WHAT THE SAINTS ARE IN THE SERVICE OF GOD
[p. 209] WHAT THE SAINTS ARE IN THE SERVICE OF GOD
It is with conscious hesitation that I want to say a word at this time, when we have the full thought of the numbers present and that the Spirit of God is with us and that we have liberty together. Allusion has been made to the idea of coming together into one place, that is where all the strength is available at one time. It is “the hill of God”. In 1 Samuel 10:5 it was said to be in the hand of the Philistines, which was a reproach. That is not so tonight; there is no Philistine here; those here belong to those who have the Holy Spirit, a very different thing from the Philistines. So the Corinthian epistles help as to the hill of God; it is for those who have ability, and there are those who have ability! It is said in the epistle that “God has set certain in the assembly”, 1 Corinthians 12:28. In Ephesians 4:8 and 11 it is said the gifts are persons, Christ having gone up “above all the heavens, that he might fill all things” has given them “for the perfecting of the saints; with a view to the work of the ministry, with a view to the edifying of the body of Christ; until we all arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, at the full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ”, Ephesians 4:13,14.
We therefore may well hope for something for the saints at this time, that being the purpose for which we are together. 1 Corinthians helps as to the local position, as seen in the first chapter, verse 2, “both theirs and ours”. That is the general idea of the local conditions. God has His children, “See what love the Father has given to us, that we should be called the children of God” (1 John 3:1); we are all called that, but there are those who have gift, so that [p. 210] the ministry may be carried on. Levites we have called them, but we might more accurately speak of them as ministers of God, “competent, as ministers of the new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:6), and if that is so, we have a moral right to speak, and so it is one has ventured to speak and to bring out a word or two as to Corinthians, the epistle that treats of the service of God, that is locally not generally. It is in the Scriptures (that is the ground we have for speaking) that “Every scripture is divinely inspired, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16); and hence we have a mouth to speak. These epistles have what is needed for addressing the saints, and giving what is needed, firstly as gathered in one place, and then according to 1 Corinthians 14:29 we have the ministry, not simply in the local position, but as in a meeting such as this, where we have the privilege of two or three speakers. “And let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge”, and as the Spirit has room in the servant, He will direct, and so I turned to Exodus where the thoughts come as to “with which to pour out”. In Genesis we have the man and his wife as usable by God, as in chapter 2, it was man in the flesh; but more is in mind in Exodus; in chapter 25 we have the table of acacia-wood (we do not get such references in the early chapters of Genesis), because God began with measure, and if He has a table, then it is to have accurate measurements: “And thou shalt make a table of acacia-wood, two cubits the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make upon it a border of gold round about. And thou shalt make for it a margin of a handbreadth round about, and shalt make a border of gold for the margin thereof round about”. It was to be covered with “pure gold”, that is quality, not only measure; but the thing, or the [p. 211] article, of which the table is made, is acacia-wood, very durable and all typical, which has to be understood in the antitype, and that means durability; so that we are all called upon to stand, maybe, persecution, and if there are metals, then more durability is needed. And so it goes on, “And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings at the four corners that are on the four feet thereof. Close to the margin shall the rings be, as receptacles of the staves to carry the table”; that is, it is what is portable, not like the temple, so that we can carry on the service as divinely ordered; this marks all in Exodus, that all is done on the principle of the mediator. Moses is the great mediator; so we have in 1 Timothy 2:5, “the mediator of God and men one, the man Christ Jesus”; the mediator acts intelligently in what he is doing. Then we have, “And thou shalt make the staves of acacia-,wood, and overlay them with gold; and the table shall be carried upon them”. That is the carrying power which is needed so that we can have the service carried on at any time. The service implies the idea of the house, “Moses indeed was faithful in all his” (that is God’s) “house” (Hebrews 3:5), and in what I have read the household is in mind, the margin, the rings and the staves, so that the table can be set up at any time. “And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and cups thereof, and goblets thereof, and bowls thereof, with which to pour out: of pure gold shalt thou make them. And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me continually”. So that there is something there ready to be poured out to serve the dear brethren, not merely to sit here, but in relation to one another. Take the Supper; God’s service is in it. It is from glory to glory, so that when we are together there is the thought of pouring out something for the dear brethren. Now we are in the middle of the week, and we are here under orders,
[p. 212] and nothing is to be done irregularly; if we are at the beginning of the week, it is for prayer, but in the middle of the week it is a question of ministry, refreshing the saints. So there are the dishes, cups, goblets and bowls, to pour out, of pure gold, and what a dignified position it is, there is nothing common in it at all, as illustrated by the gold, and all the vessels being usable. So that we can serve in love and dignity and build each other up on our most holy faith. Then the last verse that I have read about the shewbread speaks of what the saints are before God. Even if we are here before one another, there is what we are before God. In the mid-week it is most important, and in pouring out for the dear brethren it is dignifying the truth of the presence of God. It is a question of what we are in the Lord’s presence on the first day of the week; priesthood is there, “For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge” (Malachi 2:7); and at the prayer meeting the priest continues, he approaches God; Aaron and his sons are set up as looking after the divine interests. Earlier we have youths (Exodus 24:5), but they are not official priests; for that we have to wait for Aaron; God had said of him, “I know that he can speak well”, Exodus 4:14. Aaron the Levite is the great central figure of the levitical service; he is the first one to be called that. So that as set up the saints are ministered to accordingly. The shewbread, the bread of God, implies the ‘bread of the presence’ (see note), that is what we are in the presence of God as enabled to set out the truth in its proper terms, so that God comes in and has part with us. In chapter 40 Moses is not able to serve because of the divine presence being so great and glorious; it is what the brethren are in the divine presence. Forgive the stammering tongue, for it is a question of what God has in the tabernacle; even Aaron has to withdraw because of what the saints are in their own dignity and glory before God. May God use the word.