"Gather to me my loyal servants, those who by sacrifice made a covenant with me…" (Psalm 50. 5 REV). So speaks the Eternal, through the Psalmist. The word 'saints'(AV) is significant. One of the problems perpetually confronting a responsible interpreter of Holy Scripture is that of determining that which has spiritual significance and a message for the Church and that which is of literal significance. The latter has a plain and clear meaning and allows of no involved obscure construction. Here, the message is at once both clear and involved, a message that at first seems natural and literal but at the second reading conveys a deep significant call to all who are truly God's people.

"Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined." (V.2). This is addressed to those who have been cleansed and sanctified in the spirit through the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our righteousness, the 'Altogether Lovely One', in whom His people are seen and accepted by the Father (Eph.1.6). To and through these the Father speaks to those who have ears to hear, and says "Gather to me my faithful ones". He speaks with a measure of judgment. (Psalm 50.3,4,6) and no wonder! "What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done it? (Isa 5.4). Now he calls and calls with vigour, to those precious in His sight.

"Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence…Hear. O my people" (vv 3,7) They who are worthy of the name, "My people" (1 Pet.2. 10) will hear. There is a beautiful natural parable of a potter sitting at his wheel, moulding a lump of clay and fashioning it to the beauty of design and workmanship in his mind. Jeremiah was shown a picture which applies to natural and spiritual Israel (Rom.9.19-26; 1 Cor.10.11). "As clay in the potter's hand, so are you in mine hand.." (Jer.18.6); so speaks the great Creator, God and Father of mankind, to those upon whom He laid His hand as His chosen vessels, cleansed and ready for His use (Ezek.40.1; Rev.1.7; Acts 9.15; 2 Tim.2 21). God could, had He wished, have chosen clay of finer, nobler substance than they. He could have chosen, even from among fallen men, a clay of better composition, of minimum fault and failure, that would have responded differently to the great Potter's hand, yielding an immediate valued product. He did not do so, either with natural or spiritual Israel (Deut.31.27; 1 Cor.1.26-29). There is hope when the clay is marred in the hand of the Potter, in that He does not cast it away and choose another piece, but remakes it, in a different mould, "as it seems good". And now, behold, a wonderful thing. The fact that the clay has failed, and been remade, does not diminish its value or usefulness, but rather enhances it! Time has shown, many times, that not the shallow, inexperienced servants are the most useful to the great King. It is those who through failure, trial and suffering that come to know Him as a loving Father and His dear Son as the great High Priest. These who are able to bear patiently their infirmities are "vessels of mercy" and because they have experienced His mercy in themselves are able to carry the word of forgiveness and salvation to others! (Heb. 5.1,2,5,6: 7.25; 1 Tim.1.15,16; 2 Cor.3.6; Rom.9.23) When a Persian carpet is being made it sometimes happens that one or more of the apprentices who are allowed to help may make a mistake in weave or colour. When this happens if the artist be a past master at his craft, he does not undo the mistake! Instead he weaves it into the pattern achieving a new and enhanced heights of design and craftsmanship. So take heart you who "kneel, conscious of our failure and our sin and dare to call his righteousness our own.." God is never impotent amid the wreckage of anyone's hope and expectation. There is no 'cul-de-sac' in the Divine purpose. Abraham, father of the faithful, believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness; "being fully persuaded that what God had promised He was abundantly able to perform…". So tremendous was the faith that shone in the heart and life of Abraham and so pleased the Almighty that he was given the magnificent title of 'friend of God'. That wonderful faith can be ours also as we look up into the dear face of the Beloved and say "Yea Lord, I believe, help mine unbelief ! I believe that what you have promised you are abundantly able to perform! You have begun a good work in me; and will complete it! That you will perfect that which concerns me…" And one day we shall see this apparently ruined, wasted, emaciated, unprofitable life of ours crowned with glory and honour as the lovely product of His grace!

Keep on believing there's nothing to fear,

Keep on believing, Jesus is near,

Keep on believing in night and day

He is still guiding - and will guide all the way.

So to return to the Psalm, "Those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice." If this applied to natural Israel how much more must it apply to spiritual Israel; "who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God" (John 1. 13). It is obvious that if natural Israel were in a "covenant by sacrifice", spiritual Israel (for whom the Son of God died" Eph.5.25) is much more so. For whereas the people of Israel were involved in that Covenant whether they liked it or not, they had no choice in the matter for the covenant had already been made with their fathers. Spiritual Israel is in a very different category. Every member of the Church of the Firstborn, the New Creation, Israel after the spirit is there by specific invitation and acceptance, on the basis of the Sacrifice of God's Son, whose blood was shed for and accepted by each of them, as individuals, on an entirely voluntary basis. They are thereafter 'members if His Body' the Church of the living God. "By sacrifice!" Admittedly we have offered our little all. "All we have, our hearts, we give you; consecrate them, yours alone…" We have offered our feeble little all and have presented our bodies as "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God … our reasonable service. But far transcending any or all of these is His great and tremendous sacrifice of His only begotten Son, the dearest treasure of His heart on our behalf. Thereafter all we can offer that could possibly be acceptable is, as the Apostle so beautifully and simply puts it, the "sacrifice of praise" (Heb.13.15). This itself a most beautifully spiritual rendering of the final verse of Psalm 50. "Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honour me; to those who go the right way, I will show the salvation of God." (RSV). Can we not then, in view of all these wonders, realise the greatness of His love and mercy toward us, the unspeakable gift of the sacrifice of His Son, and, on this basis "Gather together unto him…"? Thus forsaking all lesser things, and on the basis of His great sacrifice for us, and full acceptance and belief of that great and vital fact, come together in love and gratitude, and with one mind and one mouth "Glorify Him" to whom all praise belongs, and His Son, who loved us, and gave Himself for us.