SPIRITUAL RICHES

^[p. 94] SPIRITUAL RICHES

2 Corinthians 8:9; 1 Corinthians 14:26

In reading these Scriptures I want to bring before you the thought that God seeks in us a certain spiritual prosperity, so that we may always have something with which to minister to others. God looks for practical answers in His people to the great wealth with which He has enriched us in Christ. In Ephesians the gospel is said to be the gospel of “the unsearchable riches of Christ”; (Ephesians 3:8) and obviously it is not simply to make known these riches, but that those who believe should have part in them. The passage in 2 Corinthians shows how it is possible for us to have part in them. The Lord, having been rich, became poor on our account; it refers to His incarnation and death, “that we through his poverty might become rich”. The fact that He became poor is one of the most touching that can be spoken of. That He came into poor material circumstances is a fact; it is also evident, when the question of tribute was raised, that He did not possess money.

There is another sense in which He was poor. It is said in the Psalms, “this poor man cried” (Psalm 34: 6) — one having no outward means of help. He came into these circumstances in grace. What can touch the heart more than that? Think of the Lord of glory becoming poor! Poor, not only in material things, but in the sense that there was no outward means of help or support. Jehovah heard Him, of course, but that is another matter, outwardly He was poor. So we have, “Blessed is he that understandeth the poor”, (Psalm 41:1). On the cross, I suppose, it was seen in its full measure, when He cried, and there was no help at all. He was without support. He was alone. We cannot measure that,

^[p. 95] we can only refer to it with feeling, one trusts, and in a worshipful spirit. He was pleased to be found thus in order that we should be rich, “that we through his poverty might be rich”. How touching that is! The Spirit of God brings in these thoughts of poverty and riches, because He is going to speak of giving, in a material way, for the help of the Lord’s people. God employs these words and one is touched by them; and, as I say, they are most blessed!

What one would remark on is that we should be rich spiritually; God loves to see the wealth that He has enriched us with in Christ worked out in our souls, so that we move about here in a certain spiritual dignity and magnanimity. God looks for these things; He hates the smallness and niggardliness which belong to the flesh. As regards Paul, he was “as poor, yet making many rich”. There was a largeness of soul in him, and so he says, “ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own affections”, (2 Corinthians 6:10,12). The principles of the world had got amongst the Corinthians, and so they had become narrowed in their affections. Even the philanthropist, so called, of the world is small, he has in view his own greatness; whereas, in Christianity, it is what God is, it is the greatness of God expressed through His people; and so the apostle looked for spiritual expansion amongst the Corinthians.

Through these letters, he labours to bring that about, and in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, he deals with this subject of giving, and brings in these words, involving what is so touching in regard to our Lord Jesus Christ. At the end of chapter 8 he speaks about those who carried the bounty of the saints; he says, “whether any do inquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellow-helper concerning you: or our brethren be inquired of, they are the messengers ^[p. 96] of the churches, and the glory of Christ”. What a touch as to the merit of what is in view! although the thing is material in itself, it expresses what Christ is; “the glory of Christ”. In that simple service there was the shining out of what Christ is now in all His wealth, “the glory of Christ”.

To go back to the riches with which we are enriched, I would remark on the working out of it in the assembly, and so in chapter 14 of the first epistle, where he speaks of the order of the assembly he brings in these remarks. “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation”? I call attention to the word hath in the verse; we are supposed to have something, when we come together, according to the riches, or the prosperity, of our souls. And so the question is raised in my soul, What have I as among the people of God? One hopes it would be raised in each one of our souls.

In the Old Testament we have abundant foreshadowings of what is in the mind of God; in the history of creation we see how He arranged things, that although He could create out of nothing, yet His thought was that the earth should bring forth fruit, so that man and beast should have food. “The cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10) were indirectly the product of the earth; and vegetables too, of all kinds. The idea, on the part of God, was that the earth should bring forth, and that man should be sustained by what the earth yielded. The manna was an exception; manna suggests that there was no fruit on the earth, for the wilderness was a sterile place, and in it there was nothing for man or beast, but the manna came down from heaven. The thought of God is that something should be developed in the way of fruit; He gave His sunshine and rain to water the earth. In Hebrews 6 it is said that “^[p. 97] the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God”. God has delight in the fruit coming up, and He adds His blessing. The writer is speaking to the saints, as those who have received ministry from Christ, from heaven, and fruit was expected.

God looks for results. When you come to Exodus you have the same principle: God could easily have provided means to meet their requirements for the tabernacle but it must come through the affections of the people; and it is very cheering to see how the people responded; there was an excess. The tabernacle was made according to the pattern, but the material came in the way of a heave-offering from His people. And so today God’s thought is to work through the spiritual gifts of His people. They did not all bring the same thing for the tabernacle; but in result the material was all brought and there was abundance.

And so in Leviticus, where you have God dwelling amongst His people, he speaks of offerings. There were burnt offerings, meat offerings, peace offerings, and in each case the people were supposed to have something, a handful of meal if nothing more. There was a variety of gifts, so that the rich and the poor could each contribute. Mutuality is a great thought in Scripture; that is, that each one has part, either in contributing to what we are brought into or receiving of it. God blesses each of us, the rain comes upon us all, and hence God looks for fruit, even from the very poorest spiritually, so that no one is shut out. “Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ”, (Ephesians 4:7).

And then in Numbers 7 we have a most remarkable evidence of spiritual giving; that is, in the princes. The princes each gave the same, and it was bountiful giving. Princes are men who are spiritually great;

^[p. 98] they are spiritually well off. We were remarking on the apostle Paul, how in writing to Philemon he uses his means for the benefit of another; so these princes gave freely of the wealth they had, and in result it expressed the practical unity that existed in Israel. There was no rivalry between them; their gifts expressed their practical unity. They all had the same love for Christ and for His people, we may say. They provided wagons for the Levites who had heavy burdens to bear; they gave with a measure of intelligence as to what was needed. In the book of Numbers, as I said, these princes express the practical unity that should be seen among the people of God, in the way of spiritual giving. Then we may refer to the giving of David. In first Chronicles we read of the wealth with which he lavishly, one might say, and with intelligent affection, provided for the house of God; and on the part of the people also there was abundant giving for the house that was to be built. Read 1 Chronicles 28 and 29.

In the New Testament you find the importance of giving constantly, and in 1 Corinthians 14:26, you see a certain variety of spiritual contributions which could be made as opportunity offered. The chapter affords instruction as to how they should be made. There is a variety in the unity that marks the things of God. I am speaking now of the wealth that God looks for amongst His people, and the question is, What have we? Has one a doctrine? It is something that one has in one’s soul by the Spirit. A psalm is an experience that one has with God, so that one gives it out for the benefit of others; one expresses the experience of one’s soul with God. Doctrine is the intelligent apprehension of the mind of God; that is important among the people of God. And so on, one has a tongue, a revelation. We do not look for these now, but I speak of the ^[p. 99] principle and the general need of having something, so that one may contribute to the edification and comfort of the saints, as opportunity offers.

God would have the riches with which He has blessed us developed amongst us, as we are together in fellowship with one another. May it be so in the power of the Spirit!