MATERIAL FOR DIVINE WRITING
[p. 83] MATERIAL FOR DIVINE WRITING
2 Corinthians 3:2, 3; Revelation 3:12
What is in mind is to speak about material for divine use, particularly for divine writing. The idea, of course, is old, coming into view as God began to operate; we know nothing in the way of material prior to creation. It would appear that God made something out of nothing, but that He made something is a certainty, but there are in the creation two ideas. The first is creation, involving, as I remarked, something out of nothing, which belongs to God alone, and the second is formation, involving material, the latter having in mind development, and development having in mind what God is in the way of feeling and affection.
The first chapter of Genesis shows that things were created and made, and they were pronounced “good” and “very good”, especially as man was created. But then the second chapter involves development, and we have a new title taken on by God in view of this. So that chapter 1 in general is the material — material with which God is pleased; He pronounced it “very good” in a general way. The second chapter resumes the divine account, and speaks about “the histories of the heavens and the earth, when they were created, in the day that Jehovah Elohim made earth and heavens”, Genesis 2:4. The words “heavens” and “earth” are transposed here, meaning that the earth is immediately in mind for the development. Jehovah takes the name of “Jehovah Elohim”, the title employed some twenty times in chapters 2 and 3, manifestly suggesting that God is now acting in a feeling way, having results through development in mind; but first the material is clearly there and pronounced “very good”.
[p. 84] We have the histories of the earth, the heavens, and of the plants and herbs, as it is said, “before it grew”, a remarkable thing that God can give histories before things are recorded as existing! He can give them anticipatively, and so we find that in the second chapter of Genesis we have a history. “In the day”, it says, “that Jehovah Elohim made earth and heavens” — as if things were to be recorded in an orderly way; then we are told that He formed man by himself, that is, Adam. He was using material already there; we are told He planted a garden, using also the material that was there. We are told that He caused a river to flow out of Eden, to water that garden, also out of material already there, and that He set Adam, or “the man”, not only in the garden, but then over it, to dress it and to keep it — guard it. And then He caused the creatures formed out of the ground to come before Adam, and Adam named these creatures. And we are told that Adam was deficient in that he needed a help-mate, and so God (Jehovah Elohim is the title) caused a deep sleep to fall upon him, and He took a rib out of Adam, and with it built a woman and brought her to Adam, and he named her.
Now I have gone over that chapter designedly, dear brethren, so that we may see how a feeling God takes up material He already has, and works it out with the deepest interest. Everyone must understand that the deepest divine interest entered into all that, God beginning to cause things to operate with a view to the satisfaction of His own heart, and causing glory to shine — parental glory, bridegroom glory, bridal glory, family glory, the glory of the plant, the glory of the rivers. So in that chapter we have a wonderful, yet brief, opening up of what has been going on ever since, and will go on until God accomplishes every thought in His heart and mind for His own satisfaction, until He reaches the domain of [p. 85] unending glory, ever-radiating glory — all the result of divine workmanship and development, but all, as I said, based on material already there.
The next chapter continues with Jehovah Elohim coming into the garden as if He would come in to share the glory assumed to be there, because it was becoming a scene of glory, not that the word is used yet. I think God reserved the word for a people called out, which we do not get in these chapters — the principle of separation. It was the God of glory that appeared to Abraham. We are not told it was the God of glory that made the heavens and the earth, but still the garden and the whole realm of creation radiated with glory, with the glory of creation; the second chapter of Genesis particularly presents the divine workmanship and development from material, suited material, already there. The breakdown came when God found Adam in a very different setting, alas! But still He kept on, and clothed Adam. He clothed Adam, as naming his wife Eve. This he did without being asked to name her; he named her rightly. It was an evidence of faith. Although there is no place for him in the list in Hebrews 11, we cannot doubt that the naming of his wife and the new name that he gave her indicated that he understood something of God coming in to meet the disaster and to resume His workmanship, leading up to the accomplishment of His counsels. He named her Eve, meaning the mother of all living, not the mother of all dying. God can make nothing of those who are dead; He is the God of the living, not the God of the dead.
Well now, having said so much on that point, I proceed to my direct subject, but I do hope the brethren can follow what I have said, because it implies two things, that if we are to be material for God’s workings He has to be pleased with us (at least in principle, if not in detail) for He does not [p. 86] propose to operate with us to His displeasure. There is therefore the idea of righteousness, and being accounted righteous. Now these two thoughts are worked out, dear brethren, in Romans, and I touch on that epistle for a moment, so as to make clear what I have in mind in the two scriptures read. Romans contemplates men and women coming in under God’s eye suitably attired; He attires them Himself. “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God has set forth a mercy-seat, through faith in his blood ... so that he should be just, and justify him that is of the faith of Jesus”, Romans 3: 24 - 26. That is, He removes all encumbrances from us and looks upon us as clothed, robed in His righteousness through faith — “having been justified on the principle of faith, we have peace towards God”; Christ being delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification, we have been justified by faith and have access into this favour in which we stand — that is, God is pleased with us. That is a matter of faith, not yet of works, but of faith. And then the next thing is that those so regarded are more or less satisfied with their position. It is a poor thing if people talk about being justified, if they are not more or less satisfied as to their position, for God accompanies this wonderful position in the way of clothing, that is, righteousness, with a certain means of satisfaction, and so He sheds abroad His love in our hearts by the Spirit. The writer of the epistle says that not only have we access into the favour, sensibly pleasing to God, but we glory in tribulations, a remarkable thing! And the reason is given that tribulation works patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, for the love of God is to be in our hearts by the Holy Spirit given to us. Therefore, you see, dear brethren, that God accompanies this wonderful clothing which [p. 87] pleases Him with the means of satisfaction. I hope every christian here is satisfied with the new position. I am leading up now to the idea, not of our blessing, but of material that God can use. And then the Spirit goes on to say that we have received the reconciliation — we have received it — that is, we are moving inwardly, and appropriating what there is, and grace is reigning through righteousness unto eternal life; the whole problem raised by sin is settled on the divine side. So we may well be satisfied.
And then in chapter 6 the Spirit of God through the apostle brings up the question of baptism so as to bring out this matter of material, for the epistle to the Romans is to bring out material for God’s use, and one great thought in it is that we are to recognise the rights of God, presenting our bodies a living sacrifice, which is our reasonable and intelligent service, that we “may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God”, Romans 12: 2. Now God would say, ‘You are material that I can use. I have a great many things in My mind, but I am waiting on you. I am ready to use you, but I have My own mind about material, it must be according to My mind (at least in the principle of it) and I am waiting for it’. That is the epistle to the Romans which contains many other things, of course, thank God. I am only touching on two points — the clothing and the satisfaction, and then thirdly, I should say, the acknowledgment of the rights of God. Chapter 6 shows how a believer takes account of himself as baptised, as God’s property; he yields his members as instruments of righteousness unto God. He has his own fruit, of course. All through these chapters the believer is taken account of, for God would have us to understand He is not thinking of Himself only, He is thinking of us, and the believer is always provided for, so it says, “ye have your fruit unto holiness”, Romans 6: 22. Ye have your fruit, and the [p. 88] end, too, is everlasting life, hence the whole matter is settled, so that the saints should be entirely free for God’s use; and He is ready to use us.
Well, now, this raises a very important question, dear brethren, as to how we stand in regard to the rights of God. Romans develops this great principle, and, as accepting it, we prove “what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”. Based on it, we are said to be “one body”, not yet the body of Christ; Romans does not say that, but one body in Christ; that is, we are lifted out of all other bodies into a status described in this remarkable phrase — one body in Christ; and the intent is to clear us, as a ship clears her berth when in port so that she might proceed on her voyage and God would clear us of everything that holds us here, so that He might have us for His great purpose; “we, being many, are one body in Christ”, and that negates every other body; whatever name it may hold or bear, we are clear of it. Not simply that we should be one body, but we are. God has given us such a status that there is clearance from every body here, from every organisation here that would claim us. This matter is urgent, for God has His great purpose, dear brethren, to work out, and He is looking for material, and He is prescribing what the material is to be, that is, we are presenting our bodies a living sacrifice — living, you notice — “that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”. A wonderful path opens up to the christian, suffering, of course, but, as I said, suffering or tribulation worketh patience; it becomes one of the workers for our blessing.
Well, now, the second letter to the Corinthians brings in this question of writing, and speaks of it as an accomplished thing in regard to the Corinthians; it shows that the christian has a heart different from the unbeliever’s; he has a heart different from the [p. 89] heart he had before he was converted; he has a heart different from what it was before he was born again. In other words, he has a heart of flesh, as it is called here. Hitherto he had a heart of stone. The Scriptures not only speak of man’s heart being adamant (or stone-like) naturally, but man makes it that, too; he hardens it — a terrible process, the hardening of the human heart. God says He has a means of breaking even that, for His word is like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces. But still there is the process, the solemn allusion by the Spirit of God to the hardening of the human heart by the person who has it; he does it himself. Pharaoh did it, as you know, and most of us no doubt have been guilty, and we are enjoined as christians not to do it. A solemn example of what happened to persons in outward relation to God who did it is spoken of in Hebrews, and we are enjoined not to do it — “Harden not your hearts”, Hebrews 3: 8.
Well, the Corinthians are regarded as having hearts of flesh. Of course, you say, naturally that is so. We have to understand words in their context in Scripture, and the fleshy tables of the heart here manifestly allude, not to the natural heart of man, but to the heart softened by the work of God. The Old Testament spoke much of this, God saying that He would give His people a heart of flesh. He said He would take away ‘the heart of stone’, and He has before Him, beloved brethren, to take away all the stone hearts presently, so that His laws shall be written on every heart — “The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11: 9); what a prospect! He has begun to do it, and I believe the Corinthians were intended to be an epistle of Christ to remind men that He is doing this sort of thing. An epistle is an important thought — being “manifestly declared”, says the apostle, “to be the epistle of Christ”.
[p. 90] That is the Corinthians, but, before I enlarge on that, I want to speak about those who minister, what kind of hearts they should have — surely not less softened than the hearts of those ministered to; and hence the apostle refers to some of them who were saying he needed a letter of commendation. Just think of the hardness of the brethren, so-called, in that city! That they should turn in their minds against the very man whom God had used to convert them, to bring the light to them, and classify him with the most unknown person in their midst, and say that he needed a letter of commendation! He says, “Ye are our letter”. Oh, you say, would they have to come to Corinth to read Paul’s letter of commendation? No, they did not. He moved about. He moved about very much, and he says, “Ye are our letter, written in our hearts”. What a word for those who seek to serve the Lord’s people! What a challenge to the place the Lord’s people have in our hearts! The more you serve them really, the more you love them. You would never call them rebels, nor would you speak ill of them. If you have to speak the truth about them, that is another matter; Paul did that, but it was not characteristic ill-speaking, no, never. He says, wherever I go, I bring you up, you are written in my heart; I cannot help it, as it were, and you are known and read of all men. Not only do I speak about you, but the people I speak about you to, see you are in my heart. If I heard Paul speak about the Corinthians I should say what a love he had for them, what a love he had for those saints! He had been eighteen months with them. I know well enough the difficulty in getting to know the brethren personally, for the reason that one has so little time to be with them. Eighteen months certainly gives you an opportunity to see the varied beauties of the work of God coming out in the saints. The more you see that, the more you love [p. 91] them, and that is exactly how it was with the apostle Paul. He loved them and he says, “Ye are our letter”. Who could question that he was an apostle, that he was fit for fellowship, a man that could speak of the saints as he could, and did, and show that he loved them, for you could read in his countenance what his heart was in regard to those saints!
Well, what a delight that is to heaven in regard to the ministers! And then he says,”Ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart:” The last clause brings me to what I have in mind for old and young here about these fleshy tables, and about this clearance from earthly associations that I have been speaking of, about this status that God gives us collectively in this world, “one body in Christ”. Is it to be marred? Are we not to retain softness of affection for Christ and for one another? If we leave the thought of this holy status, this holy elevation the Lord gives us, we merge into the world and the hardening process begins. It is as sure as anything can be, that if I slip back in any measure into the world, the hardening process begins. “Harden not your hearts”, says the Spirit of God. But the world has that effect upon us in spite of ourselves, hence the need of keeping clear and of maintaining the status we have, the initial status we have collectively, according to Romans. That is, we are one body in Christ; we are in association; christians are an association in that sense, but not a partisan one; they have a status outside the world — one body in Christ.
Now see what divine hands can do with us; there can be divine writing, for God can write and He has now material that He can use. How one would like to be able to convey what that thought is, the divine lettering, the writing of divine thoughts on the saints,
[p. 92] and that not with ink or on tables of stone, but on fleshy tables of the heart! It is a matter of life, that God can write on men, as it were, write down His mind on us so that others can read it. How important it is to be clear of worldly associations! To be material for this writing, it is essential that we should be clear of them, whether we are in them in a voluntary sense, or an involuntary sense. The divine intent is that we should be clear in the matter; cost what it may, we must be clear. God says, ‘My rights require it, I need you for writing, and you must be clear in the matter’, clear for what He has to convey in His writing; it is not simply the Bible, but on the fleshy tables of the hearts of christians. So that the epistle of Christ is readable. We may see one part of the letter in one brother, and another part in another, and the more you know of the brethren, the more you will understand what is intended to be conveyed so as to be readable, as seen in the saints. They are softened, mellowed, subject to God, subject to Christ, and subject to one another, so that the Spirit of the living God is free to use whom He will to minister in this way, the writing of Christ. If it be a question of what is local, God has something to work out. In the economy of christianity there is only one assembly, but it is subdivided, and we have the plural in the use of the word ‘assemblies’; we never have the plural in the use of the word ‘house’ or body of Christ. The “house of God” is one idea and the “body of Christ” is one idea, but the assembly is subdivisible. And so we find in a city like this that there are those that God can write upon. He has something to work out in this city. I believe — the more I look into it, dear brethren — the cities of the world have a great place with God, and He intends to work out in every city what is needed as a testimony in that city, and for this He requires material. He says, I am ready to do it, I am here always to [p. 93] do it. But it is a question of material and the material is to be, as I am saying, marked by righteousness, by imputed righteousness on the ground of faith, the ground of the death of Christ and reconciliation, so that God is complacent in us. And secondly, that we are living, that we are alive, so that the Spirit of God has liberty to operate, especially if there is nothing in us, in our ways and associations, that calls in question the rights of God. God says, I am ready to do it, and it is a question of material”ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart”.
Well, now, in the second scripture I read in the book of Revelation, we have this remarkable writing that the Lord speaks of. It is a writing that applies to remnant times, and it is an exalted kind of writing. I do not know of any other writing so exalted as is contemplated here, save that which is on Christ Himself. In chapter 19 of this book we are told that the Lord Jesus is coming out of heaven, in a military sense, with the armies of heaven following Him to do battle with the rebellious nations of the earth. When He comes out He has a name written; it does not say who wrote it, but it is written, and no one knows that name but Himself. That is to say, we are in the presence of the inscrutable. That must be the most exalted thought in writing, and then again, we are told, He has a name on His garment and on His thigh — “King of kings, and Lord of lords”. It does not say who wrote it. It is there, it is indelibly there. Writing from God’s point of view is to remain; it is indelible, and no one can question that great ‘General-in-chief’ and the great “King of kings” in that day. Christians look with great encouragement to that great war, that can only end one way, when the beast and the false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire and their armies consumed [p. 94] in a most humiliating way. Such will be the issue of the conflict against Christ. But He has those names written; this book speaks much of writing, and it raises the whole question as to our position at the present time. There is the writing; there is the seal of the living God spoken of, put on the foreheads of the bondmen of God in chapter 7; there is writing on the foreheads of the one hundred and forty-four thousand in chapter 14, too; the name of the Lamb’s Father — what a beautiful thought that is ! Again we find in the very last chapter the name on the servants of God, on their foreheads, for they serve Him and shall go no more out. I refer to these as showing how prevalent the idea is in the book of Revelation.
And then over against that, we have the sorrowful thought of a mark — a mark, not writing — a mark of the beast, a terrible thing, coming, and already come, too, in principle today. Satan is working with a view to that end. It is a mark, as if there is not much intelligence in it; there is arbitrariness in it; there is ferocity in it. The point is, it is a mark. Do not forget it, it is his mark, the mark of the beast, and of his name, and of the number of his name. God takes issue with that in the next chapter; He takes positive issue with that thing and challenges those who have got that. He abominates it, He hates it, and enters into the lists to deal with it, and with all those who have it. It is a mark. I do not say there is not the writing; the name of the beast must be written out; the number of his name is given us indeed, six hundred and sixty-six, but the mark has not much intelligence. Writing involves intelligence, and, as I said before, outside of what I have already alluded to in chapter 19, I believe this writing in chapter 3 is the most exalted kind of writing; it is that of Christ Himself on the overcomer in Philadelphia. It is one of the most interesting phrases I know of; He says, “He that overcomes,
[p. 95] him will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more at all out; and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven, from my God, and my new name”. Let us in a spiritual way abstract ourselves in mind and heart, and contemplate what the Lord means. He means you, or me, for He is speaking to us now and He is saying to each one of us that the overcomer of this particular time is going to come in for this. The overcomer of this particular time understands what I am saying, that is what the Lord says in effect. He is speaking to people who understand what He means. He never offers a reward save as it is understood and appreciated. That is the general thought, that you understand the thing and appreciate the thing. He knows you do, and He knows you appreciate it, and He loves to go over it and impress upon you that He knows you appreciate it. So He says, “him will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more ... out”. Did you ever think of that wonderful phrase, “the temple of my God”? Did you ever think of that phrase “my God” on the lips of Jesus?
What does that mean? Four times over He used it here. What can it mean, dear brethren, but that the Lord is taking account of the light that is coming to us, and of our reception of it? He means that the thought of God is clearly before us, and that it is not only the Creator God, nor the Redeemer God, the Saviour God, but Jesus’ God, Christ’s God. These expressions are not accidental; they are used with the greatest care and accuracy, and the Lord has in mind to encourage us inasmuch as He has given us light, and we have received it, and He is honouring us. I do not wish to arrogate anything at all; what I am speaking of refers to the assembly, but it is a question of “overcoming” here and the Lord saying, as it were, ‘You have taken in the light and are [p. 96] responding to it, and I know it, and I propose these things to you, and I will make you a pillar in the temple of My God. You are going out now; you may have to suffer; you are suffering, but the time will come when all that will end and I will write upon you the name of My God’.
Let us stop, as I say, and think of all this spirituality — what it is to stand alongside of Jesus and hear Him say, “My God”. What a current (to speak reverently) is flowing Godward in His heart! He knows God; He knows the absolute as well as the relative; He is part of the Deity. He knows it, but He has taken man’s place, and He says, “My God”. He never says our God; it is “My God and your God”. He knows Him in a way we cannot know Him, but still it is the same God, and what a wonderful thing it is, what privilege, what education, what formation is implied in standing alongside of Him, hearing Him say this! What feelings, what affections! And He would draw us into that, you see. He says, “I will write upon him the name of my God”. He does not say what that name is; it is a question of your understanding; He is appealing to your understanding: “the name of my God”. It is what is radiating from that term, from that appellation used by the Lord Jesus, “My God” — Jesus’ God. And then the name of the city of My God. That is to say, He contemplates, He gives us to understand that He assumes we value the idea of the city, the city of God. It began early, the early saints looked for it; God prepared it for them. Now He says it is “the city of my God”. He prepares it for us, but it is the city of “my God”. “And I will write upon him the name of my God”; you already understand it. I believe the Lord alludes to the great care He has encouraged us in, the care for one another, and the light that should radiate from us in our taking counsel one with another, for “in the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Proverbs 11: 14), and He teaches His senators wisdom — and there is light radiating from the brethren at the present time, and we in this way know what He is speaking about. It is the city of His God; that is what it is. The Lord takes up whatever little knowledge we have and accredits us with it and conveys to us the whole thought: “I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven, from my God, and my new name”.
Does not all this require the best kind of writing material? I think it does, and the Lord would have us to understand that in everything, whatever it be, there is refinement; there are grades, so that we, too, judge of and approve the things that are more excellent. And what honour, dear brethren, is involved as we yield ourselves to Him in this way, so that He may write upon us these great thoughts of His in these last days! Is it not in His mind that there should be a permanent testimony while we are here, a steady testimony of these great thoughts? It certainly is in His mind that the thing should be fixed, as it were, that these great thoughts should be fixed as written.
Well, all I have said is what was in my mind, dear brethren, and I commit it to the Lord, and to yourselves, and to oneself at this particular juncture.