BLESSED - A BLESSING
[p. 411] BLESSED — A BLESSING
Luke 24:50 - 53; Genesis 9:1,2; Genesis 12:1,2; Genesis 35:9 - 15
I have been thinking, dear brethren, of blessing, and I have selected the passage from Luke first of all, because of the bearing of that gospel. It has to do with the public position of God’s people at the present time. John has to do with what we are inwardly through the work of God, but Luke deals with what is outward, and with which God can identify Himself morally, and so Luke works out his subjects in moral connections. He addresses what he has to say to one person, showing how God in grace takes account of each of us. It comes home to one that one person should be thus an object with God, and so you find throughout Luke illustrations of divine operations in individuals, all in connection with what is moral — I mean in connection with public conduct — what we have been as men and women here in this world; no matter how marked by ingratitude, or how dishonouring to God, yet God blesses us.
And so the saints, thus blessed, as gathered together, are seen in this gospel from this standpoint. Two of them had been on their way home after witnessing much of all the things which had happened. They had now turned their backs towards Jerusalem, towards the centre where God was about to carry on His testimony of grace, but they are followed up in spite of their unbelief, and then they return to Jerusalem. It is not that they are carried back as by a great shepherd, but there is a moral process in them; their hearts were made to burn; and they were addressed as “senseless and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” Luke 24:25 The Lord went right into their house with them, and being at table with them, took the bread and blessed it and broke [p. 412] it, and as He broke it, they recognised Him. Their recovery was a question of state, brought about through a moral process; their movement away from Jerusalem indicated a bad state of soul. At first their eyes were holden that they should not know Him. That was in keeping with the state they were in. Then their eyes were opened so that they recognised Him. When the two recognised Him they returned the same hour to Jerusalem. They went back sixty furlongs. When they arrived at Jerusalem they found the eleven. What they did was they recognised Him, they returned, and they found the eleven. They justified wisdom. What Luke brings out is that “Wisdom is justified by all her children” Luke 7:35 and this justification comes out in the way of movements and actions according to light received. It is not what we are told to do, but what we do as the outcome of light vouchsafed to us.
Now what was the company doing when these two reached them in Jerusalem? They found the eleven and those that were with them “gathered together” and they were saying certain things which had reference to Christ and that fitted in at that moment, not irrelevant matter. Our conversations ofttimes in our meetings are irrelevant, but here they were speaking together of things that referred to the then circumstances. People reaching things morally deal with known facts. They are saying, “The Lord is indeed risen and has appeared to Simon” Luke 24:34 Perfectly relevant! It is not ‘Peter’, but one who has had a history, and a history that dates back to the moment he got that name Simon — Simon son of Jonas. It was the name attaching to him as a responsible man in this world. He has been a sinner; as convicted he said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord” Luke 5:8 That is one of the finest things that he said about himself. It was not simply that his state was sinful, but he knew it by his conduct. He [p. 413] had sinned. Even after he was converted and after he had been appointed an apostle he denied his Master. But now there he is, one of the eleven, an apostle, sitting there. These two who had been away had come back, and they find him with the others. The Lord had appeared unto Simon the sinner, he who had denied his Lord. His presence with the others was a wonderful testimony to the grace that was active in Christ risen. We need to keep this in view for we all are exposed to the power of sin. Simon’s heart was no worse than mine or yours. Thus the remarks being made were perfectly relevant, they were practical, they were suited for that company. And so as we are together we are to converse about the things that convey an impression of Christ, and one of the greatest expressions of grace is, that the Lord Jesus, after He rose, selected Simon to appear to — “And has appeared to Simon” Luke 24:34 That was what they were saying, and so these two also say something, and what they say is suitable, too; it fits. It is a public matter, and our conversation should be such as should be in testimony. The epistle to the Corinthians deals with this, the importance of saying things with the understanding and with the spirit, even if only five words, but it should be applicable to the moment. So the two told what things were done in the way, and how He had been recognised by them in the breaking of bread. The breaking of bread is a public thing. Its meaning should be understood. They understood it; they were speaking about it. The part that they contributed was that He had been known to them in the breaking of bread. It was no theory, it was a fact. They were relating facts that had a bearing on the public position of the assembly. And then the Lord came as they said these things and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace [be] unto you” Luke 24:36 Then He says, “Ye are witnesses of these things” Luke 24:48 that is to [p. 414] say, witnesses in the sense of having seen them. It is one thing to be a witness, it is another thing to bear witness. I may witness many things of which I say nothing. We are able to speak of the things that we see, and of the things that we know. The public assembly, beloved friends, should be marked by these features — that you are speaking of what you know.
Then the final thought is that He led them out; they were a company that He could lead, and they do not go any further than the point which He intended they should reach. He led them out as far as to Bethany, because in Luke it is a question of God, and God bearing witness here publicly, and we must not go beyond the point that He has intended for us. One of the most important things in regard to the public position is to know how to be regulated by divine limitations. At times we may get depressed in thinking of the untold millions of men and women in the world to whom the gospel is not presented, and this extending backward now nearly 2,000 years. The explanation largely is divine limitation; God knows everything and He is not neglectful. And so while the Lord says, “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations beginning at Jerusalem” Luke 24:47 yet He leads them out as far as to Bethany. He reminds them at once of leadership and limitation. He is to be Leader, and He leads on that principle. The field of testimony is the whole world; all the nations in Matthew and Luke, all the creation in Mark. We must on no account set aside levitical principles; those who preach are necessarily subject to the Lord’s leading, and order, and government. The Lord knows the good soil from the bad; He knows where to send His reapers, so as to get fruit, hence we find that such an one as Paul could say the Spirit suffered us not, “having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia” Acts 16:6 These are levitical touches.
[p. 415] Well, I do not dwell upon that, but only to show you the conditions of blessing — that they are moral — and the final test is, can I submit to divine limitations? Thus it was He led them out as far as to Bethany and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. To understand the blessing is to understand the gospel, so that the Lord has a company He can lead, and who are subject to divine limitations; and they know what to do. They virtually say, we see what the Lord means; He wishes us to go back to Jerusalem. He did not take us very far away, fifteen furlongs off (not more than two miles) and then they went back to Jerusalem, and were there in the temple daily full of joy, praising and blessing God. There was thus in Jerusalem a positive testimony; not what they said, but what they were — they returned with great joy, praising and blessing God. A wonderful contribution! They returned to Jerusalem and were there the expression of Christ. It is in movement in relation to divine limitations — the commandments of the Lord — that the blessing continues, and that we are consciously blessed, for “obedience is better than sacrifice, Attention than the fat of rams” 1 Samuel 15:22 Obedience brings in the blessing of God, the consciousness of divine favour.
Now, having said that much, I want to review briefly these few scriptures in Genesis. Genesis is full of references to blessing. It speaks volumes as to what is in the mind of God. I selected these three passages only. The first has reference to government, which, as you can see, fits in with what I have said, but it belongs more particularly to the gospel of Matthew, as that gospel deals with government; hence it is “Book of the generation of Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham” Matthew 1:1; son of David first, then son of Abraham; it is a question of government, hence the king is mentioned first. Then the Gentiles come up from the East enquiring [p. 416] for One born king, pointing, I may say, to a coming day when the East would come in for the blessing. The Greeks (John 12) do not ask for a king; they would see Jesus, but the Magi from the East ask for a king, He who was born King of the Jews. I have no doubt that that is an allusion to a coming day, when the East shall come in for blessing in Christ, not as the Son of man but as the King of the Jews. The Jews have the first place in the future.
Now, the gospel of Matthew, as I said, is government and blessing in that relation. Some of us may not have any idea of having part in the government of God, but we have. We are told we shall judge angels, and so we should learn to judge and govern now. In order to govern, one must begin with oneself. He that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city. The ruling of one’s own spirit is the first thing. Noah failed in this. He was unable to rule himself. He planted a vineyard and became drunk. He lost the sense of government while he was drunk: so that, to govern, I must judge myself; I must rule my own spirit, if I am to be blessed in relation to government. One could say a great deal about chapter 9 of Genesis, for not only is Noah blessed but his sons are blessed, and they are to multiply, and all the creatures of the earth are to be superintended by them. Man’s hands and features are calculated to enhance his position in government, but we have to be blessed in relation to it, so that we may do it as God does it. We are not to be arbitrary in it. One is blessed in order to be a part of the great vessel of administration which the gospel of Matthew develops, for the assembly is the vessel of government at the present time. The trespass of an unrepentant brother is to be told to the assembly, and it is said, “Whatsoever ye shall bind on the earth shall be bound in heaven” Matthew 18:18 If one does not hear the assembly, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
[p. 417] The assembly was thus to represent God here in government. This blessing of God, as seen in Noah, extends down to our own time. It is based on the burnt-offering of Noah. The state of things set up by God then goes on. Intelligent Christians understand it, God sends rain and fruitful seasons so that men’s hearts are filled with food and gladness. The rainbow is the sign of the covenant God made with Noah to this merciful end.
Now in the next passage (chapter 12),you have the blessing of God in connection with the purpose of God. I am blessed in relation to His government, and blessed too in relation to His purpose. He says, “I called him (Abraham) when he was alone, and blessed him” Isaiah 51:2 Here He says, “I will ... bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing” First, we are blessed in connection with the purpose of God, and then we are to be a blessing. Many of us are content with the first part and leave out the second part — that we are to be a blessing. God has left us down here to be a blessing and so in John’s gospel, I apprehend, we have this in view. The woman of Sychar got the idea from the Lord’s words, that she was to be a vessel. The Lord says, “The water which I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into eternal life” John 4:14 The believer is thus blessed. He has received from Christ the living water; he worships God. Like Abraham he is privileged to set up his altar and call upon the name of the Lord. One of the first things Abraham does is to call on the name of the Lord. He is called alone and blessed, and as blessed he worships God, and then he is to be a blessing. That is the second part of my position as seen in Abraham. I am called out in relation to the purpose of God; I am blessed, but I am to be a blessing. I am a vessel possessed of living water and I worship God, and now from me rivers of living waters are to flow out. I am a blessing. What do [p. 418] you think of the magnitude of that, beloved brethren? As the Lord said, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this he said concerning the Spirit which they that believed on him were about to receive” John 7:37 - 39 Think of the magnitude of the blessing! Rivers flowing out from one man.
I pass on to Jacob. There I am blessed in relation to the house of God. It is in connection with Jacob that you have the house of God first mentioned, and Jacob used the word, as you will see, in this passage that I have read; for God had been down by him and had spoken to him; and he called the name of the place Bethel. I wonder if all here have been able to give a name, as it were, to the house of God; if we have realised it in this definite way. It is one thing for God to give names to things, and another thing for a believer to name them. You will find a principle in Scripture that the thing is there before it is named. The believer names them as in the power of the Spirit he understands or realises them. Jacob comes back from Padan-aram and it says the Lord appeared to him. After the long experience of discipline, God appears to him and blesses him. Before he left for Padan-aram he had been in the house of God. The form of it then was that God was on the top of the ladder and Jacob at the bottom, and the angels were ascending and descending on Jacob; that was his first apprehension of the house of God — the ladder of communication, but distance. Now we must not be content with that apprehension of the house of God. If we do, we shall stay away from the meetings without much of a bad conscience. We shall assume that we can get things at a distance, but God would not go on the principle of distance, He would have us come near to Him. But when, after years of discipline, you come back to the same [p. 419] spot, you find yourself nearer to God. He comes right down to where Jacob was — no longer an angel, no longer a ladder, no longer messengers on a ladder, it was God and Jacob. God Himself standing by him; Himself come down. It is implied in the gospel of Luke — God Himself come down to be near us and to speak to us. And then He goes up from him; “God went up from him, in the place where he had talked with him” Jacob thus sees the house of God. It is no longer God at a distance but God near by us in His own house, and so now Jacob sets up a pillar and anoints it, and not only that, but he pours oil upon it — a drink-offering. It is not simply that I am anointed, that I have the Spirit, but I am consciously pleasurable to God, I am conscious that God has pleasure in me. You will remember the parable of the prodigal, how, when he came back, the father fell on his neck and kissed him; but then he ordered the best robe to be brought forth, and arrayed him in it. He is delightful now. He is in figure arrayed in a heavenly robe. The love of God is one thing, but the work of God makes me entirely pleasing and delightful to Himself. Now Jacob got this apprehension, so he pours a drink-offering on the pillar, meaning that God has had refreshment in the occasion. How is it in our minds, dear brethren? What part has God in us individually and in our meetings? He was delighted with Jacob as returned to Bethel. Jacob was now equal to the place where God appeared to him as by him there and from thence He went up. Then Jacob erected a pillar, poured a drink-offering upon it and anointed it, and then named it. In the first instance, the house of God was to him “a dreadful place” That is chapter 28, but in chapter 35, this is the house of God; not ‘This is none other’, but this is the house of God. Jacob called the name of the place Bethel, and he meant it. He is conscious that God has pleasure in him there.
[p. 420] Now that is being blessed in relation to the house of God and we need, dear brethren, to understand it if we are to be in this divine setting. If we have to do with the government of God in the assembly, we have to be conscious of divine blessing, and if we are to be a blessing, in relation to the house of God, it must be in the consciousness of being divinely blessed. And so Jacob is the one with whom the house begins. Isaac smells him and says, “The smell of my son is as the smell of a field which Jehovah hath blessed” Genesis 27:27 That is an essential idea which has to come out of it. In chapter 49 every one of the tribes are blessed, and yet the most serious things are said about them. There we see the extent of things and hence they are all blessed. God sees to it that all are blessed. Every one of us is blessed according to His blessing. Each one has his own distinctive blessing. In Deuteronomy 33 the tribes are blessed in relation to the work of God, so that there is not a blemish mentioned in that chapter. All the tribes are blessed entirely from the standpoint of the work of God — not by Jacob their father, but by “Moses the man of God” Deuteronomy 33:1 The man of God would take account of what is due to God; he takes account of the work of God and we are blessed according to that, being viewed from that standpoint — that is of the work of God in men. May God bless His thoughts to each of us.