RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF THE TRUTH

Matthew 1: 18–25; 2: 13–15, 19–23; 2 Timothy 1: 14–18; 2: 1–3

APD I was thinking about the thought of responsibility. We have the masculine side in Matthew and the feminine in Luke. In Matthew Joseph is prominent. I thought the Lord might help us to see the responsibility that is ours to maintain the truth, the principles of the truth, what has been entrusted to us, to keep them inviolate in their preciousness. Certain elements come to light in Joseph. In this section we might consider his priestliness, his obedience, his trustworthiness, his spirituality and his affection. What was entrusted to him was most precious, the person of the Lord Jesus as a Babe, in whom all God’s thoughts were bound up yet committed to the care of a man. I thought that might profitably engage us.

HTF Flowing out of these features that you speak of in Joseph, seems to be knowing what to do and how to act, which includes the pondering. He was not rash in any way, was he? He just waits and ponders. I think the features you spoke of underlie that, heaven would take account of that in this comment about being righteous.

APD Yes, I think that is very helpful, he pondered on these things. It says of Mary, that she pondered these things in her heart. It is good exercise not to act rashly or hurriedly, but to have the divine mind. That is what would be in mind in these dreams—the obtaining of the divine mind before we act, before we do anything. Joseph was priestly and he was a righteous man, not willing to expose. It has been said he was an assembly-minded man, a righteous, not willing to expose kind of man. That would be he was priestly.

HTF When the need to act came, in going down to Egypt by night, for example, demanding quick action, he was able for that too.

APD I think it is helpful to see that, when it came time to act, he was not hesitant.

PJH “They that wait upon Jehovah shall renew their strength”, Isaiah 40: 31.

APD Yes, and to get the Lord’s mind.

PJH Not just thinking our own thoughts exactly.

APD No, waiting on the Lord, as you say. It is not sometimes easy for us to do, we act on our own volition.

DBB Say something about her husband. The husband would be one who would take on responsibility, would he?

APD Yes, I am sure. In Deuteronomy 33 Moses is spoken of as the “man of God”. I think in the note to ‘man’ (Deuteronomy 33: 1) it refers to Ish. That would be a suggestion of husband, not only would there be care but I suppose the word comes from husbandman, one who would nurture, see to the fruitfulness of the crop. That should be amongst us, the thought of a husband, caring for his wife, thinking of the children, the young people, where there is a need for someone to take on their care, and see that the very best is secured for the pleasure of God and the blessing of his people, do you think?

DBB There is a certain element of protection in a husband, is there?

APD Yes, it comes very prominently into this chapter, does it not? It says, “Arise, take to thee the little child and his mother, and flee into Egypt”, then “having arisen, he took to him the little child and his mother by night”, the feature of affection would be in that, care, affection and protection, “he took to him the little child and his mother”.

Ques. The angel refers to Joseph as “son of David”. Would you say something about that?

APD Well, he is a true son of David, the element of royalty comes into this chapter in a peculiar way. Persons are distinguished as brought by God into the line that leads up to Christ. It is God’s own selection here. The persons are listed as suitable persons to bring in the Christ. So, morally, he would be a son of David, not just because of the genealogy, but because of what he was, a righteous man.

HTF That side, as to the son of David, it is the

kingdom side in Matthew which is alongside the assembly matter. The son of David would emphasise the kingdom side. I wondered if that linked particularly with the features you are speaking of in Joseph, the protection and supportive character of things which God was pleased to use. It was into that area that His Son came.

APD I think that is very good. The kingdom is prominent in this gospel. “Son of David” is put before “Son of Abraham”, in Matthew 1: 1, as if to emphasise the truth of the kingdom. In Matthew it is largely the kingdom of the heavens but that would come into expression in the way of protection and care.

AKT “Remember Jesus Christ raised from among the dead, of the seed of David” (2 Timothy 2: 8), the beloved Man that God has been pleased to raise.

APD We want to have that before us, the order of man that God has before Him. We are to protect and care for every feature that shone in Him and now shines in the saints.

WMcC I was wondering if this feature of being “unwilling to expose” would be an appreciation of the mercy-seat. I wondered if the connection with David and the ark would be a feature that Joseph would appreciate, so that he was unwilling to expose.

APD Yes. You get the cherubim there too, emphasised in Matthew’s gospel, perhaps the seraphim in John. In Matthew the cherubim would be the feature of protection; the government in view of protecting and maintaining what is due to God. Priestliness is something that, perhaps, is scarce; we need to think more about it, to think for God. A priest would first consider for God. But then, too, there is the other side of the priesthood of Christ, that is operating on behalf of the ignorant and erring; the Aaronic priesthood is also in connection with the ignorant and erring, the side of weakness. We want to act for God, but with compassion, sympathy and affection; a priest would do that. It may be necessary to act judicially, but I think we need help as to being priestly. Every believer having the Spirit is a priest, but we are not all priestly. Joseph demonstrates that feature in a remarkable way.

HTF He was sensitive as to the area of the Holy Spirit’s activities was he not? I wondered if that is a close link with the matter of priestliness which you are speaking of. It was literal here, in relation to his wife, the sensitivity required. Joseph was equal to it in this priestly activity. There was no precedent for it but he typically had the unction, what came from the Spirit of God, in his movements and the direction he took from heaven.

APD That is very helpful to draw attention to. How do we act when something immediately comes before us for which we have no precedent? Are we in relation to the Holy Spirit, sensitive to what we should do, how we should act? It is a very helpful suggestion. Often things come in amongst us when we are at a loss, but Joseph was not at a loss was he? We see that there was that with him characteristically that would be sensitive to the movements of the Spirit, the presence of the Spirit.

DBB It is remarkable that as he ponders, great things are opened up to him. Would that be a feature of acting in a priestly way, where further revelations are opened up to us?

APD Yes, it is very interesting, he was a person to whom such things could be revealed. God would not commit things to persons who were not trustworthy, but He will commit the greatest things to those who are trustworthy.

PJH In Psalm 19 it says, “making wise the simple” (Psalm 19: 7), that is a single-minded person, is that right?

APD We need that. There is wisdom here, with Joseph, that is a feature of the priesthood. We need wisdom, particularly in administrative matters, which Matthew contemplates. As we handle these things in a priestly way we can expect the greatest things to be divulged. How wonderful these things are. “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins”. Then it goes on to say, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which is, being interpreted, ‘God with us’”. It is the wonderful, personal name of Jesus—“he shall save his people from their sins”—it is not exactly the gospel going out to all men, it is to save His people from their sins. We need to be saved from our sins, from the guilt of them, the love of them and the power of them. It is not the glad tidings to all men, it is to His people. The title of the name is Jah the Saviour, it is a reference to the personal greatness of the Lord Jesus.

KM Would you say what is in your mind as to ‘saving His people from their sins’?

How would that fit in at the present time?

APD To be in relation to God we need to be saved from our sins. It says in 1 John 2 that “if any one sin, we have a patron with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).

Ques. Do you think that because we are brethren we do not sin?

APD I do not think we can say that, we know that we do. We need to be saved from our sins. I think it draws us to the appreciation of the work of Christ in an increasing measure.

AKT Paul says, “our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, so that he should deliver us out of the present evil world”, Galatians 1: 4.

APD We need deliverance from the present evil world. I think it would enhance the Lord Jesus in our affections as we take account of Him thus. Of course this scripture could be used in a wider bearing but I think it is particularly in relation to His people, it is to save His people from their sins. Do you think that is right?

KM Well, I think it is very helpful about not being willing to expose. We know very well if we hear a report about a person, maybe it puts a mark against that person, and it becomes almost indelibly etched in your mind in relation to that person—something hard to get rid of. Carefulness is necessary, is it not, in relation to our sins?

APD Yes, I am sure that is right. We want to be characteristically persons who write up the saints as it says in Psalm 87, not to seek to discredit them at all. How quick we are to do that. That is one of the sins we need to be saved from.

WMcC It is interesting the scripture warns about tale-bearing, it is hardly the spirit of being unwilling to expose (Proverbs 11: 13).

APD Then we go on to Matthew 2: 14, “And, having arisen, he took to him the little child and his mother”. That is an indication of Joseph’s spirituality, he put “the little child”

first. Naturally, you would put the mother first, but he was spiritually minded, he put “the little child” first. It says, “he took to him”, that is a lovely suggestion of his affections.

DBB He seemed to have got the gain of the revelation that came to him.

APD Yes, you remember after Jacob’s wrestling with God, it was Joseph and Rachel.

I think the time came when Jacob put Joseph first, and I think that is an exercise with us all, to put Joseph first, that involves, as you suggest, getting the gain of the distinctiveness of the person of Jesus. Then, of course, that would affect our administration, affect our relations with one another, that we think spiritually. Christ is first in our thoughts and what is due to Him.

DBB That links very much with what is priestly. The priest thinks first of what is for God. Not that he is unmindful of who he is dealing with, but he thinks first of what is for God.

APD That is true. This is an affectionate matter, I think. The thought of the mother comes into this section. It says, “he took to him the little child and his mother”. It could have just said that he took the little Child and His mother by night, but he took to him. It is wonderful to take to our hearts Christ in this way; in all things He must have the pre-eminence. We must think of the testimony, Christ is not here but the testimony is here. We need to take it to ourselves, that with affection we should be concerned about the care of the testimony of our Lord. Paul could say, “Be not therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner”, 2 Timothy 1: 8.

HTF Joseph does seem to exactly follow the directions, “take to thee” is what he is told to do. Paul could speak of keeping the directions; there was a matter of confidence entering into that. Paul spoke of it that he knew they would do that.

APD That brings out the feature of obedience. One thing that marks Joseph is his obedience. Paul speaks in 2 Corinthians about “leading captive every thought into the obedience of the Christ”, 2 Corinthians 10: 5. One thing that marks Joseph is his willingness, his obedience to follow the directions that he received.

HTF In following directions, though, it was not without a test as it was in the earlier matter, but now there is a further test for him when he actually arrives in Israel, the matter that he needs further guidance and sensitivity about to bring “the little child” to Nazareth.

APD It was necessary for the preserving of “the little child”, was it not?

WMcC It is not a reference here to a beast of burden that is in the traditional ways of the world. Would it suggest to us that Joseph took on the full responsibility himself?

APD That is helpful. That is what is in mind, the acceptance of responsibility. I think that if we realised the preciousness of what the Lord has given to us in the way of light and truth, the testimony of our Lord, we would desire to take the full responsibility He would lay upon us, not in an arbitrary way but as touching our affections. We would not let anything go without being attended to. Are we trustworthy persons who would let nothing go without it being attended to according to God?

AKT There were two kings there, Herod the king and Jesus the King, and the conflict is on.

APD But one is a usurper. Herod slew all the boys, he would have slain the Lord too if he had the opportunity, so it brings out the tremendous responsibility that was put into Joseph’s hands that God’s thoughts would go through intact, not just partially but fully. I

think we want to take that home to ourselves, what God has put into our hands we take care of in a full measure, everything is carried forward intact and nothing is lost.

KM It is quite interesting what happened to Moses, his mother put him in the sedge of the bank of the river, that was a safe place. The enemy had the same idea of exterminating all the males, the same old thing cropped up again.

APD She did not put him in the full flow of the river, did she?

KM No, not at all.

APD The river Nile would suggest what has its source in the world but she was careful. The truth of baptism comes into that. It is an interesting reference because it was when she could hide him no longer that she prepared an ark in view of his being kept safe. I think that is a good word for us about our young ones, we hide them as long as we can from the influences of the world. The Christian household is a wonderful place where the children are hidden. We would not want them to go out before it was necessary.

PJH Do you think there is a touch here of his responsibility pointing to his love and affection for God? A righteous man loves God, does he? I was thinking of the Hebrew bondman, “I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go free”, Exodus 21: 5. It is a committal, is it?

APD Yes. Bondmanship.

PJH In answer to love really.

APD I am sure it must be that. It is not an arbitrary position, it is one that involves our affections. I think there is a great need at the present time that our little ones are safe, to keep them safe. If the Lord tarry, the potential is with them. Do we accept the responsibility to keep them safe?

PH “Take to thee the little child and its mother”; the Child first.

APD Yes. It is a very interesting scripture that we provide for Christ first, I suppose this gospel has the assembly in mind. “The little child” is a very attractive

thought, and “his mother”; Joseph would realise the value of the motherly features in relation to the care and nurture of the Child. It is all in mind in our responsibility. Do we realise it, dear brethren? Somewhere we spoke of the ‘men of the city’, are we prepared to take on this responsibility?

DBB Say more as to the “little child” feature. I just wondered, speaking carefully, if it links very much with our day; there is nothing large, nothing pretentious, but the testimony is still going through. It needs to be protected in that “little child” feature.

APD We had it drawn to our attention with the little child in Calgary, ten months the Lord left her with us and every day she suffered. I do not know whether we have got the gain of it. God would force it upon us to realise the value, in His mind, of what has that character, the character of the little child.

WMcC It is a feature to mark us, is it? How much we become as little children.

APD Yes, He placed a little child in the midst. In Matthew it is this little child, not any little child. It is not that He just saw a little child somewhere and took it, it is this little child. That is what we felt about the little one in Calgary, this little child. The Lord was drawing attention to that feature. It is something we need to ponder, and get the full gain of that sorrowful exercise.

HTF It would represent affection, would it? I was thinking about your exercise as to responsibility, what is in our hands is particularly in relation to what is potential for the testimony, what God would have protected. We act for Him, not taking up responsibility lightly, and maintaining that.

APD Yes. To see that what we have come into has not deteriorated in our hands, that things are maintained without any decline.

HTF I think that is very testing, a very salutary thing to say.

APD As things pass through our hands, how are they handled? Joseph helps us as to how things are handled. So can we say that the truth which has come through our

hands has been maintained in its integrity and nothing has been lost? It is our responsibility.

PJH So that when things may come at a critical time, we should be like a Moses, or a David, or a Daniel, to take the blame upon ourselves. I think Daniel took upon himself the sins of his people, and Moses saying, “blot me ... out” (Exodus 32: 32), and David saying,

“these sheep, what have they done?”, 2 Samuel 24: 17. Is it consideration of what God’s people are, what the sheep and the lambs are to God?

APD That is a good reference. We take on the iniquity of the sanctuary, take on the sins of the people. We do not point fingers, but eat the sin-offering. It says of Aaron that he burnt it, that was not pleasing to God. We may rise up in holy indignation and condemn, but have we eaten the sin-offering? We might burn it, but we might not eat it. I think that is a good suggestion. We should turn to Timothy, “Keep, by the Holy Spirit which dwells in us, the good deposit entrusted”, 2 Timothy 1: 14. It is our responsibility. Paul laid it on the young man, Timothy. “Keep, by the Holy Spirit” would mean that things are maintained in freshness, in life, not simply maintained as the creeds would maintain them. Mr. Taylor said a carriage and four could drive through the creeds, they are so doctrinally incorrect, but being kept “by the Holy Spirit” would mean not just the letter of them, but we would keep them in power and freshness.

TI Would keeping the truth be a secret matter involving the heart and the affections? I was thinking the Lord being taken away from the public view and taken into Egypt.

APD I am sure the spiritual foundation for the maintenance of the truth is that we hold it in affection, hold it in our hearts. There is so much in the way of profession around us, and perhaps with us, but the integrity of the truth and the freshness connected with the truth will be maintained as it is in our affections, I am sure that is right.

AKT It says “the priest’s lips should keep knowledge”, Malachi 2: 7. Mr. Taylor says there is a time when you might

not say all you think, but, on the other hand, we should be persons who can say what is right.

APD Yes. Wisdom would mark us like Jonathan who did not tell his father. When he was working with God against the Philistines, he did not tell his father—the priest’s lips keep knowledge. It is helpful that we have a treasury of knowledge in the priests, which can become available to the brethren.

WMcC I am not quite sure of the scripture, but Mr. Coates speaks of the word ‘keep’

linking it with the keep in the castles, where all the treasures were stored.

APD What do you say about that?

WMcC The impression I had there is the provision that the truth itself is treasured with us. I wondered if that fact of treasuring the truth would help us in the administration of it.

APD So it is a responsibility to keep it.

DBB This is a young man. There is a responsibility on all, both old and young.

APD Some of us here are getting old and the responsibility is going to rest on these young men. Are they prepared for the sacrifice and suffering involved in maintaining the truth in its integrity, without losing any part of it?

Rem. “Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls”, Zechariah 2: 4. I was thinking of what was entrusted, it is not just the current basis of the truth, it is God’s purposes and promises.

APD Yes, how much there is. We have spoken about “the little child and its mother”, but the Lord has put into our hands, as perhaps no others have, the knowledge of divine Persons, the light of the assembly and the light of the purposes of God. How much there is to be held, and in its freshness. Things have lost their meaning in the world. The term ‘brethren’—what does it mean? It is currently used in the profession, but what does it mean? Is it maintained in its freshness? Paul speaks in relation to Onesimus as a “beloved brother”. I think these things have to be kept, not in any orthodox way but in a living way. The terms, the assembly and the church, how are they held in our minds and affections? This vessel, which is the depository of all the thoughts of God, how much we have been taught as to the truth of the assembly and the service of God. All these things need to be kept and kept livingly.

DBB Paul would never have forgotten when Ananias came to him and said, “Saul, brother”, Acts 9: 17.

APD Yes, that would ring in his mind. When he writes to the Corinthians he includes the brother with him—“Sosthenes, the brother”, 1 Corinthians 1: 2. Then you get this reference, “Thou therefore, my child, be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus. And the things thou hast heard of me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, such as shall be competent to instruct others also”. We may be in the category of “others also” but I am sure the element of faithfulness is needed. We may make a great deal of gift, thank God for that, where there is a measure of gift for the dissemination of the truth, but I think the quality that is much needed is faithfulness. We cannot say much of what there is in the way of gift in our local assemblies, but can we see this fine quality of faithfulness?

Ques. Is that included in being strong?

APD I think the grace that is in Christ Jesus is what sustains us.

WMcC The children of Israel were exhorted to rehearse things for the benefit of the generation following. Do you think that the history of the recovery would enter into that instruction?

APD I am sure it would. Can we bring these things forward in the ministry in a living way, in a vital way? We may know them, but the scripture says of, course, “knowledge puffs up, but love edifies” (1 Corinthians 8: 1); so, what is needed, I think, is the true knowledge of God, but disseminated in love. There is a great need for love. Paul speaks of it, “but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13: 2), not simply I have nothing, but I am nothing. Our measure in our locality, or anywhere, is the measure in which we are formed in the divine nature. I fear

knowledge merely as information.

PH Aquila and Priscilla took Apollos and unfolded to him the word of God more exactly (Acts 18: 26).

APD Yes, it says they “took him to them”. It is a good suggestion in connection with priestliness. They did not upbraid him before all the brethren saying he was not up-to-date in the truth. They “took him to them and unfolded to him the way of God more exactly”. He had partial knowledge but they brought him into the full knowledge of Paul’s ministry. But here, in Timothy, it refers to instructing others also. There is need for instruction. It is not like a teacher with young people at school, it involves what is organic, that you have a link with persons body-wise.

HTF Say a little more as to instruction as you are speaking of it in the context of responsibility.

APD It would be a poor thing if our young ones did not know the truth of the gospel, if they did not know the meaning of justification, reconciliation, propitiation. We do not want to be just like a school imparting information, we want to be able to convey what those lovely terms mean in their power and in their freshness. What it is to be justified, “who has been delivered for our offences and has been raised for our justification”, Romans 4: 24. Mr.

Coates said that justification is that ‘Christ risen is our righteousness’. Let us get that into the souls of our young people. It would make all the difference if we are not conveying information exactly, we are building up persons in the knowledge of the truth affectionately, as having a link with them.

JF Do we need to grasp the thought that we have been enlisted?

APD Yes, it is not voluntary.

JF No, we have not chosen the Lord. He has chosen us, has He not? It would be good if we got the hold of that fact, because we may think we have chosen the Lord, but that is false, is it?

APD That helps us to realise that we are under orders.

JF That is what I was getting at.

WMcC Paul, speaking to Timothy, refers to his mother and his grandmother. Would that be the subjective side of responsibility?

APD Yes, it would link with what we said about the home, where the nurture and admonition of the Lord is. So, all these things should come up in our reading the Scriptures at home.

P.H.H.

It is very helpful. I was thinking of how, in the matter of instruction, the Holy Spirit Himself would enter into that, “Keep, by the Holy Spirit which dwells in us, the good deposit entrusted”; as indwelling believers there would be that communication. There is what is organic in this way, in the body, it really relies on the Spirit and making way for His service.

APD Yes. He is the One who will guide us into all the truth, what a wonderful service is His. The Lord speaks of Him as the Comforter and He is the Spirit of truth. So, we are very dependent on the Holy Spirit, and I think there is a great difference between a mere address adding to our information, to our collection of knowledge, and something conveyed in the power of the Holy Spirit.

KM It is interesting in relation to the centurion. It says of the centurion that his bondman was dear to him. It was something that was evidently worked out in his soul. We can say there was the work of God there without doubt.

APD I think there should be the element of quickening in the word. A young brother gave me a booklet to read of a man who is a real believer and a very popular teacher in one of the churches. After I read it I said to him that my knowledge of the background of the scripture was increased, but there was no sense of having been quickened, no sense of having my affections quickened. I do not think I could read a page of Mr. Taylor’s ministry without my affections being quickened. We need to see what a fine library we have of spiritual ministry in the recovery; our young people and all of us need to take advantage of it. We need that, to be able to instruct. I think it is our responsibility

for the maintenance of the truth and the protection and care of the testimony.

PJH It would remind us of the lepers in 2 Kings 7, saying, We do not well to hold our peace. They had found out where the food was.

APD Yes, they had.

Reading at Grimsby
13 October 2001

KEY TO INITIALS

D. B. Bodman

J. Herbert

W. McClean

A. P. Devenish

Hutchinson

K. Marshall

J. Franklin

H. Hutson

A. K. Turner

H. T. Franklin

T. Ikin