ENERGY

^[p. 464] ENERGY

Judges 13: 24, 25; Judges 16: 21 - 31

I have in mind to speak about energy, knowing that it is greatly needed. The nations have put forth their efforts to overcome the blasphemous opposition that arose against right in the earth, and God in His providential mercy, in view of the assembly, that is in view of us, has given deliverance. But the enemy is not defeated in his great and general efforts in this dispensation, the greatest of all dispensations, and the most resultful, and so the need for watchfulness and readiness to defend what is of God, to put on the armour of God, the panoply of God, so that he may be met, and that there may be ultimate success in what has marked the testimony from the beginning; that is, from the advent of the Spirit. It is the day of the Spirit, the greatest of all days, and He is seeking to acquire the liberty that belongs to Him, not in the world, of course, although there may be something in the general providential ways of God to furnish the Spirit with what He needs in the sense of liberty, but it is a question of what He needs among the brethren for the accomplishment of what He has come for.

The Lord did much at the time of the Reformation, as we call it, but it was only a reformation, and reformation is not enough. What we read of as occurring in the future is the time of setting things right, and that is not by reformation. God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained. In the meantime the Lord Jesus is in heaven waiting for it, but at the same time carrying on His service to the assembly, calling persons out from the world to the assembly through the gospel. That is what He is engaged with now. He has had no part in the current war, the past war or other wars of man.

^[p. 465] Whatever has been done by God is in a providential sense, through material means, angelic means too, no doubt, for the angels are at God’s bidding for His purposes. The Lord Himself said that in the day of His distress He could ask His Father and He would send Him twelve legions of angels, but He did not. It was a question of doing the will of God, and so it is today, dear brethren, doing the will of God, and the will of God is to be carried out by the means furnished, namely the Spirit, involving all the principles that are brought in here, and our observance of them, if we are to be of service in the great conflict that is now current.

I read these scriptures because they correspond to the present time, a time of stress, of spiritual stress, and weakness too, one may say, in the responsible element. They do not speak merely of the so-called systems of men, which in themselves deny spiritual power and energy, but they speak of weakness in regard of those who know, who have been called, like ourselves, and so in this chapter in Judges the head of the house, that is Manoah, was marked by weakness. There was some exercise with him, and some right desire. He was evidently honoured of God in some way, for God sent His angel to Manoah’s wife; but, though the honour was paid to her, if the wife is honoured, the husband in one sense may regard himself as honoured too. The angel came to the wife. I speak of this advisedly, because of these great opportunities, and for brothers I would urge they must not stand in the way of them. Manoah did not, and yet he was weak, as many husbands are, and so the angel came the second time to his wife. I would say this is a mild rebuke to Manoah, and husbands here would do well to notice that the Lord is using households. It is a household time. The twelve did not bring the truth of the household out in their ministry. It was brought out through ^[p. 466] Paul. To him we owe the thought of households, not baptising; he was not sent to baptise, that is another thing to be noticed, though he did baptise the household of Stephanas, which means that he would honour that name. It was victory for him. The name Stephanas signifies a crown, and Paul would not weaken that name, but strengthen it, and so he would strengthen every husband and every house, and in strengthening the house he honours the husband as well as the wife. It is well also to remember that the wives are to guide the house, which means that the husband has no right to claim to do everything, because the function of guiding the house belongs to the wife, not that she in any way usurps the husband’s rights, but she exercises the guidance of the house in a comely way. Every husband thus becomes victorious, and every wife will become victorious, and all the children too. That is how the matter stands. I am simply stating what no doubt most of the brethren are aware of, that Paul used in his ministry the truth of the household. He applied it to Lydia at Philippi, and also to the jailor. At the very gateway of Europe the truth of the household was stressed and seen functioning in a remarkable way both in a man and in a woman, that is in the jailor and in Lydia, and I believe the Lord has maintained that principle ever since. No doubt it has lapsed through ignorance as to household baptism, but, nevertheless, the thing is standing, and in recent times has a greater place than it ever had, the truth of baptism, not simply the truth of the mere ordinance or act of baptism, but the principles governing it, and I believe, as in other things, the manifestation of Christ in modern times extends not simply to His own appearing, but to the working out of principles in His service, so that He shows Himself, and honours the brethren in showing Himself.

^[p. 467] It is in mind now to speak about Samson and what marked him, especially his early and his late days. I am not going to speak of his middle life, but of his birth, his early days, his boyhood, and his late days, after he was captured by the Philistines, and then his death. His incoming was illumined by a wonderful event. The angel who appeared to Manoah’s wife, and to Manoah himself afterwards, calls himself “Wonderful”, as if God would signalise the advent of Samson, no doubt because of the typical significance of his service. He is said to have judged Israel twenty years. That is said of him twice, first as “in the days of the Philistines” (chapter 15: 20); and then after his death (chapter 16: 31), as if it were to call attention to the actual service of judging Israel for twenty years.

As I remarked, Samson’s birth and boyhood were prefaced by wonderful occurrences on the part of God, and these wonderful occurrences were undoubtedly to characterise the life of this judge. I make bold to say we have had wonderful events in recent times. I am not for a moment referring to the events that have taken place during the last five or six years, because of their military, national or international significance; I am speaking of the wonderful events that have happened in a practical way by the power that has been given to the brethren to go through the terrible things that have happened. I have sought to lay hold of it myself, although not in the midst of it, but I have sought to lay hold of it in spirit and in principle, so as not to miss the gain of what has really been employed on God’s behalf in the wonderful things that have happened. I am not speaking about the providential ways of God, although these are wonderful too, the influence of God in His providential ways on certain nations, and what has come about, too, in a providential way by means of these nations, but I am thinking of what ^[p. 468] has come to the brethren, to the sufferers, and whether the brethren are really alive to the moment we are in, the extraordinary conditions that have arisen, and what makes them extraordinary is the divine visitations in the midst of them and the divine intervention on behalf of God’s people.

Referring now to the verses read, I call attention to Samson, not only to his birth, but to the movement of the Spirit in the boy, because the moment is a time for young people. It is so in the assembly; the number of young people, men and women, who are affected by the testimony of God is remarkable. I could call attention to this very audience here today, and to many others like it in all parts of the world. I do not include Asia, because Asia has been reserved by God for a later period for His wonders to His people. He will do wonders then of a peculiar kind, but what He is doing now is characterised by the direct presence of God, God dwelling amongst us of a truth, God here by the Spirit, especially since the change over in Paul’s attitude in Rome, when the Jews visited him and left him, and he said, “This salvation of God has been sent to the nations”. This turn was a direct movement of God at that time, and it implied that the testimony henceforth would be among the nations, and so it has gone on ever since right out to the Pacific Ocean. One has often marvelled at the immense stretch of land from the Canadian border down to Mexico. I am not dealing with geography, I am dealing with God’s rights on the earth. The earth is the Lord’s, and He is taking out of it this one and that one for Himself, converting them away in the distance, bringing the light of the gospel into their souls in so doing, and the light of the assembly too, and men who can teach the truth of the assembly, even though they may be small as to the number of persons. Yet the facts are very wonderful.

^[p. 469] I am mentioning that because many here are not conversant with these actual facts, but they are momentous.

Now, Manoah was not going to be honoured because of his knowledge of the angelic visit. He came in by and by, and again I urge the husbands to be on their guard lest they may miss the point at any given time. He came in in the second visitation, and the angel rebuked him. I do not want to be rebuked by an angel in that way. We want to be awake to any happening of the kind and able to take our part in it, to act the man in it as Abraham did when Jehovah came to him — Jehovah and two others; in fact, we might say the Trinity, speaking in a figure, came to Abraham, and stood under the tree. The words have been noticed by some of us. They stood there, stationed themselves, waiting on Abraham, and he took advantage of the opportunity and did the part of an intelligent saint or pilgrim in the opportunity that was divinely given. I need not go into the details. You are all conversant with the remarkable visitation to Abraham in the plains of Mamre.

Now, the angel did not come to Manoah, but to his house. He twice came to his wife, and undoubtedly he had Samson in mind. He had Christ in mind, for Samson in a certain sense was a type of Christ, and all these wonderful events had Christ in mind. One of the greatest things to be said about the millennial day is that one of the names the Lord Jesus will bear will be “Wonderful”. It will be a wonderful time, though not as wonderful as this. It will be a wonderful time, nevertheless, a time in which God will show what He can do with men in the flesh, as we are here today. It will be men in the flesh that God will act through then, not unconverted men of course, yet not converted in the sense in which we are converted. It will be another wonderful ^[p. 470] intervention of God that will take place, but not equal to our time. I would emphasise that it will not be equal to our time. There is no dispensation equal to ours, but I am now speaking of the time as bringing in the Lord Jesus. The great Judge of Israel was in mind, and an angel came in and calls himself “Wonderful”. Manoah is not informed as to this at first. He asked his name, as if it were to honour the angel. We have to remember that, whilst they are at our service, they are great beings, and they have to be respected, as they represent God, and so the angel did here, and hence his name is Wonderful, and he did wondrously.

Now I pass on from that to speak about the birth of Samson, and what a moment preceded that, the birth of this remarkable servant and judge. I am not thinking of the adverse things that happened in his life, the things that were unsuitable to him, that were a dishonour to him, but I am speaking of him in an abstract way as a type of Christ, and it is said twice over that he judged Israel twenty years. The Spirit of the Lord began to move him in his own camp. There are many here today, each and all of us might be graded and placed in a local setting. Each one has a local setting; even Paul had a local setting. After he had finished his first journey he went back to Antioch and became a local brother. We should each understand the importance of being a local brother, the taking up of things with the Lord locally. The Spirit of the Lord began to move him locally. The word “moved” means energy, strong movement, as if the Spirit was forecasting what was coming to light in the servant, and there are potential servants here today, a great many I would say, and there are more elsewhere, but the time of your service, young brothers and sisters, may not have come. The point is that, before it comes, there is a movement of the Spirit in you, so that the brethren ^[p. 471] will all know. The note in the Darby Translation to verse 25 clearly shows what the word implies. The Spirit of Jehovah began to move him, and it is said the word is expressive of powerful emotion. I am speaking to young men and young women who, though they may not have entered on the service of the Lord in any formal way, have it before them.

You may be ordained for it; it is a time of ordination, a time to be taken up by the Lord and to enter upon His service. Paul was an elect vessel to the Lord. I would ask if there is any indication in us of being elect vessels to the Lord, because the word “vessels” applies. It is a very good word. It is applied to Paul, and he is the only servant who is called an elect vessel. “He is an elect vessel unto me”, the Lord says, not unto some church or so-called religious organisation, but the Lord’s own word is, “This man is an elect vessel to me”, and then He adds certain things about him. There are brothers and sisters here who are elect in that sense, elected of the Lord for His service, and He is looking for some indication of the power that is to mark you later, some indication, however little, of the power that is necessary for such a service. It must be of the Spirit; there is no other power available or that could be effective in the service of the Lord, save the Holy Spirit. Paul says himself as regards what marked him, it was “in the Holy Spirit”.

Well now, Samson was marked off by heaven, and eventually before men, in his own camp, the camp of Dan; the geographical position is given, and a remarkable movement was seen in him already as a boy. Why should boys and girls not be marked by the Spirit? As brought up and nurtured in the truth, why should they not have some indication of spirituality as born again? Even though they may not be anointed, for anointing is public, as born again there ought to be some indication of spiritual power ^[p. 472] in boys and girls brought up in Christian households, even if it be only the power of refusing what is evil, because of the teaching they have acquired through their parents; some little element that would indicate greater things to come.

I come on to chapter 16 to show how energy marked Samson in his great service. There was shame in Samson’s history, but it is an Old Testament period. We wonder at times how it is that the Lord would record even such things as are mentioned, but He does, showing how God can take up things and speak of them for His own purpose, and justify Himself. If He enters into judgment with us, God is ever justified. Even in the life of Samson God is justified. An analysis of the facts would show that God is justified in what came out in Samson, for it says in the last verse read in chapter 16, “He judged Israel twenty years”. I want to point out what is said in verse 22, “But the hair of his head began to grow after he was shaved”. He was shaved, it was a shame to him, a denial of his nazariteship. I would feelingly urge on young people the idea of nazariteship, the vow taken in baptism; it is a vow, not a mere religious show, but a vow, an undertaking to be for God. You were born into this world that your life should be devoted to God. Everyone of us is in this category, and especially the dear young ones here. I should not like to say anything that the very youngest could not understand, but what I am saying is understandable. The Nazarite’s vow is a resolve not to give one’s life to sin, to what is modern, but to refuse the wicked ways of the world; God will be with you. Although you may not know very much, great things lie ahead of you, and it is for you to take them on at the earliest possible age. The Lord Jesus Himself, after He was seen in the temple at the age of twelve years, said to his mother, “Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?”

^[p. 473] That is to say, He is representative of a young person able to speak of the Father, not his natural father. Why not learn to speak more to your Father? He asserted his sonship, and even although young we may manifest some little movement that indicates what is of God.

Now you see Samson is in shame. He has denied his Nazarite’s vow. He has told Delilah the secret of his nazariteship, the secret of his power, a terrible disaster, and every young person would do well to take it to heart, not to give away the secret of your power, not to give it away to the world and to make yourselves like the world in practising the world’s ways. It is here that the mercy of God came in. The recovery of everyone of us who has come to the light of the assembly is by the sovereign mercy of God, and He has never given up that. “According to his mercy he saved us”. That is the truth in which we stand, in which we must ever stand before God — according to His mercy. And so Samson’s hair began to grow. That is a beautiful word, it really began to grow. It had been growing and was shaven in shame, but now it has begun to grow, it is already growing. You may wonder why I am saying so much about his hair, but it is because life is seen taking effect in him. He had lost his power. If we turn away to the world we lose our power, our colour, our taste, but as we judge ourselves and confess what we have been doing, presently the hair begins to grow. The brethren notice the change beginning. You begin to come to the meetings again, and the brethren begin to notice the sign of returning spiritual life. The physical hair is a type of what is spiritual. When our hairs grow grey life is waning physically, but when the hair begins to grow it is a question not simply of entering into life, it is a question of life being in the person. The point here is life becoming effective in the person; the hair is the evidence of it. In the ^[p. 474] millennium they come into eternal life, and Paul says to Timothy, “Lay hold of eternal life”. The point here is that you judge yourself and the Spirit is free to act in you, so that life is working. As Paul said, “Death works in us, but life in you”. That is not eternal life; it is life working in men. So it is that the hair begins to grow. It means that the life I have lost, that I have forfeited for the moment, is beginning to take effect in me, and the brethren notice it. It is a question of life in the Spirit. The Spirit is life in view of righteousness. Righteousness is the outcome of life, but it is life in the person by the Spirit, and that is the point here, that life is returning to Samson, and now there is afforded him the opportunity of doing the greatest thing in his life. There may be someone here who has forfeited the great part of his life, and God may give you the opportunity to do the greatest thing of your life before you die. I would urge upon anybody who has failed, who has gone into the world and lost the sense of life, that God is willing to reinstate you in your place in the fellowship, so that you may be in it in power, and perhaps do the best thing in your life before you die.

In verse 22 we are told his hair began to grow, but in verse 26 Samson said to the lad that held him by the hand, “Suffer me to feel the pillars upon which the house stands, that I may lean upon them”. The Darby Translation would help us as to this. The idea is that Samson has now become alive to the position, and he has given up the world. He is not going to be influenced again by the lad. The lad is an influence of the world, a Philistine agent. He is used by the Philistines, but Samson would understand that he was simply an agent of the world, and he says to him, “Let loose of me”, meaning, I recognise you are doing your duty, but I want you to let loose of me. He did not want him to influence him any more.

^[p. 475] I am not straining the passage, that is the meaning of it. He was deputed to be Samson’s guide in the midst of the great congress while Samson was making sport for them, but he comes to the point when he shakes him off, and that is what anyone has to do who is being influenced by the world. This is what Samson understands now. The time has come to shake him off. If it be a lad that is influencing you, shake him off — “Let loose of me”. So, as the Darby Translation says, Samson said to the lad that held him by the hand, “Let loose of me, and suffer me to feel the pillars upon which the house stands, that I may lean upon them”. It is now the time for Samson to do something, and that something will mean the overthrow of the world. Think of what may happen with anyone of us. God in His mercy restoring us, you shake off the world, but feel the world in order to destroy it. So it says, “Suffer me to feel the pillars upon which the house stands, that I may lean upon them”. He meant to do more than that, he meant to pull them down. The house was full of men and women and they have caused damage to us, but now they are mentioned to show they are about to be overthrown. “All the lords of the Philistines were there”; that represents the government of the world. Think of what one Christian might do if only he is restored today so that he may be in the testimony! The house is full of men and women, “upon the roof there were about three thousand men and women” — as if God would count the world before He destroys it — “who looked on while Samson made sport”. Think of what was in their minds while Samson, the great vessel of the testimony, was making sport for them. But what is he going to do now? He is going to pull down the whole system. Samson called upon Jehovah and said, “Lord Jehovah, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may take one ^[p. 476] vengeance upon the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood... and he bowed himself with might; and the house fell on the lords, and on all the people that were therein”, that is the world figuratively coming down as the life comes into the Christian. As the assembly is seen moving in life the thing happens morally now in testimony, the system of the world is broken up, so that we may enter on the service of God. So we read that Samson “took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood (and he supported himself upon them), the one with his right hand and the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines”! The same power that is seen in Samson at the beginning of his life is now seen at the end. It is a marvellous thing. Samson failed, but is recovered by the mercy of God; his hair began to grow, and this is the result. “He bowed himself with might” — an evidence of power as he is now free from the world — “and the house fell on the lords and on all the people that were therein. So the dead that he slew at his death were more than those whom he had slain in his life”.

Then it says, “He had judged Israel twenty years”, as if God would honour him at that moment, the greatest moment of his life. He brought down the world in his might. For us it is a question of the Spirit of God.

May the Lord bless the word to everyone of us!