THE UNSELFISHNESS OF DIVINE LOVE
A. P. Grant
Romans 8: 31, 32; 15: 1–4; 1 Kings 17: 2–16; 2 Samuel 11: 11; Philippians 1: 21–26
I was thinking of how love was expressed in these scriptures, especially divine love. I was thinking particularly of the unselfishness of divine love. Think of the contrast to the world where the motivation for everything is self, that is the principle of the world’s system. The energy of the world is pleasing self, but in Christianity we are having to do with God, and how fully God has expressed His love for us. We speak of this in the glad tidings. The verse in Romans 8 sets it out so fully that “He who, yea, has not spared his own Son, but delivered him up for us all”. Think of the greatness of that, the great expression of unselfishness, that God gave the most precious thing that He had, in view of having the saints for Himself. The scripture says in Job that if God had only thought of Himself and withdrew His breath all flesh would have expired together (Job 34: 14, 15). Think of how unselfish God is, what a contrast to what we find around us. God would have that feature developed in the saints. We can think of what Christ meant to God, the supreme object of His affections. We can take account of the type in Abraham and Isaac, “Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest”, Genesis 22: 2. Think of the perfect relationship, the perfect love between Abraham and Isaac; think of God not sparing His Son.
It should touch our affections deeply that God has given His very best in view of our blessing, “but delivered him up for us all”. It does not mention our sins here but other scriptures include that. Think of the value God placed on having men for Himself, giving His very best for us. We think too of the pathway of the Lord Jesus, how many scriptures there are that speak of Christ giving Himself; He gave
Himself for our sins and He delivered Himself up to secure the assembly. Many scriptures could be quoted which show what unselfish love shone out in Christ in accord with God’s love, the obedience that marked Him and the way He went in love. That is to have an effect on our affections as we think of how divine Persons have unselfishly given their best, given their all to secure us. We were occupied with the Holy Spirit’s service last weekend and how unselfishly the Spirit serves in view of the heart of Christ being satisfied, and in view of the Father’s satisfaction too. So we can take account of the unselfish motives in divine Persons, their love has been fully expressed. My exercise is that there should be an answer in our hearts because we know that naturally we are selfish, we think of ourselves.
In Romans 15, I was thinking especially of the expression, “For the Christ also did not please himself”. We know that every footstep of the Lord Jesus here was pleasing to the Father. He always did the things pleasing to Him. What food there is for us in consideration of His pathway! There was not one act of His that involved pleasing Himself. The scripture puts it the other way too, that He always did the things that were pleasing to the Father; but here it is put this way, “For the Christ also did not please himself”. That is in view of providing a model for us; that word “also” would mean that He is a model for us. What blessing there is in taking account of His pathway and learning from Him! This chapter and the previous chapter are concerning a weak brother, someone who is weak in the faith, and the word is here, “Let each one of us please his neighbour with a view to what is good”, that is we are not to please ourselves. Think of the Spirit of Christ that is to mark us towards the weak. “But we ought, we that are strong” the strong are not to please themselves, so that a weak brother may not be harmed. Think of the Lord Jesus who was harmless, there was nothing in Him that would cause harm to anyone. He would be a model for us in everything, so that we should consider for one another, consider those
who are weak and consider those who are young. There may be a danger of a weaker person being discouraged or stumbled, but the Spirit of Christ is to mark us so that we are not to please ourselves. May we take that into our hearts, what is of the Spirit of Christ, how different to what we see in the world. Men are marked by self-pleasing, that is their motivation, but in Christ there was no motivation to please Himself. He is the perfect model for us. May we be encouraged in this that we are not on this line of pleasing ourselves.
In 1 Kings 17, I thought there were examples of persons marked by unselfishness, and we should have that feature developed in our affections. What we see in these persons we read of was that they put the things of Christ first. What a change being brought about in persons like ourselves! Naturally we would put ourselves first, but these persons we read of, the widow and Elijah and Paul were so affected by divine love that they put Christ’s things first. My exercise is that we all learn from these various examples that the Lord’s things must be first.
It is a great blessing when younger persons come to it for themselves that the Lord’s things are to be first in their lives. The section in 1 Kings 17 has to do with the maintenance of the prophet and the prophetic word; and it seems that the principle of unselfishness underlies the maintenance of God’s mind being made known. The first word as to the maintenance of the prophet was concerning the ravens which are unclean creatures, but God can work with persons who are naturally unclean in view of a change being brought about, “What God has cleansed, do not thou make common”, Acts 10: 15. Naturally the ravens would be selfish but they brought food for the prophet. It shows how God in grace can work in men and bring about a change in view of the feature of unselfishness being developed.
The widow’s outlook was death and she says, “I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die”. She really had herself
before her but a change was brought about. Think of the blessing that resulted from putting the Lord’s things first. We prove that practically in our lives; many have proved it, the great blessing that follows giving Christ the first place, recognising His rights. The prophet’s word was, “make me thereof a little cake first; and bring it to me; and afterwards make for thee and for thy son”. She responded readily to the word. In Luke 4 she is honoured and brought in as an example. The thought of the little cake is very attractive, it suggests the assembly. The whole section is marked by what is small, like the present time, the day of small things, a little oil, a handful of meal, all suggestive of what is small. There was enough food to sustain the testimony, sustain the prophet and the prophetic word. What a great matter it is to have the living word of God. I think this feature underlies it, recognising that the Lord’s rights are first. It says, “Make me thereof a little cake”. I think that is what the Lord has in mind, some little expression of the assembly, the whole thing, “make me thereof a little cake first”.
They were maintained a whole year, the meal in the barrel speaking of the humanity of Christ, and the oil speaking of the Spirit; these great divine resources which are sustaining the testimony. The testimony here was about to die out, that was the widow’s outlook, but what a change as she was brought to appreciate Christ and what was available in the Holy Spirit.
This could be a picture of a local company. It says, “she, and he, and her house, ate a whole year”. Think of the different seasons and what was available in Christ and in the Spirit sustaining this small company for the whole year. I think we prove that. “The meal in the barrel did not waste, neither did the oil in the cruse fail, according to the word of Jehovah which he had spoken through Elijah”. I think that love being expressed in this way in local places is very precious to the heart of Christ, all based on putting Christ’s rights first. May we be encouraged in following this up.
We read of Urijah, another shining example of one who did not please himself, he did not consider for himself. What was first in his heart was the ark, Israel and Judah. This was a very dark chapter in David’s history. David failed, he was taking his ease, he was pleasing himself. That was the spirit that marked him, he was not taking part in the conflict. The Spirit draws attention to Urijah as an example. He shines in all the features in which David was failing at this point. David was recovered but the Spirit draws attention to the faithfulness of Urijah who was not considering for himself; he was considering typically for Christ and all the great thoughts of divine purpose in relation to the saints in Israel and Judah; I think that would remind us of the service of God. These divine thoughts were first in his heart, and I think this simple faithfulness that marked him was very precious in God’s sight. He is brought into Matthew’s gospel in chapter 1 not strictly as belonging to the royal line, but his name is mentioned there as morally belonging to the royal line.
Urijah lost his life, he suffered because of his faithfulness, but it is through simple faithfulness that the testimony continues in brightness, in a dark day when there is failure.
The apostle speaks of faithful men who can be trusted (2 Timothy 2: 2). A faithful man would put the ark first in his thoughts, “The ark, and Israel, and Judah abide in booths ... shall I then go into my house … ?” David is being devious here, a contrast to Urijah’s simplicity in having the Lord before Him. I think divine love having its effect in our hearts would bring about such faithfulness. These precious divine thoughts were in his heart; how he is honoured in the New Testament. May this faithfulness mark us as we consider for the Lord Jesus first.
Lastly I referred to Paul, another example for us of one who did not consider for himself.
Paul could say, “the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself for me”, Galatians 2: 20. What an effect the love of Christ had on Paul’s life. It was the principle of his life, as he says here, “For for me to live is
Christ”. Christ was everything to him. He is not writing as an apostle in this epistle. He is a model for us, we are to learn from Paul. It seems that he was given a choice as to whether to depart to be with Christ, or to remain with the saints. How near he was to the Lord and Paul says, “remaining in the flesh is more necessary for your sakes”, and, “I know that I shall remain and abide along with you all”. Think of how the assembly had such a place in Paul’s affections. Paul knew what was for the heart of Christ, what was first in Christ’s heart and that is how he considered things. He did not consider for himself, he was thinking of the assembly being for the heart of Christ. For Paul himself it would be better to depart to be with Christ. May we learn from these examples in our lives day by day, for blessing flows from simple faithfulness to the Lord Jesus.
We were reminded last weekend of the good conditions in early Acts and of the unselfishness shining out so fully among the saints. Those that believed were together, and had all things common. What an answer there was in the assembly to divine love, and that can be known now in principle among the saints in unselfishness. The whole energy of the world is driven by self-pleasing, but what a contrast we see in the Lord Jesus who did not please Himself.
Someone said that if even He did please Himself, all He did would have been perfect, but that was not the motivation in His heart. His motivation was the blessing of others. How simple it is, and what a change God is bringing about in us, as divine love is shining in our hearts. It is on that principle that the local assembly can operate, and the mind of God be made known.
May we be encouraged as being occupied with Christ and the fulness of divine love as is seen in divine Persons. May we be encouraged and blest through considering for the Lord, for His name’s sake.
Address at Glasgow, 22 August 2009
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