HEBREWS 11 (FOURTH READING)
[p. 105] HEBREWS 11 (FOURTH READING)
CAC These reviews of Old Testament history are very interesting, whether we think of Stephen’s defence or Paul’s preaching at Antioch or this great recital of the actions of faith. They seem to indicate that if we are to have an understanding of God’s present mind we must be familiar with His ways and His work in the souls of men. I suppose every feature of faith that is brought out here is brought out with design in order to impress on the Hebrew believers in Christ a great spiritual lesson that is as important for us as for them. Every feature has a present bearing.
Ques Do you mean that this chapter is in a sense cumulative?
CAC Yes. It helps to remind us that Scripture is the word of God to us. It is not a history but the word of God to us now. How encouraging it was to the Hebrew believers to see that Abraham had to learn this lesson, to give up Isaac after the flesh and to get him in a new way, in resurrection. There is a divine testimony in all these things; each feature has to be taken up by the Hebrew believers and by ourselves. It is important for us to understand and learn this lesson of the giving up of Christ after the flesh and getting Him again in an abiding condition as risen. He is outside the life of the flesh and outside the whole scene where the life of the flesh is.
Sarah counted Him faithful that promised, and Abraham having taken to himself the promises in Isaac is prepared to offer him up, being assured that God would raise him up. The promises could not be separated from Isaac, so that if Abraham offered him up, it brought out [p. 106] the power and faithfulness of God; He would raise him. All this has a direct bearing upon us. It is not only that the promises are secured in Christ but in Him as risen. It is the greatest type of the risen Christ; there is none more distinct than that. Everything that God has for man is in a risen Man. God gives us a start outside the history of this world and outside all that is of the flesh and outside Christ after the flesh. From Abraham onwards we get the thought of the calling; even as to these Old Testament saints it was a heavenly calling. It must have been astonishing to these Hebrew believers to think that these worthies were looking for what was heavenly. The whole point is to put us on the line of the heavenly, a risen Christ who is outside this world altogether. God has lengthened out the church period so that it is the longest period there has ever been, and He delights to do it. Christ has been rejected here; His rights have been disowned and refused, but God has raised Him up and there are those on earth who are partakers of the heavenly calling. So God has a particular delight in this period; He has great delight in the calling and in the substantiating of things in a risen Christ.
Rem We are not to regard ourselves as poor things who are waiting for a better day.
CAC If we get to the divine side, and that is what faith takes account of, we get the voice of rejoicing in the tabernacles of the righteous all the time. God did not try Abraham because of his weakness but because of his value. God knew there was a bit of solid gold that would stand the crucible without diminution. The trial of faith is not anything to be deplored or depreciated; it is precious. God tries faith to bring out its value and preciousness. The severest test of the crucible shews how precious it is. We all have to come to the point where we are tested as to whether we are occupied with something this side of death, or something [p. 107] the other side.
Ques Do you mean the future?
CAC No, the present. That is where Christ is, He is on the other side of death.
Rem There is a reference to Isaac as the heir.
CAC Yes, the inheritance must have an heir. The inheritance is heavenly. If we get before us that the purpose and calling of God are heavenly and the Heir is Christ, we come in as joint-heirs; but Christ is the Heir. The whole of christendom is built up on the supposition that Christ after the flesh and in relation to this world is the key to God’s mind! It leaves them in the wrong place and with the wrong man before them.
Ques Is “from among the dead” important?
CAC Yes, the resurrection of the saints is from among the dead also.
Ques Does this section set forth the Almighty God? Should we not know Him as One who is controlling things?
CAC Yes. “He that draws near to God must believe that he is”. That lies at the root of things. Paul says at Athens, “If indeed they might feel after him and find him”; that is the initial movement in the soul, a desire for the One who is unknown, a desire to feel after and find Him; that is a good beginning. In Athens they got to Jesus and the resurrection; that is a further development. This becomes a reality in the soul by the work of God; there is nothing apart from that. It is a fine start for any soul, whether heathen or christian, to know that there is a God and to desire to know Him.
Rem Abraham believed that God would give Isaac back to him out of death.
CAC That is a great step in advance, that God should be known as able to set death aside.
Rem Death spoilt creation.
CAC Yes; that is where the almightiness of God [p. 108] comes out. This is the language of Paul in Ephesians 1: “what the surpassing greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to the working of the might of his strength, in which he wrought in the Christ in raising him from among the dead” (verses 19, 20). That is the almightiness of God. We should pray for understanding of the power of resurrection; we assume to understand it when we do not. The apostle prayed in Ephesians 1 that the saints might know it. “Making mention of you at my prayers... that ye should know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints”. Abraham had come to that.
Ques If we are not to know Christ after the flesh, how are we to be conformed to His image?
CAC It is not that Christ in resurrection is any different morally from what He was after the flesh, but He is in a new condition outside flesh and blood, a risen Man. Morally there is no change. He is the same yesterday, today and for ever; there is no change in Christ morally, but there is an immense change in His condition. If resurrection power were not with God, death would be the end of everything. All this is important in learning to separate between Jacob and Esau.
Ques Would you enlarge on that?
CAC By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. I do not know that Esau had any part in the line of faith, but he represents man after the flesh with an outward place of blessing. He has no real link with the purpose or calling of God. He typifies those who are content with the place of privilege and favour on earth without any appreciation of the true birthright. Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, but on Esau’s part there was no appreciation of the birthright, no appreciation of the heavenly. It ends in his being destroyed absolutely. The Spirit of God has in mind that in this epistle to the Hebrews [p. 109] there were certain persons who were participating in the precious things of christianity, and they had no vital link with the purpose and calling of God. It raises an exercise whether we do not often come to the meetings and lead respectable lives on earth and yet have no link vitally with God.
Ques Was not Judas like that?
CAC No unconverted man had such a place of favour as to be in association with the Son of God, walking with Him, hearing His words, seeing Him perform miracles, as Judas had, and yet he was a profane person.
Ques Are not the two blessings distinguished here? Esau’s blessing was connected with himself and the earth, whereas Jacob was blessed spiritually.
CAC Yes. Esau was told what the end would be; he would cast his brother’s yoke from off his neck. According to God, Jacob would lord it over Esau, and that was to be the key to blessing for him. Esau proved lawless in regard to the one who was the subject of God’s election.
Rem God promised that in Isaac there should be blessing as the stars of heaven.
CAC Yes, and Esau represents those who miss the blessing, those who do not come into blessing. After having outward privilege they turn out lawless and rebel against the sovereignty of God. Look at the favour that people are in in the circle of christian protection! In the darkest part of christendom there is light enough to save men’s souls. There is an outward place of favour apart from conversion. Esau represents that character of blessing. People know of Christ and of His death and resurrection and yet have no appreciation of Him. Am I interested in the heavenly or am I only interested in what is outward and earthly? It is a serious exercise for us all. Esau sets forth an earth-dweller. At the present time there is a great danger of professing christians (and it applies to us [p. 110] all) being earth-dwellers, of being occupied with earth and losing sight in a practical sense of the birthright. There is no blessing for the man after the flesh; he is given a place of privilege outwardly but there is no blessing for him. We have to learn to accept sovereignty. Does God bless the children of christian parents automatically? No. God is sovereign; God is entitled to pass my child by, so I seek His mercy. He is sovereign; you get everything on the line of counting Him faithful who promised. We have no title to anything except the sovereign title love gives. That is why sometimes the children of christian parents are not blessed until the parents are brought into submission to the sovereignty of God. We must recognise sovereignty. Isaac would have preferred to bless Esau! But he had the mind of God, and Jacob was the one that God chose, so faith blessed Jacob first. It was a great principle to submit to divine sovereignty. God sets aside natural preferences — that is Esau — God passes that by.
Ques Why do you speak of mercy?
CAC Nothing but sovereign mercy will secure blessing for anybody. Sometimes parents have to accept that before children are blessed. That is the only ground of blessing. I cannot expect my children will be blessed because of their natural connection with christian parents. They are blessed because God chooses in sovereignty to bless them.
It is beautiful to see that the household is linked up in the thought of God with its head. Through faith in the Lord Jesus there is salvation for the whole house, but individually they come in by pure sovereignty and mercy.