ACTIVE IN THE TESTIMONY

Paul Devenish

Judges 5: 14-20 (to “fight”); 2 Timothy 2: 1-3; 1: 7,8

There is a great preservative for us in being active in the testimony. We have spoken about the efforts of the enemy in our prayers tonight. It came into several prayers. This section in Judges is like the Lord going back over what had happened in this conflict as He does in every conflict, I think. He says, you were available, but you were not. It is the Lord giving His assessment of our part in the conflict. The enemy is set against the testimony and the Lord has those that are available. This scripture shows who was available and who was not, and I would suggest that we should be concerned about that, that we are available to be used by the Lord to frustrate the efforts of the enemy to discourage and divide.

It speaks of certain ones: “Out of Ephraim came those whose root was in” – the note says ‘against’ – “Amalek”. That is, characteristically, ‘out of Ephraim’ would be those that were self-judged and available to serve and to take part in this conflict against the enemy who is against the truth. Are we characteristically self-judged persons who make room for the Spirit and judge the flesh and therefore would be available? It goes on to speak of others: Benjamin, Machir, Zebulun, “And the princes in Issachar were with Deborah”. That is a fine, fine tribute to them. She was the judge at this time and a mother in Israel and there were these persons out of Zebulun that were with her sympathetically, affectionately, and with her in the conflict, and I believe the Lord would help us to assess whether we are available to Him and with Him in the conflict.

It goes on to say, “In the divisions of Reuben there were great resolves of heart!” but then they did not do anything. How often we are like that! We make great resolves but we do nothing. It says about the woman in Mark’s gospel, “What she could she has done” (chap 14: 8). She was available at that moment despite the critical attitude that was there. The Lord defended her and she was available at that particular moment to anoint His head. Wonderful thing to be available to distinguish Christ! What a frustration that is to the enemy’s efforts to discourage and overthrow what is of God amongst His people!

It goes on to say, “Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds,” - you should have been out in the conflict, not abiding in the sheepfolds - “To hear the bleating of the flocks?” Then it says again “In the divisions of Reuben there were great deliberations of heart!” Perhaps they spent sleepless nights thinking about the way the enemy was coming in to overthrow the testimony, but they did nothing. We want to be available to the Lord Jesus to frustrate the efforts of the enemy to divide and discourage and, if he could, to destroy what is of God in our places. I believe his efforts are increasing, intensifying as the day approaches. He knows he has not much time and if he can gain an entrance, it is a most solemn thing. I have thought about it recently; it says of Judas in John 13, “the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas” (v 2), that is he made room for the devil to put something into his heart, and in verse 27, it says, “then entered Satan into him.” You see, one thing follows another. We may let the enemy get a foothold and get an entrance into our hearts in order to attack the truth and attack the testimony of our Lord, so we need to keep ourselves. “Keep thy heart”, it says, “more than anything that is guarded; for out of it are the issues of life”, Prov 4: 23. May the Lord help us!

It goes on to say, “Gilead abode beyond Jordan; and Dan, why did he remain in ships?” Gilead, I suppose, would be part of the two and a half tribes that lived on the east side of Jordan, that is, settling down in comfortable circumstances with their cattle. They went over to fight, but would not be immediately available for every conflict. They went over to take up the conflict in the land, but where did they live? They lived in Moab. They lived in the land east of the Jordan. How sad it was that they did not enjoy the heavenly land! While they went over with their brethren to fight, they went back to live and, of course, it raises the question with us as to where we live in our affections. Paul says to the Colossians in that epistle, which speaks of our entrance into the land; “Christ … who is our life”, Col 3: 4.

It goes on to say “Asher sat on the sea-shore”, that is the commercial world would be in view. We may get lost, you might say, or get absorbed in the commercial world and not be available for the Lord Jesus. It says of Asher “And abode in his creeks. Zebulun is a people that jeoparded their lives unto death”. Now, we find persons that are ready to lay down their lives for the brethren, lay down their lives for the maintenance of the truth and they get full marks in this section, the Lord, we might say, looking back and assessing these persons, assessing them accurately and fairly and distinguishing persons that are there to be distinguished. It says they “jeoparded their lives unto death, Naphtali also,” and, of course, it goes on to say, “From heaven was the fight”. That is, it is not a fight that we start. We are not fighting against the brethren. We are not fighting against one another. We are fighting against an enemy that is seeking to destroy and discourage and divide God’s people.

May the Lord help us to be available to Him in the conflict, not to keep ourselves out of it. Many of us might like to do that, might like to sit on the sidelines and see it happening, perhaps even be somewhat sympathetic, but this chapter would help us as the reference in Timothy would help us to be active in the testimony for the preservation of what is of God. So he says, “be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus.” Then he goes on to say, “Take thy share in suffering”. It would seem that Timothy was a timid person. I have often wondered why he was not in the prison along with Paul and Silas. If you look at Acts 16, you wonder where he was during that time. Perhaps he was not quite equal to taking on the suffering. Many of us are like that: we are not quite equal, not ready for the suffering. Paul’s exhortation here is to “Take thy share in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

Then he says, “For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice”. We are not to be cowardly; we are not to run. We have often been told that in Ephesians 6 there was no armour for the back. There was armour for the front but no armour for the back so if you are fleeing, you are vulnerable. If you are moving against the enemy, you have the armour that Paul speaks about, the panoply of God.

Then he goes on to say, “Be not therefore ashamed of the testimony”. How many of us are often – I feel this myself – ashamed of the testimony and then we are ashamed of Paul and his chain. The limited circumstances at the present time of the testimony are represented by Paul and his chain. He goes on to speak of one who diligently sought him out. He says, “The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he has often refreshed me, and has not been ashamed of my chain”.

Well, I would just bring these things forward to help us to be active in the testimony. It would have in mind our preservation but too that the enemy may be frustrated and that there may be protection and care for what is of God. May the Lord bless the word!

DENTON

September 2000