SPIRITUAL MATURITY
SPIRITUAL MATURITY
1 Corinthians 16:13; 1 Samuel 2:26; 1 Samuel 3:19-21; 1 Samuel 7:3-13
I have in my mind to speak about maturity amongst the people of God. It is aimed at as we know in the world: young people aim at it in order to succeed and shine in the world; they have to mature into manhood and womanhood. We have the idea of worldly sophistication in the term “son of hell”, which the Lord alludes to in Matthew 23:15, and correspondingly in the sphere of the house of God it is of primary importance that there should be maturity — men.
The word ‘men’ used in Scripture designates, not only members of our race, but also full development or growth. The Corinthians were lacking on this point; and where development according to God is not progressive, we may be assured of adverse inroads of other growths as at Corinth. They had not developed into manhood, so the apostle put it on them that they should quit themselves “like men”. The epistle shows they were not doing this, that instead of having developed into manhood they had remained babes. Paul therefore reminds them, that for that reason they had been at great disadvantage in regard to his ministry, for he had been unable to present to them what belonged to full growth.
God had wonderful things for such; there was “that hidden wisdom which God predetermined before the ages for our glory” (1 Corinthians 2: 7) — for the glory of men, not of babes. “We speak wisdom among the perfect” (verse 6). Wisdom’s thought is men, and the wisdom God had predetermined before the world was for such.
[p. 236] Eye has not seen, and ear not heard, nor had it entered into the heart of man what God had prepared for those that love Him. Those who love God are not lovers of themselves, they are not heady or high-minded; they are not naturally ambitious, or lovers of pleasure or of the things of this world.
It is a wonderful thing for young people to be marked off as lovers of God. God has prepared wonderful things for those who love Him, and all things work together for their good, and they know it. “We do know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to purpose” (Romans 8: 28). The Corinthians, not being thus marked off as lovers of God, were at an enormous disadvantage, and so the apostle, at the end of his first epistle to them, introduces elements calculated to lead them on from a state of childhood to manhood. As he approaches the great subject of the fellowship of the Lord’s death, he says, “I speak as to intelligent persons;” not that they were that characteristically, but he was regarding them in the abstract in that light; they had the Spirit though they were babes. They were babes in Christ and had the Spirit. The apostle says later on, “in malice be babes”. How many of us, alas, are skilled in the way of evil thoughts. In malice be babes — that means that you have not even learnt the thought of malice, it is foreign to you. It is an awful thing to retain malice in one’s heart for we shall soon become skilled in it: if you harbour it, you will soon find out ways of expressing it, whereas a christian should be a babe wholly unsophisticated in evil things. But in our minds we should be men, fully developed; so here it says, “quit yourselves like men”.
I want to show briefly that it is men whom God employs. In all that God does, in the inauguration of any era, He begins with those who are mature; it is not His way to work up to something. He began [p. 237] with Adam. Adam was not a development, he was a complete thought presented at the outset; Adam was never a boy, he was a man. God began with a man, and as if He would call attention to him and bring out the evidences of maturity and perfection, He caused the lower creation to pass by him to see what Adam would call them. When matters come up amongst us — and we are tested by things as they arise — can I call each thing by a name, can I give it a name that expresses what it is morally? How many of us misname things! We call black white ofttimes, and white black. Here is a creature coming up to Adam, what does he call it? Is he a babe? No, he is a man, who has just come from the hand of God with a spirit from God; “Jehovah Elohim ... breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and Man became a living soul” (Genesis 2: 7). Whatever name Adam called any creature — each living soul of cattle or beast of the field — God never altered the name; what Adam called it that was its name; God owned the intelligence of the man; Adam was a man. Thus God began the present creation — as we know it — with maturity, with an intelligent being at the head of it.
I might run through the Old Testament and point out many instances in which this same principle is enunciated, but the Lord Himself is pre-eminently the expression of it. Luke, especially, gives us His manhood, and he tells us, “Jesus himself was beginning to be about thirty years old” (Luke 3: 23). Why does the Spirit of God call attention to that? Note that it was after He is seen coming up out of the waters of baptism and praying, and after the heavens were opened on Him and a voice from heaven had said, “Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I have found my delight”, that the Holy Spirit tells us, “Jesus himself was beginning to be about thirty years old”. Attention is thus called to His perfect manhood; God waited for that. He was, we know, perfect at every stage of [p. 238] His blessed growth in this world; but I am dwelling now on the one point, when the Holy Spirit says, “Jesus himself”. I believe that attention is thereby called to the Person, as if to say He was in the consciousness that He was a Man according to God. God begins with Him, there is no development beyond Him, whatever follows is to be according to that standard.
So on the day of Pentecost we have development according to that Man. Christianity did not begin with babes. The Lord Jesus began with babes, but He did not commit anything into their hands as babes, but He did to men — to those who quitted themselves as men. We see men equal to the great obligation resting on them on that great day — the day of Pentecost.
The males in Israel were wont to go up according to the law to Jerusalem on that day, but never had men appeared on the day of Pentecost like these. These were men, and as that day was accomplishing, they were equal to it. They were like those of whom the Lord said at the feast of tabernacles, “out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7: 38). You see the magnitude of the thing; one believer in Christ was to become practically a vessel of living water in this world. “And when the day of Pentecost was accomplishing, they were all together in one place” (Acts 2: 1). There were no bickerings, not one of the one hundred and twenty said, ‘I of Peter’, or ‘I of John’, or ‘I of James’: there was no party spirit in that company. Then it says, “parted tongues, as of fire, and it sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit”. There were no dwarfs, they were the handiwork of Christ, they were men; God began the dispensation with men. That is what may be called a cardinal principle in the ways of God, and I want to show from Samuel how it worked out in him.
What I have to say will, I hope, be intelligible and [p. 239] applicable to the young ones here. If you are to have part in the assembly, you must be developed. You may have part in the house as of the family, but the assembly contemplates men. Think of the magnitude of those words of the Lord, “on this rock I will build my assembly, and hades’ gates shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16: 18). What a wonderful thing it is to belong to that! If you are to have part in the assembly there must be development, growth, and maturity. In the house provision is made for the youngest babe to have part, but in the assembly one must be a man — developed. So with Samuel we find he grew. We read in 1 Samuel 2:21 that he “grew before Jehovah”, in verse 26 that he “grew on”, and in 1 Samuel 3:19, “And Samuel grew, and Jehovah was with him”. He appeared on the scene and his history is given, written down by the Holy Spirit for young people. He is spoken of as a boy several times: the word ‘child’ — chapters 2 and 3 — should be read ‘boy’, which is more accurate. A boy is in advance of a babe, but a boy is not a man.
“The boy Samuel ministered to Jehovah before Eli”, and showed him respect. And as being led on toward maturity, he had light divinely given him as to the complete failure of the priesthood, and the judgment that would fall on Eli’s house; yet he was not told to communicate this to Eli, for it would not be in keeping with the house of God that the boy Samuel should do so. Eli drew it out of him, but the overthrow of his house had already been announced to the aged priest by a man of God sent by God to tell him. See 1 Samuel 2:27. Samuel recognised him who as yet occupied the position of priest. We read also that he “ministered before Jehovah, a boy girded with a linen ephod”.
Now young believers are not naturally marked by sobriety, but as Samuel grew he wore a linen ephod — he bore the marks of a priest, which in christian [p. 240] language means that among other services he prayed. It was a linen ephod; he would be sober in his prayers, he would not attempt to be eloquent. We need not be eloquent to pray, we are speaking to God; to have in mind that we are speaking to God has a most sobering effect. Samuel wore a linen ephod. But then he “grew on”, that is, Samuel was never stunted. Steady growth is an immense thing for young people. “The boy Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with Jehovah and also with men”. We see from these scriptures that as young brothers and sisters develop in their growth, God takes notice of it. I am assured that God is the first one to notice growth in any one of us. Growth is extremely slow even in natural things, but God knows how much growth there is in a tree or even in a blade of grass though no one else may notice it. Samuel grew on; who could notice that from day to day but God? It is most delightful to be conscious of being in favour with God; to know that He looks at you as His own plant, and that He waters you and watches your growth. It is true Samuel’s mother took account of his growth but that was yearly.
People notice your growth, but not a day’s growth yet growth is day by day, hour by hour, and minute by minute. His mother made him a coat from year to year, it was a yearly matter; she took account of his growth yearly. Hannah may represent the Lord’s people, who watch the growth of the young ones and make little coats for them. We do not want to put on a boy what belongs to a man, “Him that is weak in the faith receive, not to the determining of questions” (Romans 14: 1). Take account of his growth, and make the little coat according to his growth. That is our part. Many of us hinder the growth of the little ones by the size of the coats we make for them; we must not put on young people what they are not equal to. We must take account of their growth and see to it [p. 241] that they are suitably clothed in the house of God.
Samuel grew on and was in favour with God and men, he was delightful to God; that is, the coats are neither too large nor too small. A young believer growing up is a plant of God’s planting and God watches him. If God so clothe the grass, how much more does He watch over plants of His own planting? How He beautifies, waters and tends them, and notes the growth; it is delightful to Him. Samuel was in favour with men as with God, for the saints normally are quick to discern the growth and it is a pleasure to them, too. What a joy it is to see young people growing up, and to recognise the superiority of those formed with God! They grow on and are in favour with God and men. The elder brethren take notice of them and value them; they are plants of divine planting, and are looked upon with pleasure. Such are God’s ways.
At the end of 1 Samuel 3 it is Samuel, no longer the boy, but as having arrived at manhood, at maturity; “Jehovah was with him, and let none of his words fall to the ground”. He has words now, and they are worth something. It says, God did not let one of them fall to the ground. It says of the sparrows, “and one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Father” (Matthew 10: 29), but here it is did “let none of his words fall to the ground”. Think of the power operating! Here is a young man come to maturity; he has words and says things, and God does not let one of them fall to the ground. That young man is wearing a linen ephod; he is not excited or carried away by prosperity or success in his service; he has words of importance. His words may not have been many; we are not told whether he made long speeches or wrote books; there may have been only five words with the understanding, but whatever they were they were Samuel’s words, and none of them fell to the ground.
[p. 242] There are many such words at the present time — held up by God and maintained in the power of the Spirit; they are living. How important for young people to maintain sobriety and to have their loins girt about with truth; the affections not allowed to flow loose, but girt about; every thought held in relation to the truth, and every word uttered in relation to the truth. Such words are gold, not one of them is allowed to fall to the ground. God reckons them of value. One loves to think of words flowing from those matured in a spiritual way; they are not forgotten but cherished, and made to live above the ground by the Spirit. It says “all Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, knew that Samuel was established a prophet of Jehovah”.
It is now no longer his words, for a prophet speaks God’s words, and Samuel was now known to be a prophet of the Lord. He had spoken many times before, and God had made his words to stand, they were helpful words, but now he had become known, not only in Shiloh, where he lived, but from Dan to Beer-sheba. Is not that something to have before you, to be known among the brethren as one who speaks the mind of God? Are these things beyond us? No, they are not beyond us; the apostle says, “Desire earnestly the greater gifts” (1 Corinthians 12: 31). The best gift is prophecy — “rather that ye may prophesy”. May I not desire to prophesy? Was there ever a time when the word of God was more needed? Think of it being within my range, to prophesy — to utter the mind of God! There is the more excellent way — the way of love, and love is compatible with prophesying.
How important to grow up respecting those before you, wearing the linen ephod, growing up under the eye of God and finding your words of value among the saints. Then God takes you up, because if you are to be a prophet God must take you up, and He does; He is looking for such as you. “Desire earnestly the greater gifts”. God needs you, the need of the saints everywhere is distressing, and God would provide for it, but He must have vessels; and if He is to have vessels, they must be fashioned after Christ, they must be men not boys; in their understanding they are to be men and to quit themselves like men. They are to disdain rivalry, to think of the need of the brethren and to know the mind of God. So “desire earnestly the greater gifts”, “but rather that ye may prophesy” — that you may edify the assembly. It was known that Samuel was a prophet from Dan to Beer-sheba, his ministry was to cover the entire area of the land. He was not a prophet like Isaiah or Jeremiah; the point is he was ministering to his own generation. He was a man whom God raised up to lead on to the recovery of the ark and the establishment of the kingdom; and, as in other cases, he was a man by whom God inaugurated the thing — one who had arrived at maturity.
Now in 1 Samuel 7 we are in the presence of a crisis, and the manhood of Samuel is brought to light. If the Holy Spirit presents a thing, He presents it perfectly; so in this chapter it is not the boy Samuel but the prophet Samuel. The passage I read (chapter 7), shows that he spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If ye return to Jehovah with all your heart, put away the strange gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and apply your hearts unto Jehovah, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines”. I say to the young people here, note the speech of that man! How evident it is that he had God before him in what he says, and that he would have every rival or disputant of God dismissed from the minds of the people; he abominates idolatry. The apostle John in his epistle, writes: “Children, keep yourselves from idols;” the babe is apt to be carried away by idols, but a man — a man in spiritual measure — [p. 244] is against idolatry, for idolatry disputes the rights of God. So we see after this beautiful appeal of Samuel that “the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths and served Jehovah only”. The ministry is effective at once; it is the ministry of a man matured spiritually, whom God is supporting; the people act on it; his words had moral weight. Ministry is sure to be effective as proceeding on these lines.
Then Samuel says, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah”, and we read: “And they gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before Jehovah, and fasted on that day”. The ministry of a man who is a prophet and brings in the mind of God is sure to bring about the desired result. The wise woman of Tekoah (2 Samuel 14: 14) said later, “we ... are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again”, but she was only repeating words put into her mouth by Joab, but here they poured the water out before Jehovah. I dwell on this to show you how effective ministry is which flows from one whom God supports. It was effective, not only in leading them to put away the idols, but as bringing them to the consciousness of what they were in themselves. If I have gone after idols, it discloses what I am in myself. We have to come to what we are, and prophetic ministry discloses that to us; we are all vanity, we are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will take it up again. They “poured it out before Jehovah”. If God takes up that water, it must be an entirely new thing, and that is what christianity is, and prophecy brings it out. Samuel did not tell the people to do this but they did it; the point is his ministry is effective. Of what value is ministry if it is not effective? We want an effective ministry.
Still the Philistines come on, so the Holy Spirit [p. 245] presents to us the manhood of Samuel. He takes a sucking-lamb. That was not water; the people had acknowledged what they were, and now we get what presents Christ. The lamb that was offered is a beautiful type of Christ. This new thing is in keeping with the water poured out and also in accord with the intrinsic excellence of Christ. A man — a full-grown man — delights in the perfections of Christ. Paul had such a sense of the superior excellence of Christ, that he says to the Corinthians at the end of his first epistle, “If any one love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha” (1 Corinthians 16: 22).
Well, Samuel takes this sucking-lamb — it is one of the most beautiful pictures in Scripture — the Philistines are coming on, and he offered it as a whole burnt-offering to Jehovah; it represents faith in Christ’s perfection as He is, which is a perfect answer to the water poured out. If I have accepted what I am in my worthlessness, I come to see what Christ is in His infinite worth. That is presented to God, and what delight God has in that whole burnt-offering offered up to Him! And Jehovah answered and thundered, with a great thunder, on the Philistines on that day, and there was a complete victory for Israel, but complete discomfiture for them.
Then Samuel sets up his memorial; “Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, and said, Hitherto Jehovah has helped us”. Only a man developed after Christ would put such a thing in a memorial. It is a question of what God can do, and it is for us to live in the light of that. However powerful a man may be — and a spiritual man is powerful — that is not the point. Eben-ezer does not mean that; it involves that God is powerful.
In every era of the history of God’s people it stands, “Hitherto has the Lord helped us”. That is the memorial which those who are matured have.
[p. 246] What may we not expect in our own times with such a memorial? What God can do; and He is working. There is a great deal more going on than we are aware of; He helps His people on every hand and will help them always and to the end. A man spiritually matured recognises that and sets up this memorial to God.
Then it says, “And the Philistines were subdued, and came no more into the borders of Israel; and the hand of Jehovah was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel”. What an immense deliverance to be delivered from these Philistines — these big men all about us — for that is what they are; some of them have always figured amongst us. But in the presence of men like Samuel — men who are matured, who have outgrown babyhood, but in malice have remained babes — the Philistines will never invade us. The hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel; that hand is with men who are developed after Christ, to preserve us from the attacks of the Philistines. While we have men — those who are matured spiritually, who are no longer babes, and who quit themselves like men and are strong — we are preserved. Paul adds to that exhortation, “Let all things ye do be done in love”. What a remedy! There will be a sure solution of every difficulty if this principle be applied: Let all things be done in love.