September/October 2008

All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad (Psa 45:8).

Temperance is not often a virtue that we connect with a king. In fact, the world often portrays the king living in opulence, living an extravagant or indulgent lifestyle. Thus, it is hard to associate self denial, or self restraint, or the disciplined life to a monarch. Yet, when we consider the King of Kings, the One who left the Ivory Palaces above, we see the very embodiment of self discipline.

One of the fragrances that emanated from our Heavenly King was aloes, which speaks of the fruit of temperance. 1 There are many synonymous terms to this word, but essentially it is a disciple virtue. That means that one must deny himself of his own rights or privileges in order to fulfill his masters bidding.

Another spice that is mentioned in Psalm 45:8 is myrrh. Myrrh speaks of meekness. In a sense, one has to be meek in order to submit to discipline. This can easily be proved in John 19:39, where Nicodemus took a hundred pound mixture of myrrh and aloes to embalm Christ. (The thought of the two spices being mixed together.)

The life of Christ sets a precedent for those with a vision to reign with Him. In the Song of Solomon, the bride of Christ is portrayed as a model of temperance (very disciplined). In fact, she is compared to one of Pharaoh’s chariot horses. Perhaps not a flattering thought, however, these Egyptian chariot horses were the most disciplined horses in the world. As we follow the bride (seeker) in this poem, we find that she has so imitated the actions of the king that it is hard to distinguish her from the king. She has followed him so closely that some of his fragrance has rubbed off; she even smells like the king.

Christ Himself was a man under authority to His Head (Luke 7:8). He made Himself a servant to fulfill the Father’s will. Christ did nothing outside the will of the Father, and indeed was challenged on this very point (John 5:19, 14:30). The objective of the devil was to tempt Christ to move out of sync with heaven – to move in the flesh: to satisfy His hunger; to prove His authority, or to speak unauthorized words and etcetera.

Jesus said this: "And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth" (John 17:19). Christ set an example for His disciples that could not be misunderstood. He walked a very narrow road. He did not dissimulate in any way whereby His disciples might imitate His actions… nothing out of character, no jesting or winking or rolling His eyes. His very words were sanctified from heaven (Isa 50:4).

When we think of Moses (the meekest man that ever lived), we see a man who was disqualified from the Promised Land because his spirit was provoked and he spake unadvisedly with his lips (Psalm 106:33). The Lord said to him (in essence), "You did not sanctify me before the people; you are My representative in the pulpit and your actions did not reflect Me.

We are talking about a virtue that is necessary in order to reign with Christ. I read a little excerpt some time ago concerning Prince Charles. He was reflecting upon his younger years. One tends to think that the king’s children have all of the privileges –they are allowed to do what other children cannot, they have all of the gadgets and delights that ordinary children do not. Actually, it is quite the contrary. While other children and young people are out having fun, the king’s children are being tutored and disciplined. They spend hours learning to sit, walk and stand. They are taught how to compose themselves in public. They are taught how to speak; when to speak, and when not to speak. Prince Charles was even given lessons in humility – scrubbing toilets and garbage cans.

Christ had a mission upon earth, and that mission was to hit the cross. The whole focus of Christ was upon that goal and He describes the discipline of that goal like this: "But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished" (Luke 12:50)! This baptism that He speaks of is His death. He follows that by saying: "…and how am I straitened till it is accomplished. How am I contained…restrained. Christ had to walk a very confining and restrictive path in order to hit the mark.

One of the hallmark signs of our generation is given to us by Saint Paul in 2 Timothy 3:3. He uses the word "incontinent." That means: no power to control self. Our generation is the most undisciplined generation of all time. A generation that takes no correction; that demands their good things now; that says, it’s my life and I’ll do what I want. They laud the prideful and arrogant and the lewd. They try to imitate them, talk like them and walk like them…

Even within the church world, many have chosen a less demanding way – the cross-less road. Many Christians seek a church where the sermon never runs over 20 minutes, and commitment is not the name of the game.

However, there is a group that has caught a vision of the King. They are attracted to His virtues. These are the pure in heart, the virgin spirits that are drawn to the sweet savor of truth, meekness and righteousness. As the Scripture portrays them in Solomon’s Song: "Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. Draw me, we will run after thee…" (Song 1:3-4). These are the ones who are saying, but we like what we see in the King, make us like you!

Let us, by God’s grace, recognize this beautiful fruit of temperance and our need to develop this kingly virtue. When our King returns from heaven, those who are with Him are like Him – may we be one of them. Amen!

Caram