GOD’S SUPERABUNDANT BLESSING
E. Palmer
1 Kings 18: 30, 37–39, 41–45 (first clause); Malachi 3: 10; 1 Corinthians 2: 9–I want to draw attention first to the fulness of blessing which is in God’s heart, and then to the way that people like ourselves may come into it. It is one glorious fact that the heart of God is full of the most unbounded and abiding blessing for His creature, but there is a way into it. I would like to say at the very outset that there has been established for God, by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, an abiding basis upon which God is completely free to bless. It is referred to in this chapter of 1 Kings. Elijah, the man of God, the prophet, he had an appreciation of what it was. He realised, too, that the basis had been laid—not for a few, but for the whole of God’s people, and he demonstrated by what he did that this truth was not only in his mind but in his heart for “he repaired the altar of Jehovah which was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones”—twelve stones, one for each tribe, so that the altar represented all the people of God. On that altar he put a sacrifice, and then he did what would seem to be extraordinary. He not only laid the wood there, but he commanded that three times water should be poured both on the sacrifice and on the wood, and in the trench that he dug round the altar. Then he called upon God, in whom he had complete confidence, to demonstrate that He Himself was identified with what he had done—that is, that which spoke of the sacrifice and death of Christ in
relation to all the people. And demonstrate it He did!
The divine answer was that the fire came down. It “fell, and consumed the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench”. The burnt-offering is wholly for God. It is what Christ has effected for God. It is not the sin-offering. The sin-offering is burnt at the place of the burnt-offering, but this is the burnt-offering. This is the aspect of the death of Christ as meeting all that the heart of God requires, that that heart might be liberated in the fulness of the blessing that is in it. Beloved brethren, let us for a moment focus our minds and our affections on this aspect of the death of Christ and let us, as laying hold of it, understand that God Himself is free to pour out into your soul and mine the fulness of the knowledge of Himself, which is blessing, and blessing unbounded.
Then the people acknowledge that God had indeed intervened, and what happened was this— that those people, who were indeed the people of God, were brought back to the basic foundation upon which God could, and ever did, move towards them. I would suggest that it is a good thing ever to keep this aspect of the death of Jesus in mind. We, because of what we are, necessarily think of the sin-offering—and how thankful we are for the sin-offering! Think of the blood of the sin-offering being taken right into God in the tent of meeting! How thankful we are that Jesus died for our sins! I said to a boy (not one who knew the Lord Jesus), ‘If somebody was prepared to take the punishment for something that you knew you had done that was wrong, what would you think of the person who did it?’. Do you know what he said? ‘I would like him very much’.
Ah! is that not the secret of love for Christ—what He has done for you? You love Him, do you, because of what He has done for you? You know that you deserved to be punished, but He bore the punishment instead. Oh how we love Him for that! But then we begin to love Him because of who He is and what He is. It is not only what He has done, but it is the One who has done it!
It was at the time of the oblation that all this happened in our scripture. It was at the time when the manhood of Jesus was cherished, typically, in the heart of this offerer, at that time, that attention was called to this foundation which God has, that He might be free to bless. Well now, that is His side. But there are certain necessary elements that come in on our side. Do you know what one is? Prayer. Do you know what another one is? It is in Malachi— unreserved committal as to what is due to God. And a third thing is—taking advantage of the wonderful grace that has given us the Holy Spirit that we might understand, and lay hold of, “the things which have been freely given to us of God”. Prayer, committal, and the Holy Spirit—Do you think that is sufficient resource? What I would say to every heart here, is, ‘Let us take it on’. Think of that man Elijah. He “put his face between his knees”. What does it mean? I believe it means complete self-abnegation—the setting aside of self altogether in utter dependence upon God! But he prayed believing! “He prayed with prayer”, James 5: 17. And when he sent his servant to see if there was any answer to his prayer, he expected that there would be an answer—and there was none!
Have you ever prayed and it seems as if God does not answer your prayer? Have you ever done that? I have! What do you do? Give up? Do
not give up! Keep praying! Keep on, and let us keep in mind all the time, that the basis for God to bring to pass blessing is already laid. No one will ever interfere with it. No one can ever take away from it, and it is not necessary that anything should be added to it, because it is perfect and complete in the Man who is in the presence of God at this very moment. So keep praying, seven times! Perhaps you say, ‘That prophet must have been tested’. I have no doubt he was, but he never lost faith. Maybe there is somebody here with a problem. I do not know; God knows. Maybe somebody is carrying a burden. Maybe there is a need that does not seem to be met. I say, ‘Keep on praying’, because there is blessing in the heart of God. And pray in faith! That servant came back. “And it came to pass at the seventh time that he said, Behold there is a cloud, small as a man’s hand, arising out of the sea”.
It was just as if God was showing His hand in relation to the thing that the prophet desired. And do you know, beloved brethren, I believe that God is showing His hand at the present time, and He is showing His hand in blessing. This rain represents blessing, because Hebrews 6: 7 says, “Ground which drinks the rain which comes often upon it, and produces useful herbs … partakes of blessing from God”. There is an abundance of blessing, and there are indications at the present time that this is happening. Do you believe that? I am persuaded that it is so. Then I say, let us pray, as we see the indications that God is going to bless. There is only one cloud to start with but presently, it says, “the heavens became black with clouds”. I wonder if any of us think that God is withholding His hand in blessing? That does not mark the blessed God! He does not, I was going to say, dole out things in small quantities. That is not
the God I know. He is a God who is rich in mercy, marked by abundance of grace, and He is prepared to intervene for His own sake, and to pour out a blessing upon His creature so that there is response from that creature for Himself.
So it says, “And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heavens became black with clouds and wind, and there was a great pour of rain. And Ahab got on the chariot, and went to Jizreel”. Elijah had said, “There is a sound of abundance of rain”, abundance of blessing, and presently it came to pass. I say to my soul, and I say to yours, ‘Let us keep constantly in prayer’. Do you know, prayer moves the hand of God. Mr. Taylor said that prayer brings God in, and fasting keeps man out, and that it well worth thinking about, and putting into practice too.
In Malachi, which relates to a day when, outwardly, things were very dark publicly. God says to His people, through the prophet, “Bring the whole tithe into the treasure-house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of hosts, if I open not to you the windows of the heavens, and pour you out a blessing, till there be no place for it”, or ‘to superabundance’ (see N.T. footnote). Bring the whole tithe and then prove Me! It is God saying this. God’s things are to be proved; and when you prove a thing, you know, nobody could ever tell you that it is not true. It is when you have never proved a thing and it is in your head and not in your heart, that you get shaky. I am speaking very simply; I would like the young people especially to be helped in the practical side of the truth, but I want to stimulate the older ones too. Because, you know, it is continuance that tests us. Jehovah says, “Bring the whole tithe into the
treasure-house”. We sing—
‘Should we not then devoted be,
In full committal, Lord, to Thee’.
It often comes to this, that some consideration, which I think may be due to me, takes away something that is due to God. Is that not right? And if I take that line, you may be sure that I shall become impoverished. But if I am prepared, maybe at some self-sacrifice, maybe at some inconvenience to myself, to bring the whole tithe to the treasure-house, so that there is food in God’s house. God says, ‘You prove Me, and see what I will do for you. I will pour you out a blessing to superabundance’. What a God He is! Who has proved Him? Could I ask another question? Who has not? I say, If you have not, dear soul, from today give Him what is due to Him. You say, ‘What is that?’. It is you! Give Him yourself! Take a step in Romans 12: 1. Present your body “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your intelligent service”. See what He will do for you! “Prove me now ... if I open not to you the windows of the heavens, and pour you out a blessing, till there be no place for it”. The character of the blessing is heavenly. It stands related to an appreciation of, and participation in, what is of Christ and the assembly, and there is nothing more blessed than to have an appreciation of what the assembly is to Christ, and to participate in the response to Himself.
When we come to Corinthians there is a divine Person available in the blessed Spirit Himself. It says first, “Things which eye has not seen, and ear not heard, and which have not come into man’s heart, which God has prepared for them that love him”. In this section the man referred to is the natural man; not exactly the fleshly man or the wicked man or the evil man, but the natural man.
The footnote says, ‘the man animated merely by his created soul, without the teaching and power of the Holy Spirit’. These things have not come into that man’s mind, his ear has not heard about them, and they have not come into his heart, but God has prepared them “for them that love him”. How are they to become available? By the service in power of the blessed Spirit! There are three books of Mr. J. Taylor’s ministry, a little larger in size than the usual ones—‘The Service of God’, ‘The Assembly’, and ‘The Holy Spirit’. I commend these three books to you. In the last there is a chapter entitled, ‘The Holy Spirit in Romans’, and in it Mr. Taylor says that the best Friend we have on earth is the Holy Spirit of God. I want to encourage your heart, and stimulate my own, to take full advantage of what, to use his words, this best Friend would do for us. You see, the things we are speaking about are spiritual realities, and you need the Holy Spirit to understand them. I would encourage simple, confiding intercourse and communion with the Holy Spirit, so that what lies in the heart of God, these things that the natural man knows nothing about, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him, might be the present and precious portion of people like you and me—committed people, according to Malachi, and prayerful people according to 1 Kings 18. I am persuaded of this, dear brethren, that the way into these things is by prayer, committal, and communion, the communion of the Holy Spirit.
Well, God says, “Prove me now”. Who is He addressing? I would say to each individual. He is addressing you. I would say to myself that He is addressing me, that we may prove Him together, and that, as His blessing pours in, there may be a commensurate answer in the Spirit’s power in praise and response and fervent love for Himself. May
God help us in this, for Christ’s sake.
Address at Redbridge
10 January 1976