ADDITION
[p. 263] ADDITION
Genesis 30:24 - 34; Acts 11:22 - 26
I have read in Genesis because of the meaning of Joseph’s name. The chapter is full of instruction in regard to names, showing, that is, in a divine sense, their significance. Names have meanings; an examination of the chapter will reveal this. It is not that God directly gives the names, but the Holy Spirit mentions them, giving the reason in the text for each of the names of those who ultimately became tribes of Israel, destined to have a place in the purposes of God and in the ways of God beyond any other persons. Rachel’s remark here indicates that, however little she understood, the Spirit of God had in mind completion, that the number should be completed, that there will be twelve tribes. In the mind of God there is a certain number, there will be no more nor less. The more we know of God the more we expect this. Nothing is left open; His counsels require a certain number and that number will be secured. That I should be in it, of course, is my concern. It is God’s concern but in the gospel it is my concern. It is put to me as a matter of my concern, that I should be not only among the called but among the chosen, the chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world — a most elevating thought for the believer. To confirm this, in the book of Revelation we have in one chapter a carefully counted number, one hundred and forty-four thousand, they are carefully selected. Then in the second part of the chapter we have a crowd, a multitude that no one can number. It is manifest, in saying no one can number, that He is excepted who numbered in the early part of the chapter. That is, God is excepted. He numbers, and in that unnumbered multitude there is not one more than God [p. 264] had in mind. As knowing God we understand this, dear brethren, and whatever Rachel’s intelligence might have been, her remarks are recorded by the Spirit to show that addition was then needed. There were only eleven in Joseph but God would add to her, she says, another son, not another child but another son. Dinah had been added to Leah but that did not make up the number twelve. There are twelve children already in the chapter, but one of them is Dinah. Her name is something like the feminine of Dan — an important name for a sister — that is, the element of judgment. Dan shall judge his people as another of the tribes of Israel. So Dinah, as true to her name, would judge. One of the greatest things, dear brethren, amongst us is the element of judgment — of knowing how to tell the difference between right and wrong, and sisters are to be brought into this. But Dinah does not complete the number in the mind of the Spirit of God — she is not a son. The male side is always in evidence in Scripture, not in an exclusive way but in an inclusive way, including the female. The word ‘man’ primarily includes both, “Let us make man in our image”, “male and female created he them”. It is a question of quality, I mean the masculine and feminine, all looking on to Christ and the assembly. The whole marital thought and that of gender in Scripture look on to Christ and the assembly, a combination in what is spiritual. The feminine is essential in that sense, so we have the bride in relation to the eternal state of things. We may settle down in that thought, dear brethren; male and female comes under the one head in that sense. But it is there nevertheless, Dinah does not complete the number here, it required another, and Rachel says, “Jehovah will add to me another son”. The idea of adding is introduced and it is limited; it is limited in her mind — another son. It covers the present moment for there is another wanted yet.
[p. 265] God has not finished yet; He is going on in the filling out of His thoughts; how long He may continue we cannot say, but that He will continue until the last is secured is a certainty. Then alas, how many will be left out. That is a solemn side to be noted by those who do not know they are numbered, that they are amongst the selected number. It is for each to tell, to be sure in his own soul, that he belongs to the number.
But the thought of adding is introduced and what I have in mind now is to produce certain moral effects of this and responsibility attaching to it. This is worked out in Jacob. Rachel reached her end, the prophetic word. In great sorrow she died. That is another thing. The Spirit of God says she died at the birth of this other son, Benjamin. I want to refer to that in a moment. But Jacob here, as Joseph is born, had in mind that he must move. The thought of completion, the thought of the counsels of God, is intended to make us move. They are not accomplished in relation to this place, to what Padan-Aram may represent. That was not Jacob’s place, it was his place as a hireling. He knew what addition meant in that place — he had sons and daughters there, but he had more, he had the thought of wealth. Now, he said, I want to go out of this place. It is a spiritual movement of his soul when Joseph is born. No doubt he recognised the prophetic word of Rachel and would be in accord with it, at least for the moment. That addition, that completion, that final son belonged to Canaan. Finality in God’s mind, beloved, is not in this world but in that world and the resurrection, His own world, that is what is in His mind. So that adding in this world is very precarious. It is the completion that brought the thing home to Jacob; he says, I must move out. Not indeed that Rachel had spoken of addition until Joseph was born, the person whose name meant [p. 266] addition — that of Christ. All addition must be in that setting, not in this world; it belongs to Canaan. Christ is living in relation to Canaan. Take the gospel of John, the whole trend of it is Canaan. What is it to be there? “Go to my brethren and say to them, I ascend” (chapter 20:17). But alas, dear brethren, Jacob had these second thoughts that are often so ready to replace the original thoughts, tending to disaster. It is one of the greatest things that if one has a right thought, a confirmed thought, in his soul, not to allow it to be replaced under any circumstances. The first thought was right, to go out. It belonged to another world and that meant that all the others had to get into that other world. So these second thoughts, these disastrous thoughts, that even come in with us, lay hold on Jacob. It referred to his peculiar proclivity, that is gain in this world. It has come down to us in the most striking manner. Those who know the posterity of Jacob after the flesh know how they are marked by grovelling in this world, in the dust of it, for earthly gain. Jacob’s second thought was, of course, suggested to him by Laban, who can scarcely have a spiritual thought. There are men like that — you feel instinctively of certain persons they can scarcely conceive a spiritual thought, much less give expression to it, and still more unlikely to carry it into effect. Laban was one of that kind; an unfair master, an unfair father-in-law, an unfair brother, for he regarded Jacob in that light. He thought of his own gain for he knew he had been blessed through Jacob.
This is a very important matter for young people, for these suggestions come quickly enough. As soon as a spiritual thought lays hold of your heart and you give expression to it, the enemy is on the alert and will bring everything possible to bear upon you so that that thought may be displaced by another taking its place. It was seemingly a very legitimate thought, ‘Why should I not stay with my father-in-law and help him?’. But then Jacob’s proclivities entered into it; his thought was wages. He had had them changed ten times. I suppose he would be a labour leader, speaking respectfully of him. But that proclivity is the idea of trade unionism. It tells us elsewhere that his wages had been changed ten times. Here the idea of wages is the prominent thought between himself and his father-in-law. The enemy is always ready to offer wages. God does not care for hired servants. If anyone takes that place He will pay them, as the parable tells us, but He has no interest in hired labourers. His thought is slaves, but slaves who are sons, if you understand. God’s thought is bondmen but persons who are secretly sons with Him. As a bond-slave you cannot do anything without your master. Even the Lord Jesus Christ said, “The Son can do nothing of himself save whatever he sees the Father doing”, but He was the Son, known to be that; He was conscious of it. So everyone who is rightly a bondman of God, is secretly a son. It is the idea of heart service, “By love serve one another”. The wages is in the service, that is the truth. Love serves, its wages is in the service. Anyone who stands up to serve the saints as a burden does not serve them really. His wages are in the service; it is a pleasure to serve the saints. See who they are and who their Master is. See the dignity of it. “I love my master ... I will not go free” (Exodus 21:5). It is a realm of love, that is what it is. Bond-slavery according to God is in the realm of love. It is wearying at times: the Lord was weary, dear brethren, but nevertheless He says, “Who it is that says to thee, Give me to drink” (John 4:10), who it is, that is serving. A bondman, yes, but the Son. Bondmen of God, but sons of God. That position is exceedingly attractive. I speak of it now that young people may see it and come into it. What am I going to get?
[p. 268] That is poor. The prodigal had the idea of hired service and christendom is governed by that principle, those who serve are formally paid wages. The prodigal had that thought, ‘In my Father’s house are hired servants. I would like to be one of them’, a very low thought, but when he got there, there is not a word about hired servants. There is a word about bondmen but such bondmen that had the key to the treasury, the place where the most precious things are. The bondmen are in the joy and dignity of the place, sharing in the joy of the house. I mention all this because of this wretched word ‘wages’ coming in here. Jacob is making his own terms with Laban. He is really covering up what was in his mind. Do not give me money, he says, but he knew what he was going to have; he was a shrewd bargain-maker. He retained Rachel, Joseph, and all his family, dear brethren, in Padan, whereas they all belonged to the land of Canaan; they all belonged to heaven, so to speak. That is what is written over the book of Genesis: it is a heavenly people. “They seek their country ... that is, a heavenly; wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he has prepared for them a city” (Hebrews 11:14,16). Jacob settles with his father-in-law and received reward, but not another son — not there. The addition, according to the prophetic word, would be in Canaan. Jacob settled in Padan in spite of his words earlier, ‘I want to go to my own people, to the land of Canaan’. He settled in Padan and added, but what did he add? Sorrow and the bitter hostility of Laban’s house, and he well-nigh brought upon himself destruction. That is not the addition that God has in mind. If there is anybody here thinking of adding to himself the wealth of this poor world instead of what belongs to Canaan, you are sure to incur something like this, and you are to be warned.
Now I wanted to link on these thoughts with the [p. 269] book of Acts. As one looks at the dear brethren here they become more and more delightful. They are worthy of the greatest service and one would say “ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake”, for that really comes into the service. The more one looks into the countenance of the saints the more one loves to see them added to. What a spectacle presented itself in the early days, in what we call apostolic days. The Lord looked down from heaven at Pentecost, and what did He see? A crowd of names, one hundred and twenty names. You can afford to have a crowd if the names are distinguished enough, if you can pick them out. No one is lost who has a name. We read of seven thousand names of men destroyed presently in the book of Revelation — they are the distinguished ones of this world — one could mention thousands of them perhaps. But here are one hundred and twenty names, the handiwork of the Lord Jesus Christ, how delightful they were to Him! He had just gone up from them, blessing them. Now He would distinguish every one of them and looking down upon them He would know each of them. Then there were the three thousand. You can understand how the Lord would say, I would love to add to those. That is the feeling one has, more and more, as one sees the saints. The work of God came out at Pentecost; there it was and three thousand were added. “Those then who had accepted his word were baptised” (Acts 2:41). The onus is on them to be baptised. Later on Peter commands baptism, but not here. It is to bring out quality. In the earlier days in Jerusalem there was no regulation; it was left to allow the work of God to show itself. Later on in Paul the testimony is regulated in the world. Not that the twelve do not regulate, but it is not put that way; what is said here is that those who received the word “were baptised”. Peter had mentioned it in his address, of course he would, but they were baptised;
[p. 270] it was their own matter. The Spirit of God would invite us to look between the lines. What a day it was. Was there ever such a day in Jerusalem? The crucifixion transcends all, of course, but even Solomon’s great celebration is nothing to this. Think of what it was: three thousand people in one day baptised! These people were not carried away by the preacher, although perhaps it was the most wonderful address that had been delivered, save the Lord’s own, and indeed that address perhaps took a character that none of the Lord’s addresses had assumed, and yet they were not carried away by the preacher. It is remarkable how traits of christianity enter into that chapter. “They ... said to Peter and the other apostles” (verse 37); they discerned apostleship in others. It is an important matter that we recognise what is of God in whomsoever it may be. These people could not have had a list of them; they were there with Peter — the apostles were there and were discerned. Then it says they were added. It does not even say who added them. It is that kind of thing. These people must belong to those people; they are all of a kind. That is a christian must belong to christians. There are persons of that kind in this world; you belong to them and you should be with them; that is the idea. The thing was there and they were added, a large number of them. They certainly did not come before a care meeting as far as this passage goes, for they could hardly take up one by one. The mighty work of God was there in Jerusalem. It stands out by itself; there was nothing like it at all. The fresh power of God came in by the Spirit, came down from heaven.
They were just the kind of people that should be added, for “they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (verse 42). In the midst of all this the apostles’ miraculous power went on, as well as the work, the [p. 271] wonderful works of God. The apostles go on and these dear people move on together, not in one place now. I do not suppose there was any place in Jerusalem big enough to hold them. They were together in heart, which is a greater thing. It is a great thing to be together in heart all over this district of England as is shown as we are together today. But this was the work of God; that is the point. They broke bread in the houses. What a scene in Jerusalem, households resounding with the praises of God! How many of them, who can tell? They went to the temple too; but they would say, We are here in patience to bear testimony, but we are more at home in our own houses than here. The house is the place of affection; the temple had lost that character. The Lord added to them, as if He were to say, ‘It is great enough for Me to add to’. The word ‘assembly’ is not there in the original, but there was such a thing there as is described and He added to that. He added that which was most precious in His own mind, the final son, so to speak, for the number must be complete. They were those that were in the mind of God for salvation, the spared remnant; He has always somebody in His mind for His counsels require it.
That is chapter 2; then in chapter 5, so that this great thought should continue, we get the great sin of Ananias and Sapphira. A most solemn discipline — for both of them died under the discipline of God and were buried. It is significant that their burial is mentioned. Our Lord was buried too in the same sense, I believe, buried by loving hands. His murderers would have put Him with the malefactors. “Men appointed his grave with the wicked” (Isaiah 53:9), but that is not burial in the mind of God, not a burial of dignity. Brethren under discipline are to be regarded in their dignity; we must never forget that. After this solemn matter the saints are said to be in Solomon’s porch, which would mean that they bow to the discipline. Every saint bows to it, but as casting a stone. He or she has part in it. They were in Solomon’s porch, a remarkable thing, as if they were bowing to the judgment. Then we are told that multitudes of men and women were added. So that we are not to be afraid of discipline; it would only help in the additions because we want to be according to God. Bringing in extraneous matter is only bringing in causes of sorrow. They were added to the Lord. They faced and bowed to and accepted all that belonged to the Lord in the way of authority, they were added to Him in that sense, to the Lord.
In this passage I have read we have a further thought, addition amongst the gentiles, that is ourselves. It always comes home to me “ye also”, that is we gentiles are in the mind of God for blessing. How did it come about? Those that were scattered at the persecution of Stephen went as far as Antioch. Some only spoke to the Jews but there was such liberty that others went further than that. It was not what they were told to do but what they did. God likes that, brothers and sisters moving according to the divine nature that is in us and seeking to help other people. God likes to see us go further; it is a question of divine instinct. He did not tell them to go, but He says, ‘I am with you as you go’ — the hand of the Lord was with them. As we were saying in prayer this afternoon, we feel the day of small things but what I would say is this, that what is is to be added to. It deserves to be added to. Heaven thinks so and any young man or woman who thinks so and moves according to it will find that the hand of the Lord is with him and there will be results. Many turned to the Lord; not merely to the saints now but to the Lord, which is in a sense greater. They faced the fact that the Lord has authority. We have to submit to it; we are not stronger than He. Why I [p. 273] read these verses was because this great movement is extended and the word ‘added’ is mentioned in connection with Barnabas, as if God, whilst owning any that move with divine instinct, also specially recognises a man who is a good man, a good man filled with the Holy Spirit — a rare kind of product of the work of God. These matters “reached the ears of the assembly which was in Jerusalem”. It showed this characteristic which is in accord with heaven. It had ears to hear what God was doing and it moved accordingly, sending out this remarkable brother, “a good man and full of the Holy Spirit”. How great the need is for such men! He was an unjealous man for he went and sought out Saul. He had a long way to go, but he sought and found him and brought him, with the result that they laboured in the assembly there for a year, these two remarkable brothers. The addition was brought in, constituting an assembly; that is the great thing in view: “The assembly which was there” through the labours of these two men. Then it is named, the saints are named; it says the disciples were called christians there — that is their character is now fixed on them. Heaven and earth know these are the people. Not an official name as Wesleyans or Baptists but christians, a name we may say given divinely, not exactly by God but it is a fixed thing. We can glory in it for Peter says, “Glorify God in this name”. He took account of it, if one suffer “as a christian, let him not be ashamed” (1 Peter 4:16).
As a christian you should suffer under ordinary circumstances. Christ was here as suffering and the christian is suffering. You belong to them and you ought to be amongst them really if you want to take on this name that is called upon us — christians.
That is what I had in mind, dear brethren, the importance of additions, but on these lines. Not additions according to the world but according to the counsels of God.