DIVINE INSTRUCTION
[p. 276] DIVINE INSTRUCTION
Isaiah 50:4,5; Luke 2:46,47; Luke 11:1; Acts 11:26
JT I thought we could consider together something as to divine instruction. When Paul came to Ephesus he found there twelve-men and said to them, “Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye had believed?” (Acts 19:1,2). They said to him that they had not yet heard anything of the Holy Spirit; they had been baptised to the baptism of John. I only refer to this passage to show how much the people of God can suffer from defective instruction. The teaching of John was good, but it did not go far enough. Today in Christendom there is much instruction which is mingled with errors and there is instruction which does not reach to the height of the Christian position and thus does not go far enough. It is, therefore, so necessary that we come under the whole of divine instruction, as Paul says to the elders of Ephesus, “I have not shrunk from announcing to you all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). Today the Spirit of God also wishes to lead all believers to full growth (Ephesians 4:13). We have to learn everything from the Lord, and not only that but we have even to learn how we are to learn. In the passage read in Isaiah 50 the Lord shows us how we are to learn. The Lord Himself down here took up a learning attitude to show us an example. Wondrous grace that He who is God took up such a lowly position. He says in Isaiah 50:4,5, “The Lord Jehovah hath given me the tongue of the instructed ... He wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the instructed. The Lord Jehovah hath opened mine ear”. It is noteworthy that we find this passage in the prophet Isaiah, where the “disciples” of the Lord are also spoken of, among whom “the testimony” and “the law” of God are sealed, “Bind [p. 277] up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples” (Isaiah 8:16). A disciple is, of course, one who is instructed, and who then has the tongue of an instructed one. The early christians took up this attitude, for they continued in the teaching of the apostles (Acts 2:42). That shows how necessary it is for young believers to be instructed in sound teaching. In Luke 2:46 we see how the Lord sat in the midst of the teachers, hearing them and asking them questions. All who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. That would also be so with us; if we allowed ourselves to be more instructed we should also be able to give better answers. A christian should always have the tongue of an instructed one. Many errors are in circulation and our brethren in other fellowships are much affected by them, so that it is important for us that when we come into conversation with them we should have the tongue of an instructed one. It is not a question for us of knowing how to bring in passages of scripture, but that we can give a wise application which will meet the person’s conscience and intelligence. I should be glad if the brothers would say what they think about this.
Ques Do we see that with Job, when he says to God, “I will demand of thee, and inform me” (Job 42:4)?
JT Job was brought to this attitude and God wishes to bring us all into this place. When we have received instruction in the assembly, God follows us up to deepen this instruction in us. Elihu spoke to Job, but that had not fully convinced him. But then Jehovah spoke to him. Who can teach like God! The Lord says, “And they shall be all taught of God” (John 6:45).
Ques Is the instruction suited to our stature?
JT Yes, we have different grades, little children, young men and fathers (1 John 2) but the more [p. 278] advanced brother must never give up the attitude of a learner. It says in Luke 19:11, “But as they were listening to these things, he added and spake a parable”. If we take on a listening attitude the Lord proceeds to instruct us further. His attitude in the temple as a boy of twelve years old is very beautiful and instructive, He sat in the midst of the teachers, listened to them and asked them questions.
Ques Should we take on this listening and learning attitude in the assembly or when we are alone?
JT Always. The Lord sat in the midst of the teachers in order to learn. In Isaiah 50 it says that He always took on an attitude of learning, but then He also had the tongue of the instructed. Mary sat down at Jesus’ feet and listened to His word (Luke 10:39). In the sitting attitude she would be less diverted and could learn better.
Ques Does the sitting not also refer to steadfastness?
JT It also refers to meditating on the thoughts which the Lord expressed.
Rem In this place we find others too, for it says of Mary that she also sat down at Jesus’ feet.
JT We learn best when we go to school where we learn along with others. Sitting refers to rest. We can take in the words better when we are not diverted. Martha was careful and troubled about many things; on this occasion she learned nothing at all. The Lord says in Mark 4:24, “Take heed what ye hear”, but in Luke 8:18, “Take heed therefore how ye hear”, so it is also very important how we hear.
Ques Is not the main thing that we hear the word at all?
JT But then we must also seek to understand it (Matthew 13:23), and keep it in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience (Luke 8:15). The Lord said to His disciples “Have ye understood all these things?”. They said to Him, “Yea, Lord” (Matthew 13:51). We must always understand the instructions which God gives us. The Lord rejoiced that they had understood His words, they were good scholars. The Lord then spoke of a scribe who is like “a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old” (Matthew 13:52). A scribe is one who is constantly writing. If I write out something, it makes a deep impression on me when I read it again. A writer is generally an exact man. Scripture is extraordinarily exact and our use of Scripture should also be exact. Apollos was an eloquent man, who was mighty in the Scriptures, when he came to Ephesus, but he knew only the baptism of John and in this way he did not know the way of God exactly enough. Aquila and Priscilla took him to them and unfolded to him the way of God more exactly (Acts 18:24 - 26). We too should always be concerned about exactness.
Perhaps we can consider together some thoughts about Luke 11:1, as well. The Lord was praying in a certain place and when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray”. We have to learn everything from the Lord, even praying. As long as there have been men on earth, there has also been prayer.
Ques What do you mean by that?
JT Cain and Abel brought an offering to Jehovah, and as Enosh was born, “people began to call on the name of Jehovah” (Genesis 4:26). In Elijah’s days we read that the priests of Baal prayed (1 Kings 18:25 - 29). When the Lord was here the Pharisees as a pretext made long prayers and today in the churches many forms of prayer are read out. But the disciples here heard the Lord praying. How extremely interesting that must have been for them. They saw how the Lord prayed and ceased praying. This awakened the desire with one disciple to be [p. 280] taught of the Lord how to pray. But the disciple wanted to learn from the Lord how they were to pray together. “Lord, teach us to pray”. If we wish to pray like the Lord, then we must be instructed as to it by the Lord.
Ques Is there not a lot of prayer today which is not prayer at all?
JT Yes, we should ask the Lord to teach us how to pray.
Ques In the prayer which He taught His disciples then, does the Lord not suggest the lines on which we should pray?
JT Yes, for example brevity and depth of thought. Our prayers are generally much too long and have too many repetitions. We have to learn from the Lord how to pray. In Acts 1:24,25, we see how they had learnt from the Lord short but earnest prayer. In Acts 1:4 we read that the Lord was assembled with them. Every learner among them had thus carefully observed the Lord. If I had been in that meeting I should even have paid attention to how the Lord had sat there. A true disciple must have observed every word and every movement of the Lord. The requirement for the apostle who was to take up the place of Judas was that he had to be of the men who had assembled with them all the time in which the Lord Jesus came in and went out among them (Acts 1:21). He required to have had much opportunity to observe the Lord.
Ques What are we to do today when there is no longer anyone who can say like Paul, “Am I not an apostle? have I not seen Jesus our Lord?” (1 Corinthians 9:1)?
JT The Lord says to the disciples and to us, “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things” (John 14:26). We have still the Holy Spirit today.
[p. 281] Rem We find that all who learned were led into the wilderness but we do not like to go there.
JT We must keep in mind that disciple means learner. The Lord always presents Himself attractively to a true disciple. In Matthew 5:1 the Lord went up into a mountain and sat down and His disciples came to Him, because the instruction from His mouth was so precious to them. As the perfect Teacher He was very attractive to the disciples and He is also still that today. His instructions are very precious for renewed hearts. In Acts 13:12 it says of Sergius Paulus, the proconsul of the island of Cyprus, that he believed, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord. The teaching of the Lord through Paul must have made a deep, attractive impression upon him.
Rem But Satan also was working through this Elymas in that place where God was working.
JT That is right. But the proconsul received a deep impression of the teaching of the Lord. It says of him in verse 7 that he was an intelligent man and that he desired to hear the word of God. An intelligent man always desires to hear the word of God and to be instructed in it. The new converts at Pentecost came under the instruction of the apostles. It is very important who instructs us.
In Acts 11:25 Barnabas went from Antioch to Tarsus to seek out Saul and having found him he brought him to Antioch. Then it says further that for a whole year they were gathered together in the assembly and taught a large crowd. That is the school, a year’s course of instruction in the assembly.
Ques Does the Lord mean that when He says “Learn from me”?
JT No, that is learning from Him through His example, but here it is a question of instruction through gifts in the power of the Holy Spirit. The course of instruction lasted a whole year. For a whole [p. 282] year they came together in the assembly and taught a large crowd. We have to distinguish between the crowd and the assembly. During an interval at school, when the children are running about in the playground they are a crowd, but after the interval when they go into their classrooms; order must first prevail before the instruction can commence. We must first of all take up our place in the assembly before we can learn. If we do not learn in the assembly we cannot break bread. We have first of all to learn how to assemble.
Rem But there is surely only one class in the assembly.
JT Quite so. Like Peter and John (Acts 3:1, and Acts 8:14) so Barnabas and Paul worked together in Antioch. I believe that anyone in this school will have said that Barnabas was a dear brother. He was converted and in the assembly before Paul but he brought Paul to Antioch and took up a place under him.
Rem It says, “for he was a good man” (Acts 11:24).
JT The Holy Spirit says that about him. It must have made a deep impression on the brethren that Barnabas could make room for another.
Ques Does the name “Christians” which was given to them refer to maturity?
JT The word “Christians” includes dignity. There is always a wonderful dignity in those who are divinely instructed. There is then spiritual intelligence in our words. It says of the Lord, “Never man spoke thus, as this man speaks” (John 7:46). It was the way in which He spoke. So it also says of the lame man at Lystra, that he heard Paul speaking (Acts 14:9). Paul’s manner of speaking arrested him. That shows the effect which the tongue of an instructed one has upon others.