SPIRITUAL ENERGY
[p. 483] SPIRITUAL ENERGY
Genesis 22:13,14, Matthew 5:1,2; Matthew 15:29 - 39
In reading these scriptures I am thinking of energy. The present day is marked by energy. The forces of nature are harnessed as never before, so that we have a world of energy and a great stimulation of man’s intellect: nothing seems to daunt the men of this world. The enemy of our souls has his part in this, and the pace would be greatly accelerated were it not for the government of God, which introduces checks, as at Shinar of old. Men then would move off on their own line, with the intention of doing great things; but a divine check was imposed. The matter was so important that God came down to see what the children of men did. He saw that they would not impose any check upon themselves: what they had imagined to do they would proceed with, whatever the folly in it. They were not wanting in enterprise and energy. But God came down, and, as I said, imposed an effective check, in confounding then language, which has continued ever since; and which increases, as men increase, and spread themselves abroad.
And so it is that today. God has imposed effective checks to current movements affecting His interests, and will do so; for the angelic ministry is a part of the divine provision, not only in regard to the needs of our bodies, but in regard to the government of the world — in our favour. They are sent out, as we read, “for service on account of those who shall inherit salvation”. Through them we have effective checks, so that men cannot do just what they wish to do. We see God coming in constantly to limit human enterprise and operations, so that there may be room for the people of God; that the testimony of God may move on. That, indeed. God may continue to have the gospel announced to men — for He is very concerned that there should be no change in that;
[p. 484] that the dispensation should stand out in all its grandeur, as exhibiting the reign of His grace.
In Genesis God gives the line of Shem before the effort at Shinar; and then after He has broken up that effort, and scattered man abroad on the face of the whole earth. He returns to the line of Shem, the line of the testimony. It is as if God would say to His people, ‘I will make a way for you’, and that runs right down to the present moment. He would not have us occupied with current events in the world, save in the sense that God is moving in them. The line of the testimony is the important thing, the line of Shem. In this line appears Abraham, and in Abraham we have the great progenitor of the family of faith — “the father of all them that believe”. Something is introduced, on that principle, before which nothing can stand. “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed”, the Lord says, “ye shall say unto this mountain. Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you”, (Matthew 17:20). A little dynamite breaks up a rock, and a little faith will cast a mountain into the sea. That is what God introduces. There was faith there before — in Abel and others; but now there is a progenitor and a family; and through that family God will uproot, dissolve, and set aside all among men that is against Him.
So you can see, dear young believers here, what you come into — what faith is: “this is the victory that over cometh the world, even our faith”, (1 John 5:4). It is not merely a future thing, it has gotten the victory over the world. And you come into that, as believers. It is well worth while coming into the family of faith. That is what Abraham represents; and I wanted to connect energy with him, in chapter 22 particularly, for it presents the zenith of his faith. What follows is his great concern about the church, typically.
He buries Sarah, chapter 23, on the principle of faith. All that Christ has in this earth at this moment is the [p. 485] saints, and a burying-place for them! Genesis is full of the idea of the place where those who died in faith are buried. It speaks of victory. It is the spot where the victory is assured; “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”, (1 Corinthians 15:57): that is Machpelah. Then in chapter 24, typically he is concerned about the church, and faith, in us, corresponds with that. So he calls upon the servant to swear in regard to family relationships. That is, there should be nothing in the church which is not in keeping with Christ. It is the refined feature of faith in Abraham, the refined sense he has of what is suitable. I have no doubt it is faith as in Colossians and Ephesians; where all the saints are included in faith and love, in the light of the purpose of God: not simply those who are called out, as in Corinthians; but those who are foreknown; those of the same relationship and family as Christ. That is what Abraham had reached. Isaac must not be taken away from the position he had reached in resurrection, figuratively, and the church must be brought to Him. The present moment is the time when we are brought in spiritual power to our Isaac. It is not the rapture of the saints, when the Lord will come for us Himself; that is His own work, to come for us; the present service of the Spirit, is to bring us in faith and apprehension to Christ where He is. (Ephesians 3:14 - 21).
In Genesis 22 you get the full energy of faith. It is a very fine position, a unique kind of position; where God would test Abraham. A divine test is imposed: God would test the strength of Abraham’s faith. He knew it well. We shall not be tempted above that we are able, but He will sometimes test us to the very limit, for He loves to demonstrate just what is effected in our souls. The process is very trying, and it is intended to be; for we are generally very light and superficial. God would bring us to a test, and show us just where we are. It is well to know just the strength you have got; but however great [p. 486] it may be we are not to credit ourselves with it. As Paul says, “By the grace of God I am what I am”. That was the energy that was there. There was mighty power operating through the apostle: he says, “The signs of an apostle were wrought among you”, (2 Corinthians 12:12).
All the preceding history of Abraham was constructive, building up in his soul a power, and now God would test it. Would he offer up Isaac? As directed of God he took the journey to the land of Moriah with all the necessaries for the sacrifice of his son, rising early in the morning. It is most touching to hear the conversation between the patriarch and Isaac on that memorable occasion. Abraham moves on, there is the wood and the-altar, and the wood is piled on, Abraham was not feigning in what he was doing. He bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood. Then he took a knife and stretched forth his hand. Who but God could trust a man to that extent? God could halt that arm, and He did. But Abraham had proved equal to the test, and that delighted the heart of God. He called out of heaven “a second time”, as if delighted with the faith shown. Abraham looks behind, and there is a ram, caught by its horns — and this brings me to the gospel of Matthew, for the ram is, typically, Christ.
The ram is symbolical of energy; and there He was! In the gospel of .Matthew that is what is in view; to bring the line right down, for a thousand years is as a day to God. The gospel of Matthew is, as it were, linked on with Genesis 22. It is “Book of the generation of Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham”, (Matthew 1:1). Who and whence is He? It is not an endless, genealogy, occupation with which is forbidden by the apostle, but a generation that ends in Christ, forty-two generations. “Son of David”: that is to say. He is the King. But He is more than that: He is “Son of Abraham”. I refer to that, because it makes the link with the thought of the ram. The ram was caught in the thicket by his horns;
[p. 487] Much might be said of that. I have no doubt it is Gethsemane; “Not as I will, but as thou wilt” — One held absolutely for the will of God: “Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God”. (Hebrews 10:7).
The word ‘book’ is important in this gospel, for it reminds us of another book, of which the Lord spoke, referred to above. There was in it the testimony to His unqualified obedience; the foundation of all that is of any moral worth, is in that book. And this gospel begins with the word ‘book’. The ram was caught by his horns behind Abraham; and Abraham availed himself of what there was. And then he names the place, having offered up the ram. He calls the place ‘Jehovah-jireh’, and then it says, “As it is said at the present day. On the mount of Jehovah will be provided”. That enters into what I am speaking of. The power of the saying of a man who is in faith lives. As you find with Samuel, none of his words fell to the ground. How true that is of the Lord Jesus! Think of all the utterances of Christ! What we have written, is relatively small. We have enough to guide our faith; but the Lord said that the Father would send the Holy Spirit in His name, and He would bring to their remembrance, whatever He had said to them. And so here you have the continuance of this saying of Abraham. How it would come home to the heart of Moses, who in his great service had to do with the mount of the Lord! He could say with special force, “On the mount of Jehovah will be provided”. Have we learnt to say it, to take up as from our hearts these words of faith? The young people are to be nourished on them, brought up on them! At times we may not see a resource anywhere, but it is “in the mount of the Lord”. We need to get our souls into the current of faith. Things are all carried down as in a current; and as you get into the current, there is no despondency; you see the abundance of divine resources and where they [p. 488] are. But I was speaking of the continued power of spiritual utterances. So the Lord, in instituting His supper, said words which are just as fresh today, as when they were first uttered. How living Christianity is! Everything is carried down as by a powerful current that brings Christ livingly into our souls, in His own words. His own breathings. The apostle, many years after, repeated the Lord’s words to the Corinthians, and how full and fresh they are today!
So you can see how important the mount of the Lord is, and I take the gospel of Matthew to be representative of the idea; for it is a gospel marked by mountains, six of which are used by the Lord, in His relations with His own. Satan used one, but he took the Lord up there, so that you can connect the Lord with the seven of them: “As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people.”, (Psalm 125:2). Matthew is the mountain gospel; and that means it is a gospel of energy, for energy is needed to ascend elevations. And if I belong to the generation of Abraham, I have got that energy.
In chapter 5 we read that the Lord went up into the mountain and sat down. There is a good deal said about the Lord sitting down in Matthew, it suggests a position taken up definitely, in regard to the matter in hand. He is not in a hurry; He takes up a part of our education and goes through with it, so that it becomes finished. His disciples came to Him, which showed energy. It is an encouragement to one today, to see the energy of the saints in the way they gather together. The principle was set out in the types: all the males were to appear three times a year before the Lord in Jerusalem. In some instances the journey was long; considering the mode of travel in those days, it was very long. So that it required energy for one of the young men of Israel to set out from Dan and go to Jerusalem. And he was not to go empty-handed. God would keep His people [p. 489] exercised. But what an incentive! — every step of the way from Dan to Jerusalem took him nearer to Jehovah. To every lover of God, the journey would be shortened, for ‘love enchants the spot where the loved one dwells’. God loves to have His people come to Him. Here they came to Jesus on the mountain. It was a test of heart strength. He did not ask them to come. That illustrates another feature of this gospel, that is moving in relation to Christ.
In connection with the last mountain in Matthew, after the Lord was risen. He directed the eleven disciples to meet Him there. It was a mountain in Galilee; He would (by the distance to be travelled) test our energy and our loyalty: for it is the King in Matthew. They “went into Galilee to the mountain which Jesus had appointed them”, and the Lord “coming up spoke to”. They got well repaid for their journey: they met the King, and they got a commission, the like of which you find nowhere else. It is the proposal of the King, “Make disciples of all the nations, baptising them to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have enjoined you. And behold, I am with you all the days, until the completion of the age”. What energy is implied in this commission! In (Revelation 19:16), He comes forth and on his thigh is a name written which means the power that He has to effect complete universal subjection — “King of kings and Lord of lords”.
So you see that in chapter 5 they come up to Him, and I want you to notice that He speaks with authority: “I say unto you”. There are many voices in the world, one saying one thing and another something else but here is One who speaks with authority. Chapters 5, 6, and 7 give His disciples a clear moral perspective. It is well worth the trouble of ascending the mountain, to hear the Lord explain to you all the things, the general moral environment, that might puzzle you. This is a [p. 490] most important matter, especially for young believers.
In chapter 15, the Lord, in pursuing His course of service, brings about a great movement of God. The effect of His service spreads, and so is reflected. The multitude came to Him on the mountain, and they carry up their sick ones. This shows excessive energy. I speak now to the brethren who are serving, and we ought to be serving! I have been reading a pamphlet lately which deals with personal evangelisation, putting this work within reach of all of us, brothers and sisters. I commend this book to you. The more you touch the work of evangelisation the more you feel it needs energy. Sometimes a little gospel book offered is refused, and you are under reproach. The service thus needs patience in our faith. Here we have a movement towards the Lord on the mountain which indicates purpose and strength. It was a service for those in need. This gospel brings us into accord with Christ, and what He is doing. He is the King, and you reverence Him, and see that whatever is to be done, must be done by Him. They cast their sick ones at His feet. He is exercising the mighty power of God. Every one is healed, every kind of disease is cured.
But the disciples are not to be left out of this work. The Lord says to them “I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days”, verse 32. He is speaking well of the multitude: there is energy in them. Sometimes the Lord has to remind us that there is more going on ‘outside’, than there is ‘inside’. These had continued with the Lord three days, but not a word is said about the disciples! What were they doing? What are we doing? If there be a movement of God, it is a humiliating thing to be out of it. You say, ‘Well, we recognise the Spirit of God, and we come together in the light of the assembly’. Very good, but the Lord expects us to have what corresponds in practice, at least some food, not only for ourselves, but [p. 491] for others; that is implied in this second feeding of the multitude. It is a question of what we profess to be here; and of what we have in practical correspondence. The multitude had stayed three days, a full testimony to their interest. I am not saying there is anything just like this today, but there may be, even in a small way; and you would not want to be out of it. The Lord asks what they have got. The disciples thought it was not at all possible to feed so many. And yet, a little while before, He had fed five thousand! They had seven loaves, but in their mind it was nothing as compared with the need. What have we? One may say of this locality, ‘Well, we have so many in fellowship here, and so many weekly meetings, and the preaching’. And yet God may be working through others! The disciples had no idea of being able to meet this at all: they seemed to be in a sort of back water. The Lord calls them into the thing: evidently they were not actively in it before. They had, however, the seven loaves and the few fishes, which was important, but they did not in faith consider that the Lord could make what they had feed so many. They were unbelieving as to what He could do.
Seven is a spiritual number; and the Lord does not look up to heaven here, when giving thanks, for the Holy Spirit on earth is God on earth. God is here. The assembly is the habitation of God, by the Spirit. The apostle speaks of God being amongst the Corinthians; no less than that. So the Lord simply gives thanks and brake the loaves and fishes, giving them to the disciples, and they hand them to the multitude How gracious it was of the Lord, that He brought them into it! The mighty current is flowing, and we must be in it. As in it, we shall understand how these things can be met, and carried on. He would have us, while enjoying the light into which He has brought us, to be energetic in the diffusion of it.
That is all, except that the Lord dismisses the multitude . [p. 492] He shows His moral power in that. He goes to the other side, to the coasts of Magdala. That is a very interesting place, undoubtedly the place of Mary. If it be her place, you can understand that while the Lord is occupied with the multitude, yet He thinks of what is excellent, for Mary of Magdala stands out at the sepulchre after He died, as no one else. She, it was, who was there on the morning of the resurrection, a trophy of His grace. She was a result. Whilst one would urge energy in service to the multitude, one would also urge what is most excellent, the result for God as in Mary of Magdala.