LIFE ON THE ALTAR

This article is from Issue 4, Called to Trust

By A. B. Saint

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
and a light unto my path.”
(Psalm 119:105)

I think that most people have heard of  Russell Conwell.  His name has been passed down through the generations. He was an American who hailed from Massachusetts. His life was many faceted and from very early on it seems he was a born leader. Amongst other things, Russell Conwell was a good story-teller and through this medium he exhorted others to seek to do well in life, and taking his advice, many did just that. One of the stories he is famed for relaying is the one which he himself was told whilst travelling abroad in 1869. His Arab guide, famous for his lengthy narratives, commenced to tell him one which Conwell never forgot, and in time, he was to retell that same story thousands of times within the hearing of others.  Before us is not the whole account, but a simple outline.  

A man by the name of Ali Hafad enjoyed a good life. He, along with his wife and children, were the owners of a large farm.  Ali worked the farm and tended its orchards and vineyard and lived a happy and contented life.  This was until a visitor knocked on his door. Inviting the Buddhist monk inside and seating him by the fire, the monk began to relate a story of someone in another land who had discovered diamonds. The monk went on to say how that just a small handful of these precious stones could buy much in this life, even the whole world. Ali was very impressed, but the question was, where was he to go to find such diamonds?

The story has it that he sold his farm and left his wife and children with a neighbour, promising to come back to them a much richer man. As the years passed, he travelled to numerous lands throughout the globe, he quarried for diamonds, but sadly without success. In the end he became penniless, and eventually ended it all by walking right into the Mediterranean Sea and was never seen again. As time went on, the story tells that someone else purchased Ali’s farm, and one day taking his camel to the stream in the garden to allow it to take a drink, a beam of light must have shone in the morning sun, revealing something which sparkled in the water, it was a black stone.  Retrieving it from its watery bed, the new owner took it into the house and for the purpose of admiring it, he placed it on the mantel.   

The following day, this same Buddhist priest came by the farm, was invited in by its new owner and sitting down by the fire, the priest caught a glimpse of the sparkling black stone. Straight away he recognised it as a diamond, and he asked to be taken to the spot where it was found. The two men made their way down to the stream and bending low, they gently moved away the sand with their fingers, revealing more of the same precious black stones, hidden at the very bottom of the stream. It goes without saying, that in time, the new owner of the farm became a very rich man indeed.

Surely the lessons abound in this little story. Do not be covetous but learn to be content with what you already have.  Remember too, that the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side, and if we are looking to be successful in this life, our success, our victories, our triumphs, can often be found on our own doorstep and within the confines of our own backyard.

There are countless treasure seekers in this world are there not? Men and women who have done their homework, possibly spending years in the planning, going forth armed with everything they will need for their particular quest. Amazing stories of people finding buried treasure can often reach our ears.   Treasures, discovered in ancient shipwrecks beneath the sea, treasures, found in howling desert wastes, treasure sometimes surprisingly stumbled upon in the average cottage garden plot. More than once, I  have even read of treasure being found in a graveyard.

In a sense I suppose I am a treasure seeker myself. Each day as I come before the Lord in prayer and with bible in hand, I say, “Open my eyes Lord that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy Law” (Psalm 119:18). What a precious Psalm this is, superabounding in shimmering spiritual truths just waiting to be unearthed. No wonder, through the years, this much valued Psalm has often been likened to a string of pearls; beautiful as a whole, yet each individual verse, each individual pearl, having its own worth. Each verse could very easily be expounded upon and used in daily devotions.

And what a long Psalm this is, the longest Psalm of all in fact, with 176 verses. It certainly would not have been written overnight! It is not only the longest Psalm in the Bible, but it is also the longest chapter in the whole of the Bible. I was once told that young Jewish students were taught to commit the whole of this Psalm to memory. Some prominent people of God have done the very same thing, two such people being William Wilberforce, who was involved in the abolition of the slave trade and the well-known Scottish pioneer missionary, David Livingstone.

Under the penmanship of its godly author, the Psalmist indicates that when reading the Bible, there is the necessity for God Himself, by His Spirit, to open the eyes of the heart. In other words, the eyes of our spiritual understanding, when reading His Word. It has been said that “Precious things are deeply hidden.  Pebbles and stones and autumn leaves abound everywhere, but gold and silver are hidden deep in the bowels and rocky ribs of the earth; shells cover the sea- shore, but pearls are hidden in its depths.  And so, with truth. Some truths may lie on the surface of the bible, but those that will altogether satisfy and distinguish us and make us wise unto salvation are found only after diligent search, even as for hidden treasure.” S L Brengle. 

As a young person I was taught to value the Word of God above any other spiritual book. I was told, other books can be enjoyed, but the Bible must always be at the centre. “Let God speak to you first,” was always the prerequisite, “before you hear the voice of man.” 

This morning I awoke with a verse of an old hymn on my mind. It was written by a lady called Clara H Scott. She has long since gone, but the hymn, as they say, lives on. 

“Open my eyes, that I may see, glimpses of truth Thou hast for me, Place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclasp and set me free, Silently, now I wait for Thee, Ready my God, Thy Will to see, Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit Divine.”

How accurate this lady was in the writing of this sacred song. Through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling, through His Anointing, we have in a sense, the Oil which will illuminate the Scriptures to us, for without this revelation of spiritual truths, we walk in the dark. What does Psalm 36:9 tell us? “In Thy light we shall see light.” In the story of Ali Hafed, our treasure seeker, it must be clearly understood that it could only have been the light of the sun’s rays resting upon the object buried beneath the water, which revealed that which was less than common place. As the light hit it, the sparkling jewel came to life and glistened in the water. A mere cobble stone or pebble would not demonstrate any such thing. There would be no flashes of light returning from them. 

What a treasure house the Word of God is, there is much buried treasure hidden here, many things of worth waiting to be discovered. No wonder the Psalmist affectionately declared in verse 14, “I have rejoiced in the way of Thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.” And  again, further on in verse 162  he writes, “I rejoice at Thy Word, as one that finds great spoil.” Undoubtedly the Word of God, was as he suggested, “a lamp unto his feet and a light unto his path”  (Psalm 119:105).

I close with a verse from an old poem written by an Evangelical Christian.

I open it, my fingers trace the lines that Wesley’s, Moody’s, Spurgeon’s eyes have scanned,
Beneath my fingertips a promise shines, a diamond unearthed by my seeking hand,
A gem that countless saints have touched before and left among this jewel casket store.
I searched as one who searches long for gold, and oh what gleaming nuggets I unearthed.
All that my seeking heart and hands can hold I gather, and I know their precious worth,
And strange, the vein has never failed, though man has mined its channel since the world began.
The Holy Book, that gives its wealth unpriced to every seeker after God and Christ.

Prayer:  Thank You Holy Spirit, that You bring light, clarity, understanding and guidance through the Holy Scriptures.  Thank you Lord for the flashes of revelation of Your Word.  Things which maybe we have never seen before, begin to come alive, and we see them for the very first time. Thank You Holy Spirit for the Oil of Your Anointing.

Taken from Life On The Altar Publications
Issue 4 Spring 2022

Called To Trust