BEING LET LOOSE
G.A.Brown
Judges 16:25 (from “And they called”) -30; John 11:38-44; Genesis 49:21
It will be evident from the scriptures read that it is in mind to say a word about being let loose. There are many things that hold us and these scriptures deal with different circumstances.
I would like to speak first about Samson. We know the history of Samson and it is in some ways an extraordinary one; at certain times he was marked by great power and does tremendous exploits, and at other times he was marked by abject failure. I do not want to speak too much about failure, but this scripture shows that he had fallen into very grievous failure. I suppose that is an experience which most of us have had. We have known times of power but we have known failure as well. Samson was quite able to meet the Philistines head on. He could slay a thousand men with one unorthodox weapon; he was able to do many things to the Philistines in full combat, but he succumbed to the seduction of Delilah, he gave away his secret and lost his power. I think we all know what that means. As a believer, you have a secret link with the Lord Jesus that the world knows nothing about. You must keep that secret; do not lose it. It may be that when you are at work or at school, business, or wherever you are amongst worldly people, and the conversation drops in its level, you join in their laughter. In doing so, you sink down to their level – you have given away your secret and you have lost your power.
It is a very sad picture we have here of such a great man, such a strong man, bereft now of his strength and his power, and he has lost his eyesight too. As remarked, I do not wish to dwell too much on the failure because there is recovery here; his hair began to grow. It is very interesting that the Philistines did not seem to notice that. His secret was coming back in that sense. There is life stirring in this man, something that his enemies do not understand. They humiliate him as much as they can, and he is called upon to act in a degrading kind of way to entertain this large company. It is a sad situation, but his hair has begun to grow and he is regaining his power. I think the Lord would encourage us, even after failure, that it is possible to get our power back. He did not get his eyesight back; some consequences of our failures do remain, but he got his power back and now he is able to deal with the situation. It is very humbling to have to do it this way, but he does it. This great gathering of Philistines in this huge building represents in this context the world system in its entirety. Samson had dealt with individual matters before, but this seems to me to represent the whole world system and it is supported on these two pillars. Samson, although a captive, says to the lad that held him “Let loose of me”; Samson is breaking away from dependence on the world’s system. He is acting now in the strength of another power and he is able to bring down the whole system in its entirety. All the great men and women among the Philistines were there, all those of importance among them were there, and in principle the whole world system came crashing down through one man who had regained his strength.
Now, you can do that. You might say, how can I do that? The world still goes on the same as it always did, but you can bring it down in yourself by the confession of the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit. The secret which you have is greater than the entire power of the world. What a victory it is that a simple believer, failing as he may have been, can bring about such a tremendous victory. Samson had to die of course, and maybe you will have to die in that sense morally; you have to experience what it means to die and be “buried with him in baptism”, Col.2:12. The verse goes on “in which ye have been also raised with him”. The type of Samson does not go as far as that, but it does say that “the dead that he slew at his death were more than those whom he had slain in his life”. Samson had been let loose, he overcame his dependence on this world’s system, he had broken its bonds, and now in liberty and in power he is in victory. Paul says: “But in all these things we more than conquer through him that has loved us”, Rom.8:37.
In John 11 we have a different picture. Lazarus has died, there is no disguising that fact. The Lord had said to the disciples that “Lazarus, our friend, is fallen asleep” (John 11:11), which was a very tender touch, but the disciples did not understand it so the Lord had to say plainly “Lazarus has died”, John 11:14. We have had several deaths amongst us during the past few weeks, and we do not disguise the fact that it is death; the Lord said “Lazarus has died”. There is something very special about this setting; there is no moral issue here. The Lord has put to sleep our brethren whom He has taken. There is no question of any punishment or retribution, no moral issue here at all. This is something that was divinely designed for the display of one of the works of God, a manifestation of Jesus as the Son of God. He stayed away for two days. You might say, if He had only come; Martha and Mary had both said that “if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died”, John 11:21,32. They would have known Jesus as a great Healer and Physician, but the Lord said ‘No, it has to be this way’. So death, when it comes in, means something. There is to be a demonstration of the works of God. How the Lord felt it. Jesus “deeply moved in himself, comes to the tomb”. How much that meant to Him, death being what it was. He knew what death was and what He Himself was going to have to face as going into its dark domain, to lie in the grave and the tomb. He felt it.
Then, having confided in His Father, “And having said this, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And the dead came forth, bound feet and hands with graveclothes, and his face was bound round with a handkerchief. Jesus says to them, Loose him and let him go” – a truly wonderful thing! The Lord does not perform this service Himself. In the parable in Luke 15, the father does not put the best robe on the prodigal himself, but he says to his bondmen, “Bring out the best robe”, Luke 15:22. So the Lord says here to those standing around “Loose him and let him go”. What a privilege that is, dear brethren, to be able to bring in this kind of liberty because, although there was no penalty involved in the death of Lazarus, he comes out of death “bound feet and hands with graveclothes”. Now look at the scene in the beginning of the next chapter, see Lazarus there with Jesus, “at table with him”, John 12:2. Graveclothes would not be suitable in a place like that, therefore Jesus says “Loose him and let him go”. Every taint, every shadow, every remnant of the grave, has to be removed and it is your privilege and mine to perform this service to one another, to “Loose him and let him go”.
So you find Lazarus at table in the next chapter. It says: “Jesus therefore, six days before the passover, came to Bethany, where was the dead man Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from among the dead. There therefore they made him a supper, and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those at table with him”, John 12:1,2. What dignity; here is a man who is loosed and who is in the tranquillity, peace and joy of the Lord’s presence. He does not say a word as far as scripture tells us, he is just in the enjoyment of the presence of Jesus, on the other side of death.
I read that verse in Genesis because we have here someone who is saying something. “Naphtali is a hind let loose; He giveth goodly words”. I would just like to encourage our younger brothers particularly to be free to say something in the meetings, especially at the Lord’s supper. You give out hymns and pray in the prayer meeting; that is very acceptable to God, but it is fine just to be let loose so that you can give “goodly words”. You might ask, ‘how long have I to speak?’. Five words are enough; that is what scripture says (1.Cor.14:19). If I may be allowed to recount an event that occurred many years ago, involving a brother who I remember; he was newly converted and at the morning meeting he was sitting at the back of the room. At the end of the meeting, he was so filled with the glory of what the saints were experiencing, and what he was experiencing with them, that he just stood up, and said ‘O God, what a Christ’. An old brother put a hand on his shoulder afterwards and said, ‘You should be sitting here amongst the brethren’; and he did the next Lord’s day. What that brother said to God was something that came from his heart and it was, in fact, just five words. So I would like to encourage every young brother here to be able to say such “goodly words”, and sisters as well, for we are not just talking about taking part in the meetings. Sisters like Priscilla, Lydia, Phœbe, and other godly women spoke “goodly words”. You think of Priscilla and her husband, taking Apollos home to help him as to the truth. She would help her husband, she would be let loose in the liberty of the Spirit, and so be able to bring in these “goodly words” that are valued in heaven and valued among the saints.
May we be helped in these things. Amen.
Word in meeting for ministry, Grangemouth
24 January 2012