LIFE EXPRESSED
[p. 172] LIFE EXPRESSED
2 Corinthians 4:10 - 12; Numbers 19:1 - 13; 2 Samuel 10:4,5; Judges 16:22
In reading these scriptures I have been thinking about life. 2 Corinthians speaks of it in a peculiar way, that is, in its workings in the ministers — workings through sufferings. Note, too, life works not only in the person or persons experiencing the sufferings, but in the saints generally, showing how intimately bound up we are and how in the acceptance of suffering we gain the means of helping the saints — a service which is within the reach of all. “Death works in us”, the apostle says, “but life in you”. His great thought was the manifestation of the life of Jesus, first in his body, meaning the vessel — as he describes it earlier, the earthen vessel — and then in his “mortal flesh”. Life is manifested in these two ways, in the body that is in the vessel suggestive of a whole idea (it is worked out in the members, involving our intelligence and the use made of the members, underlying which is the teaching of Romans), and then in the “mortal flesh”, that even that should be adorned by the manifestation of the life of Jesus. This is set down in this letter, so full of the apostle’s personal affection for his brethren at Corinth — another great feature. His heart was enlarged and his mouth was opened to them so that the life of Jesus should find a place amongst them.
Now in saying this, I have particularly in view to dwell upon the chapter in Numbers, because it is intended to keep this spiritual life, which we come into by the Holy Spirit, pure, and to keep those who possess it free from the tinge of the world. Hence the Lord Jesus is brought before us in this passage under the figure of a red heifer — an unique and [p. 173] peculiar kind of sacrifice, set out in a similar way to that to which I have been alluding in Corinthians. It comes in after the great manifestation of life in the book of Numbers — a life that developed in the sanctuary. It developed fully overnight, as before God. It was a miraculous development, nevertheless it was in perfect order, in the order in which the life, the perfect life, should appear. I refer to the staff of Aaron. Aaron was of the tribe of Levi, and his name was written upon the staff of Levi. The saints viewed in that family typically thus are brought into evidence as living through Christ. It is “in him”; that is the great principle, “In him was life”, we are told, “and the life was the light of men”, John 1:4. But the twelve staves were laid up together, the staff for the levites with the others, and overnight the life developed, so that there was no question about it, and the rebels were silenced. We are reminded thus of the only sure way, the only way of meeting current darkness and opposition.
The book of Genesis, which has been singled out for many years past by leading opposers of the truth as an object of attack, develops what I have been speaking of — the idea of life in its own order. Like all scripture that book was written for us, that is to say, for those who have the Spirit of God. Christians normally are never viewed as in the nursery. When, the fulness of time had come, the nursery stage had passed away. We have arrived at sonship. Galatians 4 says, “That we might receive sonship. But because ye are sons, God has sent out the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father”. Galatians 4:6. Thus you have a people potentially matured, equal to understanding things as Christ understands them, for as we read, “we have the mind [the thinking faculty] of Christ”, 1 Corinthians 2:16. It is to such that the Scriptures are addressed. It was understood by the Old Testament writers that the things which they [p. 174] ministered, they did not minister to themselves, but to us (see 1 Peter 1:11,12); that is, to those who had the gospel preached to them by the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven. The Spirit come down from heaven is engaged in that way, as the scriptures of old too announced the gospel, and announced it to such a man as Abraham. The scriptures, therefore, are intended for Christians — for matured people, who have the means, in the possession of the Spirit, of understanding, and so we understand Genesis, and only thus.
The Lord Himself, in view of all this, as we are told, “opened their understanding that they might understand the scriptures”. Luke 24:4. He says to them, “thus it is written”. It is that we might understand the Scriptures, and hence this question of life, as I said, in its own order. Whatever it be, whatever order may mark any given life, it is true to itself. Thus it is that the rod of Aaron, representing Levi, developed life in its own order. Now that life is in Christ risen. It was ever in Him, but it is for us in Christ risen; “in him was life”, John 1:4 but it is made available to us now. So chapters 18, 19 and 20 of Numbers have to do with this great question of life; it is to govern all administrative dealings. “Take the rod”, Jehovah said to Moses, that is to say, Aaron’s rod, the one that budded, “and speak to the rock”. Numbers 20:8. We have no punitive idea in this section with regard to the rock; it is a question of life. Christ is risen, and we are in the environment of life, we have part in it.
And so the great subject of priesthood and levitical service is carried forward in chapter 18, and then the use of the rod in chapter 20, but in between there is chapter 19, showing that this precious life in us must not be marred or coloured by the world. Hence we have the Lord presented to us in type as a red heifer, without spot or blemish, as we are told, and who never came under the yoke. Why should the sons of God [p. 175] come under the yoke of this world? It is a challenge to every one of us. Why should we? To say the least it is beneath our dignity. And so the Lord is set before us here in that character — the female — offering — a sin-offering, showing that what we may think is trifling, God looks at from a different standpoint. Because this chapter is not dealing with what we speak of as committed sins, but with contaminating influences. God looks at these in their own innate and hideous character. And so whilst the fullest room is made for the outgoing of our affections, for the heifer suggests not only affection, but ardent affection, there is provision made that in the exercise of this we should be saved from the contaminating influence of sin. It is not the open committal of it that the chapter deals with, but what is in question, as I said, is the contaminating influence of the thing. The character of the type means that Christ was entirely, absolutely, infinitely different from the life of flesh of man in this world.
Red is a striking colour, as we all know; it attracts the eye, and that is what marked the Lord Jesus. He was full of holy feelings and compassions; never allowing need to go unmet, yet infinitely free from every taint of this world. He was in no way narrow. As a matter of fact, those who are narrow spiritually are those who are worldly, although they may think they are broad-minded. The Corinthians were worldly, and they were narrowed up, as the apostle tells them, and he says to them, “Now for a recompense in the same ... be ye also enlarged”, 2 Corinthians 6:13. The Lord, however, was never narrowed up, but He was infinitely apart from the world. It is in that light He is presented here as a sacrifice, an offering for sin, but He was wholly different.
Now what develops in the chapter is that Eleazar is the officiating priest, meaning that contact with the world requires this, that is, priestly service is [p. 176] marked by the energy of the Spirit. It is not a question of sins committed, or of open identification with sins; it is a question of coming under the influence of something with which perhaps primarily you have nothing to do, such as a man dying suddenly in a tent by you. You come under the influence of the thing and it contaminates you. Whether it be in the home, the office, or in the school, the thing is insidious and contaminating. That is what the chapter deals with.
Eleazar refers to spiritual instincts developed amongst the saints of God; it is not Aaron here but Eleazar; he has a peculiar place in this book. Nadab and Abihu were his elders, but they died through offering strange fire, and so Eleazar and Ithamar remain. That is in Leviticus. They make a poor showing in Leviticus, but in Numbers Eleazar shines. He was the overseer of the tabernacle, he was set over it; he had charge of the oil and of the precious things in connection with the tabernacle. And then it is said of him that he was “the prince of the princes of the Levites”, Numbers 3:32 so that you can see what a place he has in the priesthood, not merely in an official sense but in an active sense. He was a man thoroughly conversant with all that was going on amongst the people of God in the sanctuary and outside amongst the Levites. The saving feature amongst us is that of detecting and discerning, and exposing the contaminating influence of sin. This is soon discerned amongst the spiritual. You may be able to say the same things, give out the same hymns, but the spiritual discern that you have come under some damaging influence. You are dulled; you are not what you were; you have become assimilated to the world. The sin in the chapter is not that; it is not dealt with in that way. It is sin, of course, and that is a serious matter, but the more serious matter is that being defiled you do not use what God has
[p. 177] provided for your cleansing, so that you should come back into correspondence with Christ — “the life of Jesus”.
You see how much is made of the effect of this procedure. In the type the priest himself is defiled; the man who burns the ashes of the heifer is defiled, and he who gathers up the ashes is defiled. God is thus impressing upon us what He thinks of sin, and that unless we utilise what is provided in the death of Christ for our cleansing, we shall be cut off as unfit for the fellowship of the people of God. The blood is only applied once; it is not applied here to the people; it is for God. It is sprinkled seven times directly before the tent of meeting; that is to say, it is to maintain us as before God, in communion with Him. It is the water that is the important feature in detail, that is, the running water allied with the ashes is the only means whereby we are preserved in keeping with Christ as seen in the red heifer, and neglect of using it constitutes us unfit for the congregation — a most serious matter.
I have dwelt on this at length because it lies at the bottom of the assimilation to the world, which is so prevalent amongst the people of God. We are enjoined not to be conformed to the world, but to be transformed. It is a transformation that is needed; the passing over from similarity to the world to correspondence with Christ.
Now having said so much about this chapter, I want to touch on the other two passages which show how the life manifests itself, first as under reproach, for we come under reproach in witnessing for Christ, as Paul came under it at Corinth. The second epistle shows how the life is to appear, that is to say, speaking figuratively, how the beard grew, for so I have ventured to connect the passage in Samuel with this thought. You will remember how the messengers of David were sent to the king of the children of Ammon,
[p. 178] and what a reception they received. We are reminded of what is involved in representing Christ; He would show kindness, and He is not going to be turned aside whatever men do. Whatever may be done to His servants, the dispensation goes on, and our point is to be in keeping with it. We need to know how to manifest the unfailing presence of this vital principle in spite of the severest opposition and reproach. Think of having half of one’s beard shaved off! What reproach! They were ashamed, and rightly. How little we know of what it is to be put to shame in connection with the testimony of Christ!
But I would refer now to the growth, as to whether there is this growth of hair, involving personal beautification, or whether there is some naughty manifestation of the flesh under these circumstances. It is a question of my representation of the King. We represent a great personage, One who has authority — Christ Jesus the Lord, as the apostle says. The Lord — we represent Him, and He is mindful of us. You will observe there is nothing said about re-clothing the men, although their clothing was also cut by the king of Ammon. It is not a question of the clothing, but of the evidence of the power of life in these circumstances. “Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown” was the order of the king. He will deal with the children of Ammon, but for the moment it is a question of grace to those who had come under reproach; he would show kindness to them, “Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown”. That has to be accepted. What comfort was there at Jericho? Who can say? It was not noted for that. Jericho had its own spiritual significance, it was the city of the curse. Christ was there. We know how He entered and passed through it; how well He knew it, and in His own parable (Luke 10) He represents Himself as journeying down there. “Tarry there”, is the order of the king.
[p. 179] There is no possibility of our being of use to the king in this service save as we accept the shame indicated here, and accept his word to “tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown”. The king might have sent raiment, but the beard must be the result of growth — the manifestation of life, but life which in result beautifies the person. The Lord would have us to remain there rather than go back to the city with our beards off. It is a humbling process, but a most educative and salutary one. You can understand what such an experience meant for these men, and how many days or weeks were required for the beards to grow. They would be reminded of the power of life: “the Spirit is life”. Romans 8:10. It is a question of making room for the Spirit, instead of in these circumstances giving way to the naughty querulousness of the flesh. In such an event our patience is tested. We must tarry at Jericho until our beards be grown; it is the order of the king.
I will pass on now to the last scripture. I wish to show how the same principle works out under the governmental dealings of God. No doubt Samson is a type of the assembly as set apart. He had taken a Nazarite’s vow. His hair grew, and the secret of his strength lay there, but he divulged the secret, and in the loss of his hair he became weak as any other man. What a sorry picture! that the great oppressor of the Philistines should be in their hands through the divulging of the secret. He is grinding in the prison-house, but with all that there is the latent life, for the Holy Spirit says, “The hair of his head began to grow”. That was the portent for the overthrow of the world. It is a question, therefore, of suffering under the government of God, which applies to us collectively; we cannot evade that. The accumulated guilt of the public assembly ever remains, and not one of us can escape the consequences. As to the general position, the government of God holds. The [p. 180] way out is in the development of life. Thank God, the Holy Spirit remains here and is operating in a little way, but enough to indicate that the end is near, that the overthrow of this world is near. “The power that worketh in us” Ephesians 3:20 is the same which will overthrow this world. Presently the world will be overthrown by the power that works in us. “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world”. John 4:4 But the point is that Samson’s hair begins to grow, that is, there is a little evidence of life. It is not a question of light. Light is of all moment, surely; it precedes life, but the point here is life. We have light, thank God! but the great effect is in life, that is to say, the evidence of it in the growth of hair as in these passages. I do not say it applies in every passage where hair is mentioned, but undoubtedly here it is an allusion to the development of life. Samson’s hair began to grow, and so presently he has power to pull down the world. A marvellous suggestion! We are nearing the time, dear brethren, when the world is going to come down. The Lord said, “Now is the judgment of this world”. John 12:31. The judgment of it is already announced, and the Holy Spirit has brought in the demonstration of its guilt. Its prince is about to be overthrown literally, and by the very power that is working in us; hence the obvious obligation for the development of life — the growth of the hair. Samson’s hair began to grow; he is led to the pillars of the house and all comes down. It is the mighty power of God; a marvellous thing, but it is according to the power that worketh in us. We often ask in our prayers for things, but what we get is always according to the power that works in us. There has been no power added since Pentecost. All that we get is according to the power that works in us, and that power shows itself, as I said, in the growth of hair, where it had been shaved off through the giving away of the secret.
[p. 181] May God help us, therefore, to come to this point — the manifestation of the life of Jesus. What delights the heart of God as He looks down on this world is a saint in whom is the manifestation of the life of Jesus, first in his body, that is to say, in the vessel, and then in his mortal flesh, so that, as the apostle says, “death works in us, but life in you”.