RIGHTEOUSNESS (2)
RIGHTEOUSNESS (2)
JT It is thought that we should continue our consideration of Abel, linking it with Noah. I hope we shall have a further reading on Noah and then two readings on Abraham, all on the same subject — righteousness. It is the thought now that we should see the line of faith in the matter. What the preceding history is, we had this morning; there is in it a basis for faith. It is said in 1 John 3 that “Cain was of the wicked one”, not of Adam in that way. The Spirit is considering sin in its origin in John’s epistle and Adam was not the origin of it; it came into this world through him, but it had a history before and that history enters into Cain’s guilt. But from the standpoint of God’s work through Eve, it is said in Genesis 3:20, “And Man called his wife’s name Eve; because she is the mother of all living”. So Abel is of Adam, in the sense that he is righteous as divinely clothed and that he recognised God’s word in regard of Eve. He calls her name Eve because she is the mother of all living. That was light in his soul, and gives him a place in relation to Abel, for Abel is of faith, not of the wicked one. And then further there would be light in Adam’s soul arising from the fact that Jehovah Elohim makes coats of skin and with them clothes him and his wife.
DR In Genesis 2 Adam calls her name Woman; now he calls her name Eve. Would Woman be a greater idea as before sin came in? The name Eve stands related to the work of God in Adam as having sinned.
JT I think that is important to bring in here. The word ‘Woman’ — ‘Ishshah’ — points to the purpose of God, the assembly viewed as sinless, having [p. 408] been in the divine purpose before and apart from sin. And so the tree of life in chapter 3 is guarded, also a thought in divine purpose. It is held in abeyance, kept guarded by the cherubim until it can be brought forward again; but it is a primary thought of God which goes through, as Ishshah also is. Faith must be linked up with Adam’s statement, taking on what God had said as to the seed of the woman. Faith must have been in Adam in taking up what God had said and thus conforming with what God was doing in clothing him and his wife. Adam is thus connected with Abel as righteous. Abel was not only of Adam as having faith, but in that his works were righteous. In Hebrews 11:4 his sacrifice is said to be excellent: “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain”, and by the sacrifice he obtained testimony of being righteous, God thus bearing testimony to his gift. We have the idea of sacrifice in this section and also that of gifts and both are excellent. It is by his faith expressed in his offering that he, having died, yet speaks. We have a group of items in that verse that demand our consideration; they are jewels entering into the history of Abel as presented in Genesis 4.
LES The faith of Abel is connected with what transpired before. Jehovah Elohim would have killed some creature to clothe Adam and Eve with skins; would Abel get the thought of sacrifice there?
JT The faith of Abel must include that history. Faith had a history, it did not begin with Abel. In Hebrews 11 he is mentioned as doing something by faith, but faith began earlier.
AEH Although Adam is left out in Hebrews 11, would the clothes that God made for him and his wife suggest the thought of righteousness? That is, the clothes were not the full thought, the full thought was developed in [p. 409] Abel.
JT Yes. As we had this morning, there is a history involving faith before Abel.
LES “Faith cometh by hearing” (Romans 10:17).
JT Having that in mind enables us to connect what preceded Abel with his faith. The Spirit of God in recording Adam’s naming of his wife in Genesis 3 gives the meaning of the name, implying that Adam understood what God had said of the seed of the woman. The name Eve is clearly connected with what Jehovah Elohim said to Satan in verse 15, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; he shall crush thy head, and thou shalt crush his heel”. The word ‘seed’ there is very important, it is light for us and victory, too, the woman’s seed over against the serpent’s seed.
HB What Adam said in verse 20 is the more striking because in the previous verse he has been told, “For dust thou art; and unto dust shalt thou return”.
JT It is remarkable and should be especially noted; and attention, too, should be paid to the seemliness of Adam’s name being omitted in the line of faith in Hebrews 11, as Deborah’s name is omitted in the reference to the overthrow of Sisera. It is Barak’s name that is mentioned, as is seemly, in the line of faith, Barak being the appointed leader although actually the initiative was with Deborah. Scripture mentions Barak. And so here — the fact that Adam was the vessel of sin coming in does not fit with the idea of faith being in him; but nevertheless faith is in him according to what he says and it is witnessed in his son.
LES Referring to the thought of ‘seed’, are you linking it with the children of God in 1 John?
JT Yes, and the subject runs right through into chapter 5. It is a matter of what is more excellent and it comes before us in Hebrews 11 as entering into what is current today — the children of God and the [p. 410] children of the devil — that the children of God have good things, that their gifts and sacrifices are excellent, and God bears testimony to them.
AEH Say a little more about the righteousness of Adam here. Is it what we have in Romans, the idea of imputed righteousness, while the righteousness of Abel is more what is constitutional?
JT Yes; as connected with faith it was from God; it was in Adam but in Adam only as he took up Jehovah Elohim’s word. He evidently took up what was said to the devil about Eve, for he says, “she is the mother of all living”. Abstractly it points to what she actually was — the character of things involved in the word ‘seed’. The ‘seed’ would be living — it is over against the devil. It is very real today: you have the works of the devil, and the works of the children of God are against them. God looks for that — that we are against the devil, against his seed.
LES Does this thought of ‘seed’ as being living come in in relation to the sacrifice?
JT Yes; the idea of ‘seed’ runs through. Abel was of that seed; John works it out.
HH It is said of the woman in Revelation 12:17, “And the dragon was angry with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus”. The seed in that way refers to the saints. They are of God.
JT In that chapter we have first the “male son”, and then the assembly comes in because it is of Christ, and it goes to heaven with Him — the Male Son. Then this passage would also refer to the repentant Jews in a coming day, the dragon makes war with them. But the Male Son brought forth by Israel will do everything, you might say. He is also the seed of the woman seen in Genesis 3.
HH Hebrews 11 seems to point out another [p. 411] world and those who are approved for it — “the world to come”.
JT Quite so. One is exercised about the children as linked with the seed of the woman. The seed in Genesis 3 points particularly to Christ, and what he does. But He is in relation to humanity, and He bruises the serpent’s head. The saints do not do that. God bruises Satan under the feet of the saints and they do a great deal against the devil; every saint should have some experience of that kind.
DR “But the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly” (Romans 16:20).
AEJA “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
JT That is a great victory — the devil fleeing from one saint. You get in type that sort of thing in the men of David. But then, someone fleeing from you is not the same as your bruising his head. David annulled Satan in cutting off the head of Goliath and killing him “completely”.
HB John’s “young men” are overcomers.
Ques Why is not Eve called the mother of all dying? Abel dies, but Adam says she is the mother of all living.
JT Well, so that is it. By one dying God clothes Adam and his wife, that is, a creature had to be slain so that skins should be available. It justifies the great history of faith from this point. Hebrews 11 is a record of worthies, men who by faith had experience.
HH In this section there is light in the skins God used to clothe Adam and Eve.
JT Quite so. You may be sure the creature used would convey something of Christ. Adam himself names the creatures and no doubt God would make use of one of them according to its name, so that there would be something specifically pointing to Christ. Whatever the name was God would observe it. It is [p. 412] a question of God, and of what creature He is using to provide a skin to clothe Adam and Eve.
LES The word to the woman, “and to thy husband shall be thy desire, and he shall rule over thee”, seems to be in contrast to Cain.
JT She is to be connected with Abel in some way there — she is “subjected”. “The assembly is subjected to the Christ” (Ephesians 5:24). Cain did not have anything to fear from Abel. Jehovah said to Cain that the desire of his brother should be towards him and that he should rule over him, as if Cain had nothing to fear from Abel. Cain was the elder brother and it is orderly for the younger to be subject to the elder, that is the point God mentions in speaking to Cain. He has nothing to fear from Abel; Abel would be subject. And today governments have nothing to fear from the children of God. Christians are not characteristically rebellious people. That is what Abel represents. It is for us to go on in this way as over against the current principles of disregard of authority vested in government. We might follow the line in this way as bearing on the children of God at the present time; from them there is nothing to fear. “Ye have condemned, ye have killed the just; he does not resist you” (James 5:6). That testimony is universal as the young men are brought into the forces. They are unresisting.
Ques As the young men are brought up as unresisting, it is not a question of weakness, is it?
JT No, it is a question of power. The Spirit of Christ is not weakness; but in the saints it recognises authority in ordered government, as He did.
Ques Is it implied in the excellency of Abel’s sacrifice?
JT Yes, that enters into it. The sacrifice takes character from the person who gives it. There must have been much exercise entering into just what kind of offering Abel would bring to Jehovah. “And in [p. 413] process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to Jehovah”; there was no intelligence in that. Paul says, “I speak as unto intelligent persons” (1 Corinthians 10:15) — in view of drawing near to serve God. Cain brought what he thought should be presented to God — an offering of the fruit of the ground; “And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of their fat”. Undoubtedly in bringing his offering he paid attention to what Adam had called the creatures; he brought of his firstlings and their fat — we do not know how many. Did he not pay attention to what Adam had called them? Was there not light in the names that Adam gave them? Can we not dig behind these verses to see what was going on in Abel’s soul? He brings this offering to Jehovah; we do not know the names of the creatures, but we do know that he chose them with care. They were well-fed because fat is mentioned as also offered. All this enters into the matter of righteousness in what Abel was; the word ‘excellent’ is mentioned in Hebrews as connected with it.
Ques Is there some thought in what Cain brings that he would put himself forward?
JT In Cain’s offering there was no recognition of sin; the fruit of the ground could not meet this. Abel’s offerings implied death, for their fat is spoken of separately. There was nothing of the Spirit of Christ in Cain and there can be no meat-offering without it; the meat-offering refers to what comes out of the ground, but without death in an accompanying offering it could not be accepted according to the requirements of Leviticus. The tenth part of an ephah of fine flour accepted as a sin-offering in Leviticus 5:11 is an expression of God’s grace toward one weak, because ignorant, in the faith, but sincere in his self-judgment. It is a genuine acknowledgment of sin for it is a sin-offering. The offerer’s poverty is noted in the fact that no oil or frankincense is put on [p. 414] it, but faith is in his exercises and hence the offerer has a place with God.
JC Jehovah looked upon Abel.
JT Yes. “And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of their fat. And Jehovah looked upon Abel, and on his offering; and upon Cain, and on his offering, he did not look”. It is important to note that what is behind the offering is the offerer. Jehovah looked on Abel but not on Cain; it was first a question of the man. “Upon Cain, and on his offering, he did not look”.
Rem In 1 John 4:2,3 the same idea is referred to, as regards the humanity of Christ: “Every spirit which confesses Jesus Christ come in flesh is not of God”.
JT Quite so. God is not looking on such. What a number of persons there are who are like that! God does not look on them. They may be addressed as Reverend Sir, or some other title, but they are classified in the divine vocabulary as those to be condemned, refused and turned away from. The spirit of Christ is not with them.
HH Here God takes time to speak to Cain about his fallen countenance before he killed his brother. This commands our attention.
JT We are now in the time of naming things — naming apostasy. The epistle to the Hebrews brings in the point of naming apostasy or wilful sin. The writer says there, “For where we sin wilfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains any sacrifice for sins”, (chapter 10:26). Chapter 6 says it is impossible to renew again such to repentance. Persons who have accepted and shared in the light and blessings of Christianity and turn away from it are regarded in that epistle as apostates and the sure judgment of God awaits [p. 415] them.
HH Those drawing back to perdition — the case with them is hopeless.
JT It is important to have that in our minds so that we appraise things rightly and what God’s way is at the present time. “For where we sin wilfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains any sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and heat of fire about to devour the adversaries. Any one that has disregarded Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses; of how much worse punishment, think ye, shall he be judged worthy who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and esteemed the blood of the covenant, whereby he has been sanctified, common, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him that said, To me belongs vengeance; I will recompense, saith the Lord: and again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing falling into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:26 - 31). We may regard this as current history, as corresponding with the Jews in apostolic times. After the letter to the Hebrews was circulated among them anyone who had embraced the gospel and formally turned away from it, returning to Judaism, had only judgment to expect.
AEH The idea of Abel’s blood calling from the ground enters into present history, and the “better things” spoken of in Hebrews 12 are only for those on the line of faith.
JT The “better things” are not for those who fall away. We must remember when we preach the gospel that some are not to be saved. We cannot name them but we know they exist and we must make allowance for that in the preaching. Paul says, “if also our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in those that are lost” (2 Corinthians 4:3).
SP God looked on Abel. He must have been a lovable [p. 416] man.
JT Abel looked after livestock. Joseph instructed his brethren as they were to appear before Pharaoh to say they were livestock men. But, they might have said, the Egyptians look upon that as an abomination. Well, he would say, let us suffer the reproach! But when the time comes and Joseph’s five brethren say to Pharaoh that they are livestock men, the king says to Joseph, I have livestock — set your brethren as overseers over my livestock. We may count on that sort of thing — there is someone who is not against us. It is very touching as the young brethren have to do with the authorities and there is one man there who is sympathetic with them. Pharaoh says, ‘They are livestock men; put them as overseers over my livestock’. He is dignifying them.
SP In type that shows the confidence that true Christianity promotes.
JT You would look for the spirit of Christ coming in in that way.
HH The young men in camps thus find favour.
JT We hear much in the way of testimony in that sense both here and in Great Britain, also in Australasia.
DR Paul’s testimony before Agrippa led the king to say he had done nothing worthy of death or bonds.
JT That is largely how the history of faith comes out. It comes down through the children of God, and Abel is representative of the children of God. He did not resist; he died. But nevertheless he is still speaking, he has been speaking through thousands of years; “having died, he yet speaks”. When compared with that of Christ the speaking is inferior, but still it is speaking as from God. Abel’s blood is speaking although the blood of the new covenant speaks “better things”. The blood of Abel speaks of judgment; it was righteous blood wickedly shed. The blood of the new covenant speaks better [p. 417] things but it does not detract from Abel’s blood; Abel’s blood is righteous blood. Matthew speaks of all the righteous blood from that of Abel to the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias. We are designated children of God in John’s epistle and children of God are righteous; everyone that practises righteousness is born of God. Abel, who represents them as we have seen, brings excellent gifts to God; even material gifts are pleasing to God, according to Hebrews 13; those that go into the box at the Lord’s supper are on this line. Hebrews 13 contemplates offerers: “We have an altar of which they have no right to eat who serve the tabernacle; for of those beasts whose blood is carried as sacrifices for sin into the holy of holies by the high priest, of these the bodies are burned outside the camp. Wherefore also Jesus, that he might sanctify the people by his own blood, suffered without the gate: therefore let us go forth to him without the camp, bearing his reproach: for we have not here an abiding city, but we seek the coming one. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise continually to God, that is, the fruit of the lips confessing his name”. That is the high note! But it goes on, “But of doing good and communicating of your substance be not forgetful, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:10 - 16). These refer to material things, but all relate to the service of God. There are gifts from hearts and lips; and then gifts from our pockets — not to be despised. Are we niggardly in our giving? God bore testimony to Abel’s gifts: “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained testimony of being righteous, God bearing testimony to his gifts”. Well, does God bear testimony to our gifts? It is worth while considering what we offer, whether materially, which is of lesser value, or the offering of our lips giving thanks. Let us work out this matter, contemplating ourselves as children of [p. 418] God and that the way of righteousness means that God can bear testimony to our gifts. All this enters into whether we are equal to the service of God. Think of the Lord looking on the treasury and seeing how the crowd gave! God is looking on what we are giving. And then what is done in a spiritual way also comes under review; Abel’s service enters into all that. The types in Leviticus govern these things: “The true tabernacle” is brought in here by way of contrast. “We have an altar of which they have no right to eat who serve the tabernacle”. The sacrifice on the great day of atonement in Leviticus corresponds to our Lord Jesus Christ as suffering without the gate, and those who do not go out of the gate do not belong to the true divine system because Christ suffered without the gate. So the very acme of wickedness is Jerusalem itself. But here the thought is carried down to our day, “therefore let us go forth to him without the camp, bearing his reproach”. And then the gifts are listed — whatever is necessary for the service of God. God will look on them and look on us for He “loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
Ques Does the matter of praise to God take on a more exalted character as we are conscious that our affections Godward are patterned after the same character as those He received from Christ in His holy manhood?
JT Yes; we have in 2 Corinthians 2:15, “For we are a sweet odour of Christ to God”. In this second epistle we have, among other things, the working out of the idea of what God is looking at. God loves a cheerful giver, and in this Paul is an example for us, God through the apostle himself testifying to his sacrifices. Let each of us challenge himself — What am I giving? Of course, the greatest gift is Christ, whom God gave for us. My material wealth may not be much, but it may express the giving of love. God takes account of that, He loves a cheerful giver.
[p. 419] LES Do we not get the two ideas — the material and the spiritual giving — carried through into the Acts? During the famine the disciples among the Gentiles are prepared to contribute to Judaea where there was need so that the apostle says: “but now I go to Jerusalem, ministering to the saints; for Macedonia and Achaia have been well pleased to make a certain contribution for the poor of the saints who are in Jerusalem. They have been well pleased indeed, and they are their debtors; for if the nations have participated in their spiritual things, they ought also in fleshly to minister to them” (Romans 15:25 - 27).
JT Quite so. All that we are speaking of comes out in Antioch where the disciples are ministering to the Lord. However, gifts for the needy at Jerusalem sent from them were not a ‘general collection’ but from persons who were “well off” (Acts 11:29). It was in answer to a prophetic communication — quite unusual.
HH We need more of that now. One notices in going around that the stereotyped dollar bill still finds its way into the box. The brethren now are making far more than they used to — why not turn the excess over to the Lord’s interests?
JT When there is an increase in salary there is need for an increase in spirituality. God looks at the person. He was not looking on Cain but on Abel and his offering. It was Abel really, the gift was the outcome of what the man was. God does not mind if the salary is doubled or tripled provided the gifts increase in proportion; He looks on the gifts but He also looks on the giver, and God loves a cheerful giver, as we have often quoted.
ABM That is abstractly a question of righteousness — if our salaries are increased our gifts should be.
JT It is indeed. Righteousness marks the true [p. 420] giver.
AEJA Some are more anxious about business prosperity than soul prosperity.
JT Well, God looks on such as the Lord did in Mark 12:41, but we cannot say He has pleasure in looking on them. The soul prosperity is what God takes account of. Normally gifts are the outcome of that. The gifts themselves do not mean much; God would say to those who are on the line of material wealth, “If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof” (Psalm 50:12).
Ques Would gifts also be given in affection for the house of God?
JT Yes; in this David is the model for us. He gave, he says, “in my affection for the house of my God” (1 Chronicles 29:3). He gave a hundred thousand talents of gold, but this amount is not spoken of as dedicated in his affection; that was a matter of his wars — a big affair. His army entered into that. But when it comes to his affection for the house it is evidently the best gold, not a very big amount compared with the first; and refined silver. God looked at, or valued David for that. It is a question of how pleasurable he was to God at that moment. Of course God valued the larger gift also, but it stood related to his official place, whereas the other gift was personal.
Rem Think of the affection of the widow throwing in the two mites — all her living!
JT Quite so. The Lord says, She has given more than all. It is not the amount but the person who gives, so that this matter of excellent gifts and excellent sacrifices and God bearing testimony to them is most important. “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained testimony of being righteous, God bearing testimony to his gifts, and by it, having died, he yet speaks”. Each group of things in that verse is for our contemplation — what there was for God in Abel [p. 421] in his own day. Well, Abel died, but his blood speaks loudly to us about gifts — the quality of our gifts, and that God Himself appraises them.
Ques Does the word ‘it’ in verse 4 refer to his faith?
JT Yes.
HH The thought now is, if we want God’s pleasure to rest upon us we must give liberally to the basket. The widow’s two mites speak to us — she gave all. Abel’s blood still speaks to us, Abel’s righteous sacrifice yet speaks to us. If we want God’s pleasure upon us we shall maintain these things for God amongst us.
JT Quite so. Luke’s record of Abel, confirming Matthew’s account, is “that the blood of all the prophets which has been poured out from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias”. That is, Luke is valuing them on that level; not distinguishing any, he is speaking of that class of persons — the prophets. Luke is thinking of the number of persons whose blood was shed; it is blood poured out from the foundation of the world until that very hour; their blood was shed, they were martyrs for the truth, Abel among the others. Luke is pointing to the persons, he is dealing with the many persons whose blood was of value to heaven, Abel among them; whereas Matthew calls to attention that his blood was righteous blood. The same idea is in all the persons whose blood was poured out.
SP The idea of pouring out would be that it was under the eye of God, something He would look at.
HB Revelation 18:24 says of Babylon that “in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all the slain upon the earth”.
JT Showing that our sufferings as they happen are all under the eye [p. 422] of God.
LES Does the blood of Zacharias who perished between the altar and the house bear witness to the development of wickedness? Zechariah says, “This is Wickedness”.
JT It would be the same. We may look at Noah in the next meeting. The point now is the offerers — the excellency of the gifts and the sacrifices of those who have faith — how God appraises them.
AEJA Speaking of ‘seed’ and ‘generations’, they continue as seen in the children of God; and those of the wicked one are marked also — seen in their actions, so that the Lord says of the Jews, “Ye are of your father the devil”. That is the seed Judas belonged to; he complained of what was poured out upon Jesus as being “waste”.
JT That is a good comparison — Judas over against Mary of Bethany. Jesus says, “Suffer her to have kept this for the day of my preparation for burial”. It was of great price, it was weighed — it was one pound. The preciousness of it is noted; the odour filled the house.
HH In Mark the box is broken, showing that what is done is without recall. It is the way for young people to commit themselves to Christ.
JT The box was to preserve the ointment, but the Spirit of God in John calls attention to Mary as one who could keep herself pure and in that way there was no need for the box. She had learned to keep things in incorruptibility; she had no confidence in the flesh. One pound — full measure: it was kept for a purpose, an intelligent end.
SP The ministry of the last few years would help us in our offerings; help us in taking in a very large scope. We are learning to minister to countries far distant from us. The gifts these days cover a very wide sphere.
JT Very much more than we have formerly covered. As sending gifts to the British Isles and to [p. 423] Australia, etc., we receive letters from them which are read at the prayer meetings, promoting affections and prayers. The question is, Are the gifts increasing “more and more”? The need is great. The value of the gifts is in the givers. Will the giving be increased? The needs are increasing. It is a question of circulatory love.
LES I often wonder what the censors think as they read these letters acknowledging gifts!
JT I am sure it is a testimony to them, they would think about it. God has, no doubt, a design in it in that way.
HB God bears testimony to the gifts of His people.
JT Yes. With such sacrifices, that is, material gifts, God is well pleased. He has pleasure in them.