DIVINE WISDOM OPERATING AGAINST APOSTASY (3)
[p. 27] DIVINE WISDOM OPERATING AGAINST APOSTASY (3)
JT It may be remarked that the object of our taking up this subject is to see how the wisdom of God works to meet the current antichristian activities. As already said, David in the main throughout this section represents what is of God in the Christian profession. Sometimes he rises into a type of Christ, but generally he typifies what is of God in the Christian profession. This includes his great failure in chapter 11, and then his want of discernment and exposure to deception in the following chapters, for, alas! even the saints are marked by these things. So that the enemy attacks us, as knowing our weakness in the way of natural inclinations; sometimes amounting to positive sin, but generally exposure to flattery, the saints being sometimes marked by natural feelings. So that Joab, as we had before us yesterday, discerned that the king’s heart longed for Absalom. That is, the natural dominated the king’s desire; he was not thinking that righteousness should govern Absalom’s return. Thus he is exposed to Joab’s machinations; and the woman’s speech, which Joab put into her mouth, included an appeal, not only to David’s affections, but to his vanity. She tells him he is as an angel of God, that his judgment is always right; whilst at the same time he was receiving her wrong thoughts, and being deceived by her. Over against that, what comes out in this section is that, in adversity, what is distinctively of God comes to light. Adversity brings out what is of God in David in every case. Before Joab’s appeal to his natural feelings he breaks down, but God comes in in discipline, and this brings out the latent features [p. 28] of His work. When we are put into trial and adversity, then it is that what is of God comes to light, so that in these chapters we see how things are balanced.
Rem The discipline is working for good in that way.
JT Yes, the discipline is on God’s behalf, as a provision: “For whom Jehovah loveth he chasteneth”, Proverbs 3:12. That is largely the explanation of our continuance in the truth — the discipline of God. It is to check the natural tendency in each of us, natural feeling and, alas! pride. And so the woman’s speech to David included an appeal to his vanity.
Rem In Proverbs we have the foolish woman with her “much enticement”. Proverbs 7:21 All through Proverbs the foolish woman flatters. The man speaks “froward things”, Proverbs 2:12 but the woman “flattereth with her words”, Proverbs 2:16.
Ques Would that be the woman with the spirit of Python (Acts 16)?
JT Precisely, but the apostle Paul was not deceived by her.
Rem The remarkable thing is that here it is a “wise woman”, chapter 14:2.
JT That would be a wise woman as Joab would reckon, not according to God. She was not building; she was plucking down with her hands; Proverbs 14:1. But the discipline of God, from His own side, saves us and brings out what is of him in us.
Ques “our God [is] a consuming fire” Hebrews 12:29 would not that be encouragement for us?
JT Quite so; but then it says, “fear”, too: “Let us ... have grace, by which let us serve God acceptably with reverence and fear. For also our God is a consuming fire”, (Hebrews 12:28,29); the fire is necessary. So that the weakness of David comes out, even after the recovery — after the crisis, as we looked at it this morning. The crisis brought out what was there. David knew God; in every instance [p. 29] he knew God, so that he says elsewhere, “Let us fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Jehovah; for his mercies are great”, 2 Samuel 24:14. And now, fleeing from Absalom, he weeps, he is barefoot, he covers his head, he prays and he worships God.
Rem As we were seeing this morning, there was very great gain in that he went “up”.
JT Yes, it was as he ascended. The latent features of the work of God in him come to light. The mount of Olives shows his lowliness and humiliation. He covers his head, making room for the headship of Christ, and then he finally worships God. But chapter 16 brings out, alas! that after all this experience — typifying our taking our place with Christ in rejection and recognising the Spirit — we find him again capable of being deceived. In the history of the saints since the revival, since they have been brought to take their place with Christ in rejection and recognise His headship and Spirit, the flesh remains the same. So that Ziba comes in at once; he has got a deceiving story. It says, “And when David was a little past the summit, behold, Ziba, Mephibosheth’s servant, met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred [loaves] of bread”; 2 Samuel 16:1 and in verse 3 the king says, “Where is thy master’s son?” 2 Samuel 16:3 Now this is not an Absalom nor a Joab, but it is nevertheless a man governed by the flesh, a covetous man, and his covetousness leads him to slander his brother (as we may say), one who truly loved David; and David is deceived by it. That is the solemn part of it — exposure to deception, even in such circumstances as these.
Rem And that after the recovery, after all that has been recovered to us. The position does not maintain us.
JT The great revival is indicated in chapter 15, right principles observed, and yet, in spite of that, David is again liable to [p. 30] deception.
Ques What do you mean by the recovery?
JT The saints recovered to the truth of Christ’s rejection here; He is not accepted here and we have got to go over the brook, as it were. And then there is the recognition of the Spirit, in the mount of Olives, and the recognition of the headship of Christ. These are features of the recovery, subjectively.
Rem And they come to us through men who suffered.
JT Then the solemn fact comes out, that in spite of that, you have the capability of receiving slander against a brother.
Ques Is there anything in the fact that he was a little past the summit when this took place?
JT Yes; there is a good deal in it; he was past the place in which he worshipped.
Rem I suppose that, typically, he had lost the sense of dependence and the sense of worship. Now that he is past the summit he is again subject to this deception.
JT Paul says, “For we are the circumcision, who worship by [the] Spirit of God, and boast in Christ Jesus, and do not trust in flesh”, Philippians 3:3. I suppose that is what kept him; it is what you go on with. It corresponds with the “summit” here.
Ques Would you say that after we know what it is to reach the summit, we should be on our guard against the adversary?
JT Well, that is the thing; you have no confidence in the flesh. And if you have no confidence in it in yourself, you should not have any confidence in it in others. So that if a man comes to you with a story like this, you ought to ask yourself, “Is it possible that this man has any selfish motives in this attack against his brother?” Why should he say such hard things against Mephibosheth?
Ques Would Ziba represent someone ‘outside’, as we [p. 31] say?
JT I do not think he does. He is the servant of Mephibosheth; he was in his household. David knew him.
Rem David said, “Where is thy master’s son?” 2 Samuel 16:3 This would show that he knew something about him.
JT Just so. Now the question arises, What has God been working for, what has He brought us out for, if not that we should worship? The Lord disclosed to the woman that this was the end the Father sought. If He has recovered us, surely it is to worship God. And this is to be continued.
Rem The woman in the chapter you refer to (John 4) was being set up in the Spirit.
JT So that Philippians, which contemplates the very highest spiritual experience, also contemplates low conduct in the saints. Paul had to speak to them weeping.
Rem “Enemies of the cross of Christ”. Philippians 3:18 I think the special application of this incident about Ziba is to ourselves, that is, to those who have taken the position of rejection with Christ; we are still exposed to these same things, though they may come up in a different way. Ziba does not resort to Joab’s means, but his effort had the same end in view, that of deceiving David for selfish purposes.
Rem Ziba came forward at a very critical moment; David did not see through it.
JT And as far as the sequel goes, David never got over it; showing that a brother may be slandered in your ears, and although you recover somewhat, you may not recover wholly.
Ques In connection with those that the apostle was weeping over, they were enemies of the cross. What was your thought?
JT They were enemies of the cross of Christ; their God was their belly; Philippians 3:18,19. It was their natural desires they were thinking about, and that is what Ziba was thinking about.
[p. 32] Ques Would you say that minding earthly things is, in principle, apostasy?
JT That is right; Philippians gives Christian experience — it is the book of Christian experience; and to mind earthly things is to oppose the truth.
Rem Mephibosheth uses the expression, “angel of God” in the right sense; chapter 19:27. He does not use it as the woman in chapter 14 did.
Rem In connection with what you said about Mephibosheth being a spiritual man — he was ready to let Ziba take all, seeing the king had returned.
JT Exactly. The attack is usually on a spiritual man, and if he can be slandered or discredited in the eyes of his brethren, the testimony suffers.
Rem There is a remark of J.N.D.’s, ‘You take care of your conscience and let God look after your character’.
Ques Would it help us to know who Ziba represents?
JT He occupied a menial position, and he was envious of his master. If you find a man who is envious in this sense, you are in the presence of a dangerous man.
Ques Why does Shimei’s cursing come in here?
JT Well, that is the next thing; that is the balancing thing. In verse 2 David says to Ziba, “What meanest thou by these?” 2 Samuel 16:2 and Ziba is very quick in replying; but the king is deceived. Over against that you have the attack of Shimei, which balances it. “And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out from thence a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera”. 2 Samuel 16:5 Now, he is in a very definite position, “of the house of Saul”. He is like the Assyrian, God would use him as a rod. And David rises here, for he refuses to allow Abishai to attack Shimei; showing that it is in adversity we shine. David says to Abishai, “Let him alone and let him [p. 33] curse; for Jehovah has bidden him. It may be that Jehovah will look on mine affliction, and that Jehovah will requite me good for my being cursed this day. And David and his men went by the way”, 2 Samuel 16:11 - 13. You see, he is really being helped by the discipline of God, and he is accepting it.
Ques Does David rise, in this incident, to be a type of Christ?
JT I think it is Christ in us more. Of course, the Lord did submit to what came, in this sense, as from God. You submit to the discipline of God; it was a question now of submitting to God, the time for the judgment of Shimei had not come.
Ques You were speaking of David’s movements as leading up to Olivet; what have his movements in view here?
JT It says, “David and his men went by the way”. 2 Samuel 16:13 That is to say, he is still in rejection; it is the position of rejection, he does not stop to avenge himself. The thing is to go on the way you have taken — the way of rejection.
Ques Is that what you meant by saying that it came in as a balance?
JT It was a balance for David. I suppose it is often the way with us, that we can stand abuse and opposition, but the enemy gets the better of us by flattery and deceit. We shine best in adversity. It is humiliating to have to say it, but very few of us can stand prosperity — spiritual or otherwise.
Ques What would put us on our guard against all that?
JT This chapter ought to! These scriptures are written for our learning. On the one hand you have a picture here of those right in the main, and yet capable of deception, and on the other you see that what is of God in us shines in adversity, and God justifies it. You stand out in discipline. It is often seen in the saints; they are earthly-minded whilst [p. 34] in prosperity, but presently discipline comes, and then they shine.
Ques I was wondering whether the conduct of Shimei was in the nature of railing.
JT Quite so; Ziba would be a slanderer, and Shimei a railer.
Rem “Not rendering ... railing for railing”, 1 Peter 3:9.
JT Shimei is of the house of Saul. Ziba is not opposed to David, he is simply covetous. Shimei is governed by positive wickedness for its own sake, he is “of the house of Saul”. There are those who, like Joab and the wise woman from Tekoah, have personal prominence in view in their movements. Then there are those like Ziba, who are covetous. And then there are those who oppose for opposition’s sake; they are out and out against what is of Christ, they are of the house of Saul. They belong to the house that has proved itself to be essentially opposed to David.
Ques Do you mean that all this is in the profession?
JT Yes, it is; there are those who oppose Christ personally, and there are enemies of the cross of Christ.
Ques Would you say that extreme Modernism would be represented by that?
JT It would. You have got to locate where people are; so that Shimei is located for us, he is of the house of Saul.
Ques Do you suggest that these elements might be found in any of us?
JT They might, and if they are not judged they manifest themselves.
Ques What is the position of a spiritual man in the presence of these railers?
JT I suppose Mephibosheth represents such. He is not here at this particular part to answer for [p. 35] himself. He is brought up later and he does not attempt to justify himself; he says, “Let him even take all” (chapter 19:30); that is the opposite of covetousness. Besides, Mephibosheth disclaims any right to David’s consideration. I think David also represents a spiritual man as in the presence of Shimei.
Ques How does that illustrate our position?
JT You accept such opposition as the discipline of God. The consequences of the sin of the public body still exist, and we are suffering from them, we cannot evade them. I think the spiritual man always discerns the government of God in all that happens. David did here.
Rem Judge nothing before the time.
JT We are having to do with God, and we are suffering from certain governmental consequences, in common with the whole professing body. We are not in the hands of Satan in this; a spiritual man never places himself there, he takes everything from God.
Rem I thought that David felt in the bottom of his soul that the position he found himself in was due to his initial failure, and therefore, in that sense, from the Lord.
JT It makes all the difference whether a thing comes from God or from Satan; David takes it from God. Paul says, “A messenger of Satan” (2 Corinthians 12:7), but nevertheless it came from God. Sometimes God allows Satan to show his malice, but He permits him to go only so far, as we see in Job. Now what comes out in chapter 17 is this great question of wisdom, and there we see how God comes in. “And Jehovah had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel” — it is what God is doing. He has appointed to defeat what seemed to be the very best counsel; for “the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God”. 1 Corinthians 3:19.
[p. 36] Rem That is the other side of the picture now. You were speaking this morning of the outward side — reproach, and the inward side — wisdom.
JT What we had this morning was that in these chapters we have a secret system set up by David in the very midst of Absalom’s kingdom. This in result meant the overthrow of Absalom’s kingdom, as corresponding with what there is now, in the Spirit being here in the very midst of the profession in which there is apostasy. There is a secret order of things in the Spirit, governed by principles, which mean the overthrow of the Babylonish, Laodicean system. You have in this system (chapter 15) two priests with two sons, young men, and Hushai the king’s friend; and we read that one of the priests is a seer, that is to say, he can see things. You can see the end of things, you can see through the current maze.
Rem It is very striking all through Scripture that where two persons agree God comes in; where there are a few, but sufficient to maintain things, in a difficult day.
JT Now you see that Absalom asks Hushai to give his advice. Remarkable thing! And he gives his advice, and it says, “And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel”. And then is adds, “And Jehovah had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel”.
Rem “He taketh the wise in their own craftiness”, Job 5:13.
JT It is very encouraging to see God acting — God controlling all this. It was His doing; He knew how to bring this about. And what you find is that two young men, a maiden, a man with a well in his house and a woman with corn are the agents in it. Now these are all the most ordinary things, but they [p. 37] serve to conceal what is of God, so that the world is unable to check it.
Rem It is interesting to see where the two young men were put.
JT That is what I was referring to — the well. It is interesting to see that the man had a well in his house. He was a man who had things appointed properly.
Ques Are all these things that you speak of as ordinary things connected with the testimony in reproach?
JT That is right. They are moving under David’s directions, keeping his commandments; you find in verse 15 “And Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled. And now send quickly, and tell David saying, Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him. And Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by En-rogel: and the maid went and told them” All these are very simple things, because God uses simple things, but each of these agents is under divine direction, as we may say, and they are in agreement with one another — they are in each other’s confidence. These are the things we ought to develop.
Ques Do we look for this sort of thing in a crisis?
JT You have the two priests together — they are in agreement. And the two sons are acting with them. Local difficulties often bring out divergence between the young and the old. It was not so here. And then there is the maiden brought in, showing that in these circumstances young brothers and young sisters are brought into the service with the old, so that the system works perfectly, and the will of God goes through without any pretension or [p. 38] show.
Ques Is there any special significance in the well?
JT A good water supply is surely an important feature. It is essential to living conditions.
Rem There would be something spiritual in that house.
JT And there was room there, besides the water. But these two young men are in a humiliating position for the moment. There is nothing very distinguished about the proceedings, from man’s point of view. These are features of the position; the work of God goes on in these circumstances.
Rem The men we have been tracing — Joab and Ziba — were seeking their own glorification. These men were put down a well, as doing the will of God.
JT In verse 18 it says, “Then they went both of them away quickly” There were two of them, and they came to the house of a man who had a well in his court and they went down there, and the woman spread a covering on the well’s mouth and the thing was not known. You see, things are in a mystery, but the work of God goes on in such circumstances.
Rem And the secret system is held in connection with David.
Rem We want to hold things in connection with Christ.
Ques The spreading of the covering — is that the recognition of headship again?
JT I think the idea is hiding. Colossians is to teach us how to hide things. There must be publicity in regard to certain things, but there is also mystery; things are hidden in a mystery — known only to those initiated. The Lord began that principle in His parabolic ministry; parabolic ministry is to hide things. He takes the disciples into the house and discloses things to them. Colossians is a hiding epistle, going out of the world. The power is there,
[p. 39] and the work of God is going on, but in an obscure way.
Ques How would that apply today?
JT Well, I do not think we should seek any show, any publicity; or to bring the truth down to the level of the natural mind. We should never lose sight of the fact that it is a time of hiding. The merchantman hid the treasure, he found it hid and he hid it afterwards, and so all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in the mystery.
Rem These two priests seem peculiarly connected with levitical service.
JT They are together, and their sons are working and moving together.
Rem The young men acted intelligently, because they had been at the ‘care-meeting’, so to speak, with the older brethren.
JT Young men are apt to leave things to the older ones. I do not believe in the young men being excluded from the care-meeting. How can they learn things unless they are there? Indeed, every one in the assembly should be acquainted with things that are going on, both brothers and sisters. In principle, every member of the assembly is responsible in regard to the Lord’s interests. But then these two young men knew how to hide, they did not talk about the matter.
Rem Rahab also hid the two spies.
JT The principle of hiding is a very great feature in Christianity. “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing” Proverbs 25:2 and “a prudent man concealeth knowledge” Proverbs 12:23.
Ques Why does the woman come into prominence in hiding?
JT She represents the subjective side, what would be general amongst us if we were spiritual; note the corn is ground, it is ready for use.
[p. 40] Rem It is an exercise about notice-boards announcing the gospel.
JT Well, the gospel should be known: “Wisdom crieth without” Proverbs 1:20. The gospel of the grace of God should be announced in a public way, but when we come to the truth of the assembly, then it is a question of hiding. We must not cast our pearls before swine.
Rem So that all these principles hold good today.
JT These are principles that belong to recovery, that belong to a time following a crisis when the recovery of the truth took place.
Rem The well was not used to hide these young men from their brethren, but from the enemy.
Rem Success here depended upon their being concealed.
JT You see how all works together; the man with the well, the woman with the corn, and the maid. It is a question of unity — of confidence, old and young, brothers and sisters, working together to one end. They did not let Absalom know anything. Anything that tends to build up the antichristian world should be renounced.
Rem These young men were carrying a very vital message.
JT That shows the importance of the younger men. The older brethren ought to see that. They have got much more agility, these young men can run. They are much more valuable for such service, as the apostle John says, “I have written to you, young men, because ye are strong” 1 John 2:14. Strength and energy are there.
Ques What is the force of “all the Levites” going (chapter 15:24)? It seems as if all were in service.
JT They were on the “Lord’s side” as in the days of the [p. 41] golden calf.
Ques What would you say about circulating ministry to Christians?
JT The point is not to bring things down to the level of man’s mind. You know how to minister, to convey your thoughts to persons who have the Spirit, but you do not want to bring the truth down to the level of man’s mind. The Lord says, “ye have received gratuitously, give gratuitously”; Matthew 10:8 thus we gladly share what we have with our brethren wherever they may be.
Ques What does the ark represent?
JT I think it represents Christ as the centre of everything for God, so that you cannot ignore the profession. The ark would stand in relation to all that own Christ, even though it be but in an external way. David sends it back to the city. You do not want to make it the centre of a party, or section of Christians.
Ques Is not that very great encouragement in preaching? There are thousands of Christians around mixed up in public systems.
JT There is only one Christ; you take account of people according to their profession.
Ques What do we learn from going over Jordan here?
JT It says, “Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over the Jordan; by the morning light there was not one of them missing that had not gone over the Jordan” verse 22. It is the thought of safety beyond death, I suppose. In this position David is furnished abundantly; verses 27 - 29. As we were saying about Colossians, it is the boundary; it indicates the boundary where things are safe, where our life is hid with Christ in God.
Rem “By the morning light” — I think that is a beautiful expression.
[p. 42] Rem And then it says that Absalom passed over.
JT He passed over to his ruin.
Rem The enemy has no power over there.
JT No; I think this is the side of the truth that is presented here. All that goes on is to this end.
Rem It is very encouraging that there is no moment in the history of the testimony that the Lord is not acquainted with; and He has provided against all contingencies.