DEFINITENESS IN THE THINGS OF GOD
[p. 108] DEFINITENESS IN THE THINGS OF GOD
1 Samuel 6: 7 - 15; Genesis 48:17 - 19; Luke 22: 7 - 12
I had the simple desire in my mind to stress the thought of definiteness in the things of God; for the opposite is prevalent, even among those who seek to be here for the will of God. Indefiniteness makes for neutralisation, and neutralisation of the truth is well-nigh opposition. So the apostle James, in writing his epistle, speaks severely of persons who are doubting in their relationships with God, and says further, that “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways”; there is no definiteness, whereas the word is full of definiteness, the Scriptures are full of exhortations to it. This leads me to select these three scriptures, the first presenting the idea in relation to instinct; the second, in relation to intelligence; and the third in relation to a definite end or objective, an enjoyment set before us as our eye looks straight on. You will remember how Moses in his beginnings looked “this way and that way”, so with us, certain circumstances become distracting; it may be fear of consequences, fear of causing ill-feeling in others, or it may be a state in us; but there is much of looking this way and that way, and not looking straight on.
Now the first feature I had in mind in relation to definiteness was instinct, and it is a most important one, because we may have knowledge, as the apostle Paul said of the Corinthians, but knowledge in itself without instinct will fail us. I am not deprecating knowledge, for it is said that the people of God are destroyed for lack of it, but instinct is properly before knowledge. Not exactly in the order of place, but in the order of emphasis as to what is properly initial, the two things run concurrently in us. You [p. 109] find instinct in a babe, though you can hardly say you find knowledge, because knowledge implies that I can give an account of a thing. I can give a reason ‘why’. Instinct does not go that far, but it acts with unfailing precision; and so the lower creatures are employed to symbolise instinct. It appears in a babe, as for instance in Jacob, who in his infancy took his brother by the heel — that was instinct; he could not have told you why at the time, but he could later. And so it is with the young believer, he does things from instinct which perhaps he could hardly explain, but he can explain them afterwards. So the lower creatures, the milch kine in this passage, are employed to symbolise the instinct that is needed for definiteness. It is an ability in you to discern spirits in persons, and to discern environment, by the presence of something of which perhaps you know little, but which is there. For instance, a young believer in an assembly in which the Lord Jesus is known and recognised, in which the Spirit is recognised, can feel something without the intelligence to expound it, but it is felt, and he is held by that feeling. Now as to these milch kine, there was a something very great there in the environment; the greatest thing on earth, symbolically, was there on the cart. I am not speaking of the incongruity of the cart, but of the ark upon it, there is no change in that — God was there! It was never less than the symbol of the glory and power of God. Think of being in such proximity to the ark! These kine were near it; they are not ordinary kine; and therefore they symbolise what I am speaking of — spiritual instinct. They were productive, they had calves, they were not sterile, and they had never come under the yoke. These are things that marked them. Whilst we are under a yoke, we are not likely to come under the influence of what is spiritually outwardly cohesive. There is nothing for the natural eye, no direct movement, for [p. 110] the ark is being carried, but if they were under a yoke, that would influence them, they would be governed by that, and would be incapable of these fine feelings and instincts. So that any young believer, or an old one, who is under a yoke, is hardly likely to have any sensibilities as to the ark. But the ark is moving in this very connection, it is moving in connection with a power that is free from the yoke, by a power that is governed by instinct. There is a challenge to every heart, dear brethren, as to whether I am under any kind of a yoke. It is very easy to slip under a yoke to which you may be obligated. God said to Israel, ‘I have taken you out of Egypt. I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you to walk uprightly’. There cannot be a walk according to God, until the bands are broken, whatever the yoke may be. There is a right yoke to be under, of course, the yoke of Jesus, but I am not speaking of that, nor is it alluded to here. Jehovah broke the bands of their yoke and made them to walk uprightly. It is a challenge, dear brethren, as to what it is I am obligated to. It may be to a brother, or a combination of brethren, but the yoke has to go if these sensibilities are to exist.
So these kine were milch kine, they were fruitful both in calves and milk, but they had never come under a yoke. They were, so to say, as God made them. Figuratively, a new order of things, it is what is of God, and would apply to those that are in the liberty of sonship, who have never come under the yoke. They have grown up in the holy light of the revelation of God in Christ as His sons. Now here they are tested, their calves are removed from them. This great powerful instinct, is it less potent than the instincts of nature? Is nature to dominate or this new thing? It is a new thing, it is altogether foreign to ordinary kine for it refers to what is of God. So that they move without direction, or driver, or guide.
[p. 111] They move on without any extraordinary pressure, without bit or bridle, without a goad, and they move on the highway. But look at the environment, beloved, the ark of God. How great it is to be in proximity to the ark of God! You may be quite unintelligent, but as truly free from the yoke, you discern somehow that there is a power there, and it directs. The needle points truly in that current, and the mariner understands the current. There is definiteness, there is an environment of power, and I am sensitive to it, affected by it, and I go straight on. These milch kine went straight on. They were not without feeling as to their calves, for surely God would not have us to disregard natural affection. He says that to be without natural affection shows ungodliness. They had natural affection, but this new thing was greater, something greater had come in. In Christ coming into this world, you have an influence, and in the gospels you see it spread out, so that as others came under His ministry they acted accordingly; the instructions He gave regulated them intelligently, but they were moving by instinct; that is a great feature in the gospels. The sense of the movement is from the ark, it was on the cart, and there they went, on and on, “by the one high way”; there is only the one highway, that current leads in one direction and we do not want to be out of that. It is a question of instinct, dear brethren, you may not understand all that is said, but you can say to the Lord, ‘I do not know’. It is a good thing to be able to say, ‘I do not know’. It is sure evidence of a learning attitude that we admit we do not know. Which of us can assume to say that we know everything? It is true that John says, “We know”. There are some things that we do know. “We know that the Son of God is come”, but I am not speaking of that, but of all the things that His presence introduces us to here. As one goes that way, an irresistible [p. 112] current leads in one direction; all that is of God is recognised in it. They lowed as they went. They felt the loss of their calves, but they went on to death. That is, while they recognised nature, the other instinct dominated them, and they went on to Beth-shemesh, to suffering and death. That is the current at the present time; it is towards death. We are going on to the coming of the Lord, to the glory, but it is by death; these went that way and they suffered. At the end of their journey, the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemeshite and stood there; that was the end. The Levites were there, there was no need any longer for the milch kine, the Levites take care of the ark. It is now no longer a question of instinct, one cannot be a Levite without intelligence. They know what to do, they break up the cart and use it, and they offer up the kine. A beautiful type, beloved, of definiteness by instinct, the instinct that is in us by the divine nature — in the youngest of us. The end is death, but a glorious death, for the thought merges in intelligence. It is by death, for there is no other way; that is what is implied, beloved, at the present time. It is the death of Jesus in this world, the whole current is in that direction. The book of Acts shows us clearly that it is by death, but then the glory is beyond. The intelligence that comes out of that, in the Levite, eventuates in the ark being taken in holy priestly intelligence, to the house that Solomon built.
Well, now, the thing is for us to have intelligence. What about the persons to whom you commit yourself? Christianity involves committal. The Lord Jesus Christ committed Himself in coming into this world, He undertook things, He committed Himself to a definite course. Let it be understood that in emptying Himself and taking upon Him a bondman’s form it was not something imposed upon Him, it is His own act. He did it Himself. But in the bondman’s [p. 113] form He committed Himself to God, and served in the bondman’s form. So that we need not be afraid of committal. I read two verses in Genesis to illustrate the thought; there is a great deal more in the passage than I can speak of now, but I would stress the one thing, that Jacob knew the persons to whom he committed himself. You say, ‘I commit myself to God, and to Christ, and to the Holy Spirit’. Yes, that is right, you commit yourself thus in baptism. Baptism introduces us into the great realm of life indicated in the revelation; but then there is a committal to the saints, that is in the Lord’s supper. This committal involves fellowship and that involves persons; and surely it is important to be able to put our hands on the right persons; it is not one person here, but two. That is the principle; and one has to challenge oneself as to whether he has committed himself to the right persons, and to what principles he is committed. Is it on the principle of nature? ‘Well’, you say, ‘I cannot get a better guide than Joseph’. But the most reputable servant of God might fail us, even Paul might fail you. Joseph certainly is a wonderful type of Jesus, and a wonderful servant, too. The only blemish recorded is the one indicated here, but Joseph is governed by nature at this particular point, and many of us are committing ourselves to people on these principles, something in them that gives them precedence, something in the government of God that gives them prominence in one’s mind. In Joseph’s mind, as he said, Manasseh was born first; it is the principle of the world, and he is affected by it here, great man though he was. It is a warning to us as to committing ourselves to persons who may have something in them by the government of God. If we follow instinct we will not go this way, our intelligence will be in keeping with our instinct. “Not so, my father”, these are Joseph’s words — a voice well known in Egypt for its authority. There [p. 114] was no voice in Egypt with such authority, next to Pharaoh, but it had no weight whatever with Jacob at this point. Jacob was spiritual and intelligent at the moment, and Joseph was unspiritual and unintelligent. A rebuke and a challenge to the most distinguished of God’s servants, and a warning to the saints. So Jacob says, “I know it, my son”. I believe it is important to know who the persons are and why you commit yourself to them, on what principles. Is it on the principle of nature and what nature would value? Nature offers a great variety of things, but the spiritual principle is to pass by the firstborn, Manasseh is passed by, and Ephraim is selected. Well, that is the point I have to make on that scripture, it is a challenge as to the people with whom we are walking, and on what principles we are there.
Now the next point is found in Luke 22, the idea of a guide; and it will help us greatly as to the second point I have made. This passage in Luke will help the saints of God who are seeking the way of God; for there is the way of God in this world, though we may be defective in it. Even Apollos was defective in it. He arrived at Ephesus, and he was mighty in the Scriptures. He was a man whose preaching would draw crowds today, I have no doubt, but he was defective. He only knew the baptism of John. But there was more to be known, and there is a great deal to be known now, in the way of fellowship, in the way of God, and we do not want to be ignorant. So Priscilla and Aquila brought Apollos to them. There was to be a personal touch. They were a beautiful pair, these two, the Holy Spirit delights to dwell upon them. They were in Corinth in the way of God. They were tent-makers, and Paul associated himself with them as another tent-maker; it is the way of God. That is the way of God in Corinth. Surely we would be reminded that the way of God is [p. 115] not connected with architecture, or with great cathedrals. To be obscure and in rejection, is the way of God in Corinth. So these two can show Apollos “the way of God more exactly”. We need to be exact when we come to the way of God. The way of God comes in in connection with Apollos, he was ignorant of the way of God in certain features, and Priscilla and Aquila take him to them, implying a personal touch and a link formed which would probably never be broken.
So this passage in Luke illustrates what I have in mind, it is entirely from the Lord’s initiative. Luke would make externals and order important, and show furnishings; for another important thing as to committal is whether the furnishings are right, whether the order is according to God. And so the Lord tells them, “A man will meet you, carrying an earthen pitcher of water”, he shall meet you. It is a divine provision in the ways of God. He is bearing a pitcher of water. They do not say anything, it is a question for the eye, they look straight on, that is the way he looks. And so as wending his way through Jerusalem, I keep my eye on him. It is not simply a bottle he is bearing, it is a pitcher. I apprehend that the water is to be for immediate use, ready to be poured out. It is a containing vessel, but one that can be used immediately. So that he typifies something I can have at once. It is all there ready for pouring out. If I am the most thirsty soul I need not wait, for it is ready. I look abroad in christendom today; the Lord’s supper may be taken once a month or even three months, but where this man goes you get refreshment at once. Now the point is that this man is going along definitely, his movements are definite; that is the idea of the ministry of the Spirit. There is a definite end in view, and I follow my eye, I am definite, I am thinking of nothing else. The Lord has told me to keep my eye on that man; he may [p. 116] turn a corner and I may miss him. I am speaking of the definiteness of the man; he was going to a certain place, a certain house, and he was going to enter by a certain entrance; so Luke tells us to enter where he enters. Luke is most definite in regard of instruction and public order. Some say, ‘What does it matter whether the notices are given out at the end or at the beginning of the meeting?’ Well, that is just the fineness which the Spirit of God has pleasure in. The Lord says, ‘Enter where he enters, keep your eye upon him, otherwise you will miss it; take notice, and enter where he enters’. And so they follow him and they find the place where he enters. His objective was a place where the Master was respected. ‘Oh’, you say, ‘I would love to get to a place like that — where the Lord Jesus is honoured’. “The Teacher says to thee, Where is the guestchamber?”; it is actually ‘My guest chamber’; the Lord has rights there, that is the idea. That covers the position at the present time as to fellowship and as to definiteness. I arrive by keeping my eye on what the Lord directs, so that I find the spot where Christ is honoured, and where the furnishings are in keeping with Him. The “large upper room”. Who can take in the import of that word “large”? It is a day of small things, but there is great largeness spiritually. It is far more large and spiritual there than in the temple which is at Jerusalem, and so it is today, there is far more largeness in the place where you find Christ honoured, than in the largest cathedral. I should not be free to go into one. I should feel shrivelled up, but I come into the upper room direct by the will of God, and presently I find the Lord there Himself, placing Himself with His own. Is it not worth while being definite, dear brethren? I think you will admit the importance of being definite in these days.