THE ASSEMBLY (11)

^[p. 713] THE ASSEMBLY (11)

1 Samuel 25:1-21; 1 Samuel 25:32,33; 1 Samuel 25:39-42

JT It may be a help, generally, to mention that in connection with Abigail, a type of the assembly, we have the prophetic word; the prophetic word enters into this section of Scripture in a peculiar measure and especially in Samuel, of whom it is said in the book of Acts that the prophetic word began with him. As a matter of fact Samuel’s mother, Hannah, had a certain prophetic touch as can be seen in her prayer in chapter 2 of this book. Samuel himself is pre-eminently typical of the prophetic word, and David, too, comes into it. It may help to keep all this in mind because the prophetic word has been much before us for many years and it is still before us. And it is undoubtedly intended to amplify the thought of the assembly, as the leading family of God, of which it is said: “to him be glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus unto all generations of the age of ages”, Ephesians 3: 21.

AR Is Abigail the product of Samuel’s ministry?

JT Well, you cannot say too much, save that she appears in the book of Samuel; and Samuel is spoken of in the Acts as the leading prophet. It says there that all the prophets from Samuel and those in succession after him had spoken.

RWS The passage reads: “And indeed all the prophets from Samuel and those in succession after him, as many as have spoken, have announced also these days”, Acts 3: 24. Would ‘these days’ bear upon ourselves?

JT Ours are remarkable days. They are at the end, we might say, of a great revival; which was attacked almost immediately when it began, but God has preserved it ever since, and I do not think it was ever more appreciated by the brethren than it is now. God has ^[p. 714] helped the brethren.

RWS The speaking would involve the Spirit?

JT Well, yes; and that is what has been in mind in these readings. It is a matter of the place the Spirit has in these settings, especially in Genesis 24, which is the chapter of Isaac and Rebecca.

Ques What would be the thought in Abigail coming in after the death of Samuel?

JT Well, the book largely deals with David, but Samuel gives character to it. We are dealing with Abigail who is a type of the assembly, and she comes in after the death of Samuel.

JTJr Would the understanding of 1 Corinthians 14, in regard to prophecy, connect with Samuel? Has it not worked out locally, in what has come out distinctively in recent years?

JT Yes; I think that is good. Some years back allusion was made to the section of this book which treats of the hill of God, and it was thought the hill of God is marked by the prophetic word.

AR It is said of Abigail that she was of good understanding, as if she had profited by the prophetic word.

JT She is clearly a type of the assembly, as the bride of Christ. Everything that appertained to her pointed to this. She was a woman of good understanding and of a beautiful countenance, and grace and wisdom marked her; these features enter into the thought of the assembly. And, of course, if we speak of the assembly, we are to look to ourselves and see what part we have in it. It is not simply that we attend meetings, but that we are characterised by the features that are seen in Abigail.

TEH Is there something instructive in the fact that all Israel buried Samuel? There seemed to have been a general state among the people of God at that time that was the product of the truth.

JT And so, in many instances, the brethren have ^[p. 715] been made to feel things as one after another of those who have announced the truth have been taken to be with the Lord. And it is a wholesome thing that each one should have before him that to depart to be with Christ is far better.

ABP Is there a link with the prophetic ministry in what Abigail says in verse 30? “And it shall come to pass, when Jehovah shall do to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning thee, and shall appoint thee ruler over Israel ...” She seems to have taken on the prophetic word concerning David.

JT Quite so; and doubtless she took character from Samuel.

FNW Allusion has been made to 1 Corinthians 14, where edifying the assembly through prophetic ministry is in view. Would that link with this?

JT Quite so; the idea, of course, is building up, and in 1 Corinthians 14 it is “rather that ye may prophesy”. We may have ministry, but there is need for prophetic ministry.

RWS Is there any teaching for us in this link which Abigail had with Nabal?

JT Well, it is remarkable and requires attention although it is negative, but we should understand what Nabal represents.

ANW Is not prophetic ministry to be generally on positive lines? That chapter in Corinthians speaks of encouragement, consolation, and edification.

JT Well, there is much said about what was evil in the first epistle to the Corinthians, and I think that it is quite right to call attention to what is said in this section about Nabal who represents much in the evil sense. Abigail, indeed, calls special attention to him. She says, “Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, Nabal; for as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him”. That is a very plain word! We cannot ignore the fact of the ^[p. 716] type of man he was, so that we have to look about and see these features of evil, and we have to do with them.

DMcD Would not Ephesians 4: 11 show the importance of the prophets in that they are listed second in the gifts in the assembly?

JT Yes, the apostles have gone, but the prophets remain.

Rem It is said that Nabal was a Calebite.

JT He belonged to the family of Caleb. That, in itself, should have meant something, but apparently it did not mean much in his case, for he was not at all like Caleb, although a descendant of his. So that we cannot go by what people have been, it is what they are today. The test is what we are now.

SM Would that not be a word for our children?

JT I should certainly say so. Therefore, the epistle to the Ephesians stresses the responsibility of the fathers to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

WWM When Abigail heard the report of the young men she did not question it, but made haste; she believed the report and did what was in her power to rectify the wrong that had been done to David. You have often spoken about being quick learners. If we take things on quickly we will get great help in doing them.

JT Yes; the young man referred to here is notable. It is said: “And one of Nabal’s young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to bless our master; and he has insulted them. And the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we anything, as long as we companied with them, when we were in the fields. They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the while we were with them feeding the sheep”, verses 14 - 16. Now it seems to be of note that this young man’s name is not given, so that he would be ^[p. 717] just a young brother who has not yet earned distinction. But sometimes such persons show that they have priestly power and discernment. And this young man clearly represents such persons.

EAL Saul had said to his servants, “Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me. And one of the young men answered and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skilled in playing, and he is a valiant man and a man of war, and skilled in speech, and of good presence, and Jehovah is with him”, 1 Samuel 16.

ANW The young man you have referred to goes on to say, “And now know and consider what thou wilt do”. He did not say what we will do, but commits it all to Abigail, “... know and consider what thou wilt do, for evil is determined against our master”.

JT So that if we are to consider Abigail to be a type of the assembly, which she is, it would mean that when matters occur which become known to any of us, they should be reported, or laid before the assembly, so that matters can be taken up and dealt with according to divine principles. Otherwise they may lapse.

RDG The young man had the same opinion of Nabal as Abigail had.

JT Well, just so.

AR Matthew 18 says, “tell it to the assembly”; that is what this young man was doing.

JT That is the idea; he was telling it to the assembly, in principle.

ABP Is there not a certain natural honour amongst young people that they do not tell what others do? It is a device that Satan uses to cover up evil. So that our young people should realise that there is a greater obligation upon them as in fellowship, than their ordinary friendships with one another.

JT Yes; and if a matter is reported it should always be accompanied with facts; but at the same time we cannot ignore a rumour. “It is commonly reported”, the apostle himself said. When we get a report we should look into it and ascertain the facts and deal with it according to God.

RHS Would that be seen in Joseph, who brought to his father the evil report of his brethren?

JT Very good; that is it exactly.

JTJr Samuel had to take up such matters when he was a very young man. He had to begin, really, by listening to what God had to say about the house of Eli.

JT Just so; and his prophetic power became known from Dan to Beer-sheba; it was recognised that God had established him a prophet. But as we were saying, we cannot ignore any rumour which is current. No one should report anything unless there are facts to support it. But if reports are heard they should be inquired into and, if found to be true, should be dealt with according to God.

DP Would Abigail be one who had a clear judgment of Nabal, and true appreciation of David?

JT She certainly had a clear judgment about Nabal, and about David too, which is important.

SM Is not discernment a very important feature?

JT David says to Abigail, “blessed be thy discernment”, and we certainly should be discerning if we have to deal with matters of which we have been speaking. But, at the same time, there should always be facts to bring forward to support any statement or allegation against any.

LW Abigail called David lord about thirteen times in this chapter. Is that in line with her discernment?

JT Well, it certainly shows respect.

Rem The young man about whom we are speaking had facts; what he brought to Abigail was factual.

WP Would you say that in relation to exercising matters, priestliness ^[p. 719] is required?

JT I think that is good. We should always be priestly, because only priests have a voice in the assembly. Therefore we should all seek to be priestly, and if we have difficult matters we should specially seek to be discerning in them.

RHS That is far different from Nabal’s attitude, for it says of him that one could not even speak to him.

JT Just so, and sometimes we have this very thing, that persons will not answer us.

RWS The young men said of David’s men, “They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the while we were with them feeding the sheep”. There may be some point in the fact that David was a keeper of sheep and Nabal’s young men were also, whereas what marks Nabal is that he was shearing the sheep. Is there something in that?

JT Well. Nabal typifies one who takes away from the sheep; he was doing it for his own ends. David was a keeper of the sheep, and Rachel was a shepherdess.

JE Is it suggested that one who heeds the prophetic word, and is governed by it, is delivered from ungodly associations, as Abigail, was delivered from her link with Nabal?

JT Yes; he died a very short time after this. “And it came to pass in about ten days that Jehovah smote Nabal, and he died”, showing that the government of God comes in in such cases. We can count on that.

AR Abigail is marked by liberality, is she not? She took two hundred loaves and two bottles of wine and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and a hundred raisin cakes, and two hundred fig cakes, and so on.

JT It would seem as if the facts leading up to her union with David all show that she was characterised as of the assembly, in type; she has the character of the assembly.

JTJr The word of the young man would be like ^[p. 720] a prophetic word. It stirred her up. It says, “And now know and consider what thou wilt do”, verse 17, as if to arouse the assembly to do what is right. The assembly would have to apply its faculty, the mind of Christ. Things would be talked over to get the facts, as we have been saying.

JT Hence, “Think of what I say, for the Lord will give thee understanding”, 2 Timothy 2: 7. She had to do that; it was for her to consider the facts with which the young man had acquainted her.

TNW Why did she not tell her husband?

JT I think that she had no confidence in him, he could not help at all. She knew exactly what he was. What she said to David was the truth: “Nabal is his name and folly is with him”. She was concerned about the truth, and then she was liberal; what she did was all in keeping with what she typified.

ANW I suppose one of the assembly could hardly tell an unconverted husband much; there would be many things she would have to keep back.

JT Quite so.

RDG In verse 24 Abigail is prepared to assume the iniquity of Nabal, while in verse 28 she asks forgiveness.

JT Very good; it says, “And when Abigail saw David, she hasted and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let the iniquity be; but let thy handmaid; I pray thee, speak in thine ears, and hear the words of thy handmaid. Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, Nabal”, etc. So she has no question as to him; even though she is his wife she does not hesitate to say the whole truth about him.

RWD It says in verse 22, “... if I leave of all that is his by the morning light any male”. This action of the assembly saves the young ^[p. 721] brothers.

JT Well, quite so; David had asserted that he would go the whole way in dealing with the evil.

JH Did not Abigail seem confident that David would listen to priestly advice? “As thy soul liveth, seeing Jehovah has restrained thee from coming with bloodshed ...” She seemed to realise that David would pay attention.

JT And, similarly, David has a true estimate of her: “And David said to Abigail, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel” (he connects the whole matter with the God of Israel, which is an immense thing), “who sent thee this day to meet me”. This is what he says, and then he says further, “And blessed be thy discernment, and blessed be thou”, and so David has a true estimate of Abigail. And undoubtedly, under God, the whole matter was leading up to the union mentioned in verse 39.

AR Does she have a judgment of Saul also?

JT “A man is risen up to pursue thee”. That was Saul; she widens out as to the whole position; and if we are of the assembly we should have a true judgment about everything.

AEW In the end of verse 26, the suggestion is, “they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal”. Does Jehovah use her judgment as to Nabal, in relation to his death? I was thinking of the scripture in John 20, “Whose soever sins ye retain”, as though the assembly judgment is carried out here, in type.

J.T. Very good!

AB Would Abigail be regarded by David because he was marked by the fear of God? Nabal had no fear of God before him.

JT Quite so.

DP Is there any point in that Abigail is seen coming down, in verse 20, and David is seen coming down to meet her?

JT They were on the same level, you might say.

It says in verse 18, “And Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two skin-bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and a hundred raisin-cakes, and two hundred fig-cakes, and laid them on asses. And she said to her young men, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she did not tell her husband Nabal. And as she was riding on the ass, and coming down by the covert of the hill, behold, David and his men came down opposite to her; and she met them”. That is to say, the whole matter is under God, and it brings out these remarkable features in Abigail which speak of the assembly and the discernment that marks it.

JMacD Is Nabal a type of the law? Abigail was bound by the law to her husband.

JT I do not know that he is a type of the law; he is an evil man, whereas the law is holy, just and good.

RWS In Acts 4 the priests and elders took the apostles and beat them, and it says, when they came to their own company they prayed to God as Despot. It is a militant position: “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were assembled shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the word of God with boldness”. I wondered if there is a correspondence there to Nabal in the chief priests and elders and what they had done, and then the intelligence and militancy of the apostles would be what Abigail represents.

JT Quite so, I would think that is in full accordance with what is said here.

RWS They addressed God as Despot.

JT It is an unusual title. It is a question of dealing with the evil which was at Jerusalem. They refer to “this city”. The evil was there.

RWS Is there any allusion to the Spirit in this type, in any of the attending circumstances?

JT Well, I am ^[p. 723] not sure.

ANW Verse 23 seems to strike a similar note to Genesis 24: “And when Abigail saw David, she hasted and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground”. I thought of the personal agility which is noticeable in Rebecca at the sight of Isaac. When he comes into view, in Genesis 24, Rebecca springs off the camel and covers herself.

JT At the end of this passage we see that the feminine side is stressed in Abigail, for she takes five of her damsels with her. It is an important matter that the feminine side should be stressed if we belong to the assembly; ultimately the masculine is in Christ and the feminine in the assembly, that is the way the matter will work out in the purpose of God.

TNW When David sent and communed with Abigail to take her as wife, the servants seemed to be so fully representative of David that she accepted the matter and worshipped. Is there any suggestion there of the Spirit in the servants?

JT Well, I am not sure. We are trying to get something of the Spirit directly, but we are also saying something as to the feminine side of things which Abigail would represent in this type, which is a remarkable one of the assembly from the feminine side. Abigail is said to be a woman of good understanding and of a beautiful countenance, and many graces are seen in her. She is very manifestly a type of the assembly. And these graces are to be found in ourselves, because the application of the type must be made to ourselves. As here in this hall today there must be some representation of what marks the assembly.

AR David says, in verse 33, “blessed be thy discernment, and blessed be thou”. Then, in verse 35 it says, “I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person”, showing the place she had in David’^[p. 724] s mind.

JT Quite so. He says, “I ... have accepted thy person”.

AR The feminine idea was seen personally in her.

JT That is the idea. If we are dealing with any number of christians, where is the assembly? If we are dealing with the assembly, where is it? Well, it is for each one of us to look into his own heart, and his own circumstances and the things that characterise him, to be sure that there is that which represents the features of the assembly.

ATD Does verse 39 lead up to union? It says, “And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her as his wife. And the servants of David came to Abigail to Carmel, and spoke to her”.

JT That was in view of marriage relations; the matter is clear now. It says, “And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be Jehovah, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from evil; but Jehovah has returned Nabal’s evil upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her as his wife”. Now we come to the actual facts of the case; it is a marital question. And the marital side will bring out that the masculine is seen in Christ, and the feminine is in the assembly. This is something which may be difficult for the brethren to understand, but I am sure that it is important that it should be understood.

AAT David was still rejected, so that I suppose this has an application at the present time during the rejection of Christ?

JT Well, quite so. The assembly is for Him, and the breaking of bread is to bring out that we are on His side, “... on thy side, thou son of Jesse”.

AP Abigail, in type, has the mind of Christ. At the end of verse 41, she was ready to wash the feet of David’s servants. Does not that correspond with ^[p. 725] Philippians 2, the subjection that marks her being the indication that she was marked by the lowly mind seen in Christ personally?

JT Just so, she is like the Lord. He washed the disciples’ feet and He told them to do that to one another.

ANW Do you mean with respect to the masculine and the feminine that through eternity we shall have a sense of what is masculine as well as what is feminine?

JT Oh! we shall. The sons of God are masculine, the sons of God and the brethren of Christ are both masculine ideas; but the masculine thought is seen fully in Christ. And the sons of God and the brethren of Christ all belong to the assembly, and therefore they have the feminine features as well, but the only fully masculine feature is in Christ. I do not know if that is understood by all the brethren, but I think it should be considered.

AAT Is it proper, in the morning meeting, to have feelings that are feminine and feelings that are masculine?

JT Just so.

ABP Is it worthy of note that when Abigail acted in a militant way, she sent her young men before her; when she came to be the wife of David, she had five damsels follow her? Is the dual position to be seen in those two verses?

JT “Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that followed her”. The full feminine thought is there.

RHS When Christ presents the assembly to Himself will she not be viewed in a feminine way, but in eternity, in the service of God, will it be more what is masculine?

JT Well, you can trace both thoughts in 2 Corinthians. Take, for example, “I have espoused you unto one man, to present you a chaste virgin to Christ”.

^[p. 726] That includes all the saints at Corinth but it is clearly a feminine thought. A good deal more can be said, but the matter is very much misunderstood.

JTJr The types we have been considering in the Old Testament are all feminine, typical of the bride. These types are intended to help us to understand the feminine side.

JT Just so.

AR Do you think that we should be able to apply to ourselves the idea of brethren, the assembly and the sons of God? Is it possible to work these out in ourselves?

JT Yes, that is true, but we have to compare that with the other passage that we have just quoted: “I have espoused you unto one man, to present you a chaste virgin to Christ”. The “one man” is the masculine; the whole of the saints at Corinth are viewed as feminine. This is a great matter and it is worth looking into.

FSC Is there any point in that the young men in our chapter are called “her young men” in verse 19?

JT Well, they are young persons who are capable of doing things, viewed as a little greater than servants, but nevertheless servants. They are just said to be young men. The five damsels that follow Abigail are distinctively feminine, but they refer to manhood, for the numeral five refers to the senses of a man; but then the word man covers man and woman in Genesis 1.

AR Would it be right to seek to clothe the saints in a locality where you break bread, with the feminine thought, both brothers and sisters?

JT Well, it is a question of what spiritual power there may be, because, ultimately, we will come to that; that is the mind of God as to us. It is Christ and the assembly. The assembly is the feminine; Christ is the masculine. He gave Himself for the assembly.

JAP So that, “this shall be called Woman” is the prime thought as to the assembly?

JT Quite so. “This shall be called Woman, because this was taken out of a man”, Genesis 2: 23. And “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them ...” That is, the word man covers both man and woman.

JAP Are there certain things found in the assembly now, that is, certain features which are enlarged on in time, such as “quit yourselves like men”, and other scriptures, which will not be enlarged on in heaven? Will it be more a question of the feminine side there?

JT There are conditions, while we are here as in time, that will not be with us when we have our glorified bodies, because the feminine will mark the whole assembly and the masculine will be Christ; it will be Christ and the assembly.

Ques Is not the assembly, composed of male and female? Are not sons of God both male and female, and the brethren of Christ male and female?

JT Well, that is what it is down here at the present time, but it is not the idea in eternity; we are now seeking to develop the eternal thought of God, what was in His mind before the ages of time.

SW But in our Lord’s day morning meeting, are we not able, in some measure, to touch this feminine side?

JT Well, that is the idea; it is a question of what we are capable of. And, of course, we have the Holy Spirit, but how much room are we giving Him? He must have room. We may have the light and go by that, but for the power and the feelings attached to the assembly, we need the Spirit. If we make way for Him, and we do to some extent, but if we make full way for Him, we shall arrive more fully at the thought of God for eternity.

EEH In Revelation 21 it says, “the tabernacle of God is with men”. What are we to understand from that? Is it feminine or ^[p. 728] masculine?

JT Well. John heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold the tabernacle of God is with men”. It is with men, not with Jews only. The word men there is over against the Jews, or Israel. At the beginning of Christianity the Jew had everything, but it gradually became a question of men; and Paul said, as to the nations, that they would receive the salvation which the Jew refused.

WMM Is it right for us to think of the woman as the product of the death of Christ? It says as to Adam that “he found no help-mate, his like”. The feminine idea of the assembly, therefore, would be the product of the death of Christ, the Spirit’s work being involved in her formation. And would you say that in eternity she will represent the full feminine idea?

JT Just so; so that Adam being put into the deep sleep was figurative of death; he had to die, in principle, to get his wife, for she was taken out of man.

RWS Is the allusion to “the tabernacle of God is with men” a millennial thought?

JT It is over against what the Jews might claim. The Jew was rejected and man takes his place. And so Stephen had the Son of man in his mind, for he said, “I behold ... the Son of man standing at the right hand of God”. It is now a question of man, not the Jew, because the Jew had degraded himself so that he is no longer in the lead of Christianity.

RWS So that we have the dual thought in the assembly, if I understood you rightly. There is the dual thought of the feminine and masculine, as seen in the bride or in the sons of God, whereas the masculine is always seen in Christ.

JT That is what I would say. When the assembly is in mind — Christ and the assembly — it is a feminine idea. And that includes all the saints in the assembly; Christ and the assembly.

AP ^[p. 729] Is the masculine side seen in relation to public matters, whereas the feminine side is more for Christ personally.

JT Very good; I would say that.

RHS Luke 20 refers to “sons of God, being sons of the resurrection”. Does that carry the masculine side through to eternity?

JT I think so.

JAP When we refer to Christ and the assembly, the assembly is exclusively feminine?

JT I would think that is the truth; it is the Man and the woman, and the Man is Christ, “I have espoused you unto one man, to present you a chaste virgin to Christ”, and that covers all the saints at Corinth.

Rem So that the thought of man is seen in the power of Christ, whereas the thought of the woman is in subjection.

JT Just so, the power of Christ and the subjection of the woman.

SJM Is the masculine side militant?

JT Well, if necessary. If we go through the prophets we shall see that the Lord did things Himself, at times, in a militant way.

RDG Is it not the masculine side when we appear before God as sons in the latter part of the morning meeting?

JT Well, just so; but we must follow through the full thought, which is Christ and the assembly; not Christ and the sons. In relation to sons, it is a question of God bringing many sons to glory. In relation to the assembly, it is Christ and the assembly.

Ques At what time does the thought of Christ’s brethren come into the morning meeting?

JT After the breaking of bread, I would think, and then the Spirit of God would lead us on to our relations with the Father. Room is to be made for the Spirit of God to be free as amongst us; everything ^[p. 730] depends upon His being with us, so that we get things rightly as we proceed.

GH Is the expression in 1 Corinthians 1: 2, “the assembly of God which is in Corinth”, a feminine idea?

JT Oh, that refers to a vessel down here for God’s service; it is the assembly as the vessel for His service here.

JTJr Is it not in 1 Corinthians 12, that the truth as to the Spirit having formed the assembly is worked out? “For even as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ”.

JT Just so; “so also is the Christ”.