Studies in Ephesians

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · May 27, 1913

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 40, No. 21.

Studies in Ephesians

“Be Not Foolish, but Wise”

Chapter 5, Verses 13-20, A.R.V.

Questioning the Text

1. How may we know the works of darkness?

“But all things when they are reproved are made manifest by the light: for everything that is made manifest is light.” Verse 13. Note 1.

2. What exhortation does the apostle give in view of this?

“Wherefore He saith, Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine upon thee.” Verse 14.

3. What pertinent admonition is given in view of this?

“Look therefore carefully how ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise; redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Verses 15-17. Note 2.

4. What is to take the place of the drunkenness and riot of sin?

“And be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit.” Verse 18. Note 3.

5. How will the Spirit-filled life be manifested?

“Speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.” Verse 19. Note 4.

6. How will God and each other be regarded?

“Giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.” Verses 20, 21. Note 5.

Note and Comment

1. “Manifest by light.”—The Common Version has a good thought,—“Whatsoever doth make manifest is light;” that is, it is light which reveals, and anything whatsoever which does reveal the sin is light. Men have learned, in these days of scientific research, that light is not always visible. There are some kinds of rays which can not be seen by the naked eye, but these very rays which the naked eye can not see are themselves marvelously useful in revealing things which men wish to know. Take, for instance, the X-ray, or the Röntgen ray, by which the bones of the body may be revealed. What a wonderful help has it been in science! Man can not with the naked eye discern these rays of light, but the rays of light can be so used as to make manifest to men things which the naked eye can not see. This is but an illustration of the various and many ways which God has of making manifest the good and the evil. The things which are convicted are made manifest by the light; and when these things are revealed, they themselves, of course, are made light, when we understand what they are, and see clearly through them. But it is the light which should be cherished. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path,” says the psalmist. Of Jesus Christ, the One who gives the Word, we read that He is the Light of the world. And so God’s word cherished in our heart through Him will reveal sin in us, will cleanse the sin, will make His children what He desires them to be, the light of the world, revealing the world’s sin and the world’s deformities and the world’s failures and mistakes, and revealing also the clear, strong, righteous way in which God’s children should walk.

2. “Look carefully.”—Look circumspectly, look all around, let the feet walk in the plain path, understand and know the way in which you are walking,—not foolishly blundering into the pitfalls of the enemy, but wisely walking in the ways of God. “Redeeming the time,”—very much better, “buying up the opportunity.” The expression is used sometimes of redeeming the days that are past and gone. We can not do that. “Time” is not used in this text in the sense of duration. It is used in the sense of opportunity,—this time, the NOW. The world has a thousand things for us to do in this time. The devil will place there a thousand more, if possible; and it means sacrifice of many things, many times, in order to improve the now for God. It means sometimes selling the farm, and sometimes getting rid of our business, and sometimes giving up this party of pleasure, or that supper, or one of the many things which God calls upon His children to sacrifice. Above all things, it means giving self. Living a Christian means paying the price, means fellowship with the sufferings of the Lord; but the sacrifice of these things in the Christian life enables us to buy the opportunity of work for God. There are thousands who are dying spiritually, falling back on the lowlands of unbelief and doubt and sin, who, if they would but yield all that they have to the Lord Jesus, and seize the now for work for Him, would find all the blessings which are assured in this our lesson. The days are evil. Let us buy up the opportunity, that we may meet the evil of the days,—buying up the opportunity because the days are evil. It is foolish not to do it; wherefore be not foolish. It is wise to do it; therefore understand what the will of the Lord is, and do that will at any cost.

3. “Be not drunken.”—The world is; drunken sometimes with wine, drunken with pleasure, drunken with lust, drunken with all the various intoxicants that men and demons can brew, and out of all these comes riot, comes dissolution of character, comes destruction. Do not yield to these things. The religious may be drunken with the wine of Babylon. There is a better thing to be filled with, and that is the Spirit. Be filled with the Spirit. God waits to pour out His Spirit into the heart that wishes to receive it. See how simple it is! Read Luke the 11th chapter, verses 9-13. “Ask,” He tells us, “and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” For every one that truly asks, receives; and the man who truly seeks, finds; and the one that persistently knocks, will find the door opening at last. And then think of the figure which our Lord uses: Will a hungry son ask bread of a father, and get a stone? Will he ask for a fish—a common article of food at the time—and find the father offering him a serpent? Will he ask for an egg, and find a scorpion that is coiled in the form of an egg? No true father would deceive his son, or tantalize him. No more will the heavenly Father. “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” Be filled with the Spirit. We do not know what joy we are missing when we attempt to satisfy our souls on the wretched, barren husks of this world. We do not know of the joy that would come to us if we were willing to lay them all down at the Master’s feet forever, and receive of Him the better, blessed things that would grow better with the use, never pall upon the appetite, and bring eternal life at last.

4. “Speaking one to another”—the fruitage of the Spirit. How rich the Scriptures would be in such cases as that, for there is direct reference to the psalms of the Bible in this expression which the apostle uses, the “psalms,” and the “hymns,” and the “spiritual songs.” Our hearts would be filled with the life of them, and we would talk them and sing them to others. And whether we could sing one single correct note or not, vocally, we would make melody in our hearts to the Lord.

5. “Giving thanks.”—Receiving such blessings from God, our souls will be filled with thanksgiving. Day by day we would prove Him until we would be willing to give thanks always; and the very disappointing things to the natural heart should come to us, we would give thanks for these also, because He would make these work for our good. And so always for all things would we give thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we would the more willingly work in harmony with others who were like-minded, subjecting or submitting ourselves one to another in the fear of God. And thus working together would the church be built up.