Studies in the Gospel Message
THE subject of the Sabbath-school lesson for August 16 is The Religion of Babylon Does Not Recognize the True Temple, and the portion of Scripture upon which it is based is Dan. 2:1–13. The religion which was professed at Jerusalem had been brought into contempt at Babylon. The temple, the center of the Jerusalem worship, had been desecrated by the Babylonians, and “part of the vessels of the house of God” had been carried away to Babylon, and had been brought by the king “into the treasure-house of his god.” Judging from outward appearances, it would appear that the Babylonians had investigated the question of the temple at Jerusalem and its services, the sanctuary question, and had found nothing essentially different from their own ideas of temple worship. They had found a building containing certain vessels and furniture different from what they had in Babylon, and they had carried away some of these vessels as trophies of victory. It would certainly seem as though they had good reason to believe that an alliance with the gods of Babylon was more profitable than an alliance with the God of the Hebrews. The fact was, however, that this experience simply demonstrated the utter weakness and uselessness of a mere profession of Christianity, and that there is no power in mere ceremonialism to save from the power of the enemy. Religion at Jerusalem had degenerated into formalism. The round of ceremonies in the temple was performed by those whose hearts were far from God. Through the prophet Isaiah the Lord had said of them long years before: “This people draw nigh unto me, and with their mouth and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which hath been learned by rote.” The power of the endless life was entirely lacking in such a service as this. Those whose religion consisted merely in the outward services of the temple, and who had not interpreted in their own experience the true meaning of the sanctuary question, had nothing to rest upon when the temple was overthrown, and its services were no longer conducted. When they were taken to Babylon as captives, having failed to maintain their fellowship with God, and having lost the shekinah glory out of their own hearts, they had no power to resist the temptations which surrounded them, and naturally enough many of them dropped even the forms of a peculiar people, and became in their outward life what they were in fact before the fall of Jerusalem—like the nations around them. But to Daniel and his companions the sanctuary and its services were a different thing. They were the provision which God had made through which they might receive forgiveness and cleansing from sin through their faith in the gift of the Seed, Immanuel, “God with us,” who by taking the flesh would “save his people from their sins.” They recognized their bodies as the true temple, the indwelling Presence as the true shekinah, and the continual service as the means of unbroken communion with him who had promised to dwell with those who were of a humble and contrite heart. When through no fault of theirs they were deprived of the privilege of the temple worship, they retained the reality of its teaching in their experience, refused to defile the human temple, maintained their communion with God unbroken, and were thus prepared to be used of God in proclaiming the gospel of his indwelling presence with flesh. Through the unfaithfulness of the Jews as a nation, the Babylonians had failed to learn of the true gospel of the kingdom, the kingdom of God in men, and on the contrary had demonstrated in a manner convincing to themselves that the gods of Babylon were superior to the God of the Hebrews. Now through the faithfulness of Daniel and his companions they are to learn the truth of the gospel, the real meaning of the temple service, and that the kingdom of God in the heart will finally triumph over all earthly kingdoms, and will “stand forever.” It is to be demonstrated that the temple of God and the temple of Belus have nothing in common, that the wisdom of men is foolishness with God, and that “the Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.” The opportunity for all this was offered in the experience of Nebuchadnezzar when he “dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.” He who gave the dream to Nebuchadnezzar took it from him, that he might reveal himself as so closely united with humanity that he6knows our thought afar off. The professions of the wise men of Babylon are put to the extreme test. Brought by the threats of the king where the failure of their system means death to them, they protest against the demand which exposes the unbridged gulf between them and true wisdom, and demonstrates that the temple of Belus and its services mean—nothing, absolutely nothing. “For all the gods of the peoples are
nothing,
But the Lord made the heavens,
Grandeur and majesty are before him,
Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.”
The final answer of the Chaldeans was made in these words: “There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” This is the religion of Babylon. Their gods are afar off, and not nigh at hand. Their temple service speaks to them of gods in a sphere entirely apart from themselves, between whom and themselves there is no real union. This is the religion of self and despair. In the face of death it offers no help. It raises no ladder of hope as a means of connection between earth and heaven. Its standard of right is the mere dictum of human philosophy, its power for doing right is wholly of the flesh, and its religious vocabulary does not include the word “faith.” It is the very opposite of Christianity. The tabernacle of old, called by the martyr Stephen “the tabernacle of witness,” and the later temple were a constant witness to the purpose of God to dwell with flesh. This was the only hope of humanity. This was the gospel of the temple and its services. Through this object lesson was taught the lesson of that condescension which makes us great: “I will dwell in them, and walk in them.” The faith which found expression in sacrifice and offering laid hold upon this provision to be right with God, and those who exercised it became right through this faith. Thus did Abel obtain “witness that he was righteous.” This was the experience of Daniel and his companions, and through his providence the Lord has brought them to stand among the wise men of Babylon, that under the very shadow of the temple of Belus they might make known the gospel of the temple and its services, and testify to the fact that God does dwell with flesh. When the decree went forth “that the wise men should be slain,” the opportunity had again come to reveal to Babylon the gospel that saves from death. Hezekiah, the king, saved from death by the gift of the indwelling life, and inquired of by the messengers from Babylon concerning this thing, exalted himself in the place of God, and brought great evil upon Jerusalem. Daniel, the captive, sought for by order of the king that he might be put to death, recognized the call for the gospel of righteousness by faith, the essence of which is to do the right thing in the right way at the right time, and thus averted the sentence of death. What a testimony to the truth that God does dwell with flesh! This is Christianity.