for You: the Lord's Table meeting, the prayer meeting, and one night to have a home meeting or to preach the gospel. In return, Lord, You must preserve my job. If possible, give me a raise. Also, I am about to buy a car, so please give me the best price." Because we give a certain amount of time to the Lord we expect a blessing in return. This shows that we don't have a view according to the Lord's desire. When a person grows to maturity he no longer has his "own time." He doesn't have his "own wealth." He doesn't even have his "own house" or his "own property." His house and God's house are the same. His possessions are God's possessions. Everything that he has belongs to God. In fact, it is more accurate to say that everything he has is God's house. Everything he has is God's testimony. And although he does not expect something in return, God's possessions are now his possessions. Because of his maturity, whatever belongs to God belongs also to him. This is the consecration of a mature person. When we are consecrated in such a way, then our house is truly the Lord's tabernacle. This means that we are fully for the church life. For this reason we should be careful of saying that we are too "tight" financially, especially those of us who serve the Lord full-time. This may show that our house and God's tabernacle are two different things in our concept. Sometimes when we offer to the Lord financially we think that we are generous. We may even feel that we are offering too much. We should never consider ourselves generous in our offering to the Lord. To think this way shows that our understanding is wrong. The Lord would tell us, "Don't think that you have offered so much. All that you have belongs to Me. It is Mine anyway." We need to become mature so that we can have a full and complete consecration to the Lord. When we arrive at true maturity we no longer separate what is ours from what is His. We no longer think, "This belongs to me, and that belongs to Him." Nor do we think, "I have given something to the Lord. Now I am entitled to some kind of blessing in return." When we reach the stage of maturity we realize, "The Lord's tabernacle is my house, and my house is His tabernacle. I do not have my own house or my own life. The church life is just my life." The Mature One Has No Rest If the psalmist realizes that his house and God's house are the same, then why can't he be restful? Why must he be so desperate? A house should be a place of rest. We might tell the psalmist, "Not only do you have a house, but your house is God's house. Now you can rest. There is no need to be so desperate." But the psalmist would tell us, "No! In God's house I will not go up to my bed! I cannot have any rest! I will not even give sleep to my eyes!" Previously in Psalm 131 he had been brought to a quiet restfulness. Yet now he is determined not to go up to his bed. Instead of finding rest he is desperate for God's house. He would say, "I see the dwelling place of God. I am for God's house and God's testimony. My house and God's house are the same. Because of this, I forbid myself to have any rest! I am burdened! I am charged! I am desperate! Oh Lord, You have a tabernacle, but where is the substance? Where is the reality of Your testimony?" The demand of sleep is powerful. It is not even possible for anyone to go without sleep for more than a few days. Yet the psalmist declares, "I love God's dwelling place to the uttermost. I am just consumed by His house. Besides the Lord's testimony I have nothing. My house is just God's tabernacle, and His tabernacle is my house. But in my experience there is no bed here. His house is supposed to be a place of rest, but where is the reality? His tabernacle is here, but where is the substance of the tabernacle? Without the substance, how can I rest?" Today God's tabernacle is the church life. To be consumed for God's house is to be consumed for the church life. But do we have this desperation? We are here in the church life, but where is the substance of the church life? We have heard so much, we understand so much, and we can declare so much, but where is the reality? When we realize how short we are we will become desperate and cry out, "Until the reality comes, I will have no rest! I will not give sleep to my eyes, nor slumber to my eyelids! I will struggle! I will fight to bring in the substance of the Lord's testimony!" This is the sign of true maturity. When we enter into the maturity that is depicted in this psalm we can no longer be satisfied with merely being a blessing to the church. Instead we strive for the entire church life to come into reality. This causes us to cry out, "Lord, I will not give myself any rest! I will not close my eyes until You gain Your habitation!" As we have seen, this prayer is to "the Mighty One of Jacob" (v. 2). In other words we pray, "Oh Lord, You are the mighty God of transformation! You are the mighty God of testimony! But where is the reality of Your habitation? Where is the substance of Your tabernacle? This is what I am fighting for! I am fighting to bring the whole church life into this reality!" The Mature One Rises Up and Refuses to Complain or Become Indifferent When we were covering the stage of enlargement in the previous message we spoke a particular word to the younger ones. Now we need to speak a word to the older ones: "Rise up! Fight for the reality of the Lord's testimony!" After being in the church life for a long time we often have many complaints. We complain that there is not enough love in the church. We complain about how our spiritual talk in the church life is so different from our practical living. We complain about the lack in the saints' humanity. But the church can never be built up by murmuring or complaining, even if these complaints are justified. Furthermore, the church can never be built up if we have become indifferent after being in the church life for so long. Yes, we may be discouraged, but it is because things are discouraging that we need to rise up! Yes, there are many things that bother us in the church life, but those very things should cause us to rise up! We need to rise up just like David, who refused to rest until the Lord's testimony was constituted with spiritual reality. The Mature One Struggles that the Lord's Testimony Would Be Filled with Reality After portraying his desperation the psalmist continues, "Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar" (v. 6). Here he is referring to the ark of the covenant. The ark was taken by the Philistines in battle, but eventually they returned it to the Israelites (1 Sam. 4-6). "Jaar" is short for "Kiriath-jearim," which is the place where the ark of the covenant rested until King David brought it to Jerusalem (1 Sam. 7:1-2; 2 Sam. 6:1-19). This means that there was a time when the ark of the covenant was actually missing from God's tabernacle. There was a time when the setting was right, but the content, the reality, was missing. This corresponds to how we often feel about the church life. For example, every Lord's Day morning we have the Lord's Table, in which we remember the Lord and worship the Father. Then every Tuesday night we come together to pray. We may have a serving life, and we may have the preaching of the gospel. Our setting seems right, because we are the tabernacle of God. We have the outer court, the Holy Place, and even the Holy of Holies. Yet we are short of the ark of testimony. We are short of the substance and reality of the church life. Isn't this our situation today? Concerning many churches we would have the realization, "Everything about our setting is right, but where is the substance?" This psalm shows us that the substance of God's tabernacle is the ark of testimony. Without the ark, the tabernacle is empty. It contains a void. It becomes short of reality. Therefore in this psalm we see a mature person who is struggling. He does not struggle for how he can grow, how he can be used by the Lord, or how he can become a blessing. He has already gained all of these things through his previous experiences, but he is still not satisfied. He cries out, "Lord, I am not just here to be a blessing to others. I am not just here to render the church a supply of life and enjoyment. Lord, I am after the ark of testimony! I am after the substance of the church life!" This should be our struggle. We should struggle that the church life would be filled with reality. The Mature One Produces the Reality of the Lord's Testimony, in which Christ Alone is Seen The psalmist continues, "We will go into His tabernacle; we will worship at His footstool" (v. 7). Here we see a very significant progression in this psalm, from "the tent of my house" (v. 3) to "His tabernacle" (v. 7). Formerly the psalmist spoke of "the tent of my house," with "the couch of my bed." But now, because of his struggling, the substance and reality of God's tabernacle has been gained. This means that to the psalmist there is no more "I." There is no more "my house" or "my bed." We must realize that when the reality of God's habitation comes, the "I" disappears. When the ark of testimony is produced, then all the individuals are gone. There is nothing left but God's tabernacle. For us, this means that the Lord becomes the real center of the church life. We no longer have "my tent." We no longer have anything for ourselves. We only have "His tabernacle." We disappear, and He alone is seen. We should pray, "Dear Lord, grant us this reality. How long must we wait? How long until we reach this stage? How long until we have a church life where You are everything, where there is only You, and nothing but You? Lord, we want You as the ark of testimony to be the center and reality of the church life." In the church life there should be nothing and no one but Christ. The Lord must be the center, substance, and reality of the church life. He is the ark of the covenant. We know from the Bible that the ark contained three items: the tablets of law, the hidden manna, and the budding rod. This shows us that we need Christ in three aspects. We need Him as the reality of the tablets of law, which means that He rules the church. We need Him as the reality of the hidden manna, which means that He is our very life supply. We need Him as the reality of the budded rod, which means that He operates within the church life as the resurrection power. When the church life is healthy everyone disappears, and only Christ is here. In the church we should see nothing but Christ. In Matthew 17, after Christ was transfigured on the mountain, the Bible says that His disciples "saw no one except Jesus Himself alone" (Matt. 17:8). Eventually the church must come to such a place. Only when there is "no one except Jesus Himself alone" will God be satisfied. Only then will God be able to say about the church life, "This is My tabernacle! This is My house and My testimony!" May the Lord have mercy on us. If we truly see that this is what the Lord desires we will feel very heavy within. We have all loved the Lord for so many years now, yet we may be short of this desire. But if we are mature, then we must have the same longing and struggle that this psalmist had, and that David had before him. We must say, "I will not sleep. I will not slumber. I will not give myself any rest. But I will fight, and I will struggle. I will locate the ark of testimony, and I will bring it into the house of God. I will produce the substance and reality and bring it into the church life. Then in the church life there will be nothing but Christ!" The Mature One's Exercise Provides the Lord a Way to Enter into His Rest After the reality of God's tabernacle is produced, the psalmist continues, "Arise, O Jehovah, unto Your resting place, You and the Ark of Your strength" (v. 8). In verse six the psalmist said, "We found it [the ark] in the fields of Jaar." In other words, by his struggling the psalmist produced the ark of testimony, the reality and substance of the Lord's habitation. This means that he has provided the Lord a way to enter into His resting place. He can now tell the Lord, "Arise, O Jehovah, unto Your resting place, You and the Ark of Your strength." In this verse the Lord finds His rest. Here He is finally satisfied. He can say, "I have gained My building. I have gained My testimony. I have gained what I have desired. Now I can rest." The psalmist has gone through a tremendous process to be able to provide the Lord such a rest. All of his experiences, all of his realizations, all of his struggling, and all of his tears eventually produce God's own rest. After all of the psalmist's experiences of consecration, transformation, and growth unto maturity, it is the Lord who is now resting. As we have seen, when the reality of God's habitation is produced, the "I" disappears and there is no one but Christ. When the church life is in such a healthy condition, the church's strength is in Christ alone. The strength of the church life must be the ark of the covenant. The ark is Christ Himself, with His ruling, His resurrection power, and His life supply. Through the exercise of maturity as depicted in this psalm, the church life is upheld by the ark, that is, by Christ alone. Praise the Lord for this! Even though these matters are deep, we should still have at least some understanding of what is revealed here. We need to pray, "Oh Lord, I give myself to You that I would become fully mature. I want my house to be Your tabernacle, and Your tabernacle to be my house. I want my life and the church life to be one, to the fullest degree possible. And even more, Lord, I desire to produce the substance and reality of the church life. I desire that we would have Your heavenly ruling, Your resurrection power, and Your divine life supply. I pray, Lord, that by my exercise in maturity You could enter into Your rest." We will conclude with verses thirteen and fourteen of this psalm: "For Jehovah has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. This is My resting place forever; here will I dwell, for I have desired it." This is the Lord's desire, an eternal habitation. The psalmist in his maturity has brought something eternal into the Lord's testimony. The Lord has His resting place "forever." May we all exercise to bring in the substance and reality of the Lord's testimony. May the church life become so healthy that only Christ Himself is seen. And may we all desire to grow until we reach this stage of maturity, so that we can exercise to bring the Lord into His rest forever. To purchase the book Journey of Life; the Psalms of Ascent and Song of Songs