1 CHRONICLES 27 (NOTES OF A READING)
1 CHRONICLES 27 (NOTES OF A READING)
CAC I thought it would be instructive to distinguish between the service by courses, which has occurred mostly in these last five chapters, and the service in a departmental way which comes before us in the verses read. I think we need the instruction; it would be simple if we did not, but I think we can see how important it is in relation to the working out of the thoughts of God in the assembly.
Ques Would you open up your thought as to departmental service? Does it apply to service today?
CAC I think it is important to recognise that the Lord’s matters and service are distributed, that each one has to take up his own department and not be diverted from it by occupation with what others may have to do; he must get on with his own part. But it is important before we come to that side of things that we should understand the bearing of serving by courses: it is obvious there was no variety in the service. It was taken up by different courses; twenty-four courses of priests and twenty-four of Levites and the twelve courses in relation to the king’s matters, but in each case it was one service, there was no variety in the service, for in all service Godward there is uniformity, it is universally the same.
Ques Just as the offerings were uniform in Numbers 7?
CAC Quite so, whatever one course of the priests had to do in its service, each other course had to do, the service was precisely the same. It passed into many hands;
the vessels of service were named and came in rotation, but the service was exactly the same; and everyone in the holy priesthood was competent to take part in it. It is very important that we should have that in our minds.
Ques Is it an obligatory service?
CAC Well, of course it is. The holy priesthood was called to take it up. At the same time it is an immense privilege. In the service of the assembly all know God in the same way. There is not the slightest variation in the way the saints know God. All the saints know Him as revealed in Christ. There is perfect unity in the fact that they all have the Spirit of sonship by which they cry, “Abba, Father”. There is positive unity so that it is one service wherever it goes on; and it goes on in courses and does not depend on one or on a few, but is committed to the holy priesthood. Now, I wish the brothers would help; this is a great subject.
Rem Ephesians 4: 13 would bear on this.
CAC This is simple foundation truth spoken of here. I am thinking of the character of the service of God and the unity of it.
Rem It is the way in which all the saints are set in the light of the Father, not how far we have moved.
CAC These types present the thing as it is in the mind of God, and to see what is in His mind helps us because it is true for all saints.
Rem They followed the instructions.
CAC Yes, actively. Everyone in the holy priesthood is ready for his turn in the service. There is no thought suggested in Scripture that there should be a holy priest not ready to take his turn. That is God’s thought of the holy priesthood — it is not a one-man matter or for a few — it is a beautiful conception of the priesthood. And, of course, this applies in principle to sisters just as much as to brothers. They are to be silent in the assembly, but they are not silent because not taking part or not ready. Every sister must be ready for the service. One of the greatest and best priests in the New Testament is a woman, and an old one too. She departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day — that was the service.
Now we are all to be in trim for the service. I would repeat it, we should all, brothers and sisters alike, be ready for the service. In the assembly at one particular moment one brother expresses audibly what is in the hearts of all, in every sister’s heart and every brother’s heart.
Ques While we should be available, there is some part of the service for each, would you say?
CAC It is to be carried out in liberty; everyone is free. Each one is perfectly free to take part at any moment in the service, that is the divine conception.
Ques It says earlier that they were with the king for his service; is that it?
CAC Yes, they were available, and we should all be ready when our turn comes, every brother should be ready to voice what is in the hearts of all. It is in his heart; he would not be a brother if it is not. Why does he not express it? He has not to manufacture it or make pretty words, and it is inside every other heart.
Rem “That ye may with one accord, with one mouth, glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15: 6).
CAC That is exactly what I had in mind. Romans is an elementary epistle; the Spirit of sonship is in every heart, and it is not silent, that is, we cry “Abba, Father”. It is not a silent thing, it is a cry, and on that ground with one another we can glorify God, so it is a unity of service taken up in courses. The thought of courses enters into the service of God in its highest character.
We have often remarked that this book is written for remnant times, showing how the greatest thoughts of God can be taken up and worked out in remnant times. There is competency for service in every member of the priestly service. The devil would like to make us believe that we are incompetent. If we have the Spirit of sonship we are competent, that is, normally speaking, when walking uprightly. The thought is that the sons are all free and all competent. I have it in my heart and every brother and sister has; who is going to voice it? I ought to be eager to be the one.
Ques Would 1 Corinthians 12 give the order?
CAC That comes in with the departmental service, for 1 Corinthians 12 is differing, and we must understand what it is to be all alike. In 1 Corinthians 1 you get “Those sanctified in Christ Jesus”, that is unity, and the Lord’s supper in chapter 11, which unifies the saints, but in chapter 12 you come to the different services of the Spirit allotted to each one, what belongs to him personally. This is hardly the direct service of God, but each individual takes up his own department and fills it out. I think practically we begin with the assembly, where we are all in the presence of God for service, but we are all alike; all appreciate the precious and adoring thoughts that come into my heart. Well, I will get up and express it; is that not how it works?
You do not say anything that is your own in the assembly; what you say is in each heart — the outshining of God’s love and His purposes and counsels. I do not know why we “come together” otherwise. I think that the priestly touch enters into every service, into preaching for instance. It is manward and Godward. Every word that Paul spoke went up as a sweet savour to God.
We are still restricted, partly because souls are not in liberty, not really free, but bound about with grave-clothes.
The bonds of the religious world are more hampering than we think, the thought of one man only taking part, instead of thinking, I have to carry it on. It does not follow that every brother takes part in every meeting, but the divine thought is that every one is available to take part, and all in liberty. When we have eaten the Supper and the Lord has His place, it is found that we are all alike, if you could look into every heart.
Ques “To each one of us has been given grace” (Ephesians 4: 7); is that the departmental thought?
CAC Yes, because grace is given to work it out, and then he goes on to speak of gifts, they differ — that is departmental. You begin the week with the assembly, and then the departmental service is taken up in the light of the circle where all are alike, where all are in the liberty of sonship. It is important in the way of God getting His part. None of us are mere listeners but all taking part. Priesthood is dependent on sonship, so that priests are intelligent and would know what part of the service is requisite next, and that is a check on brothers, for the sisters know what should come next and if I give out unsuitable hymns they are all sorry.
There is a further part of the teaching in the earlier verses of chapter 27. What you find is that there is the service of the king in every matter, and there are twenty-four to took after it. This is not exactly priestly or levitical service, but giving attention to work connected with the king. There were twenty-four thousand for this, and there would be equal faithfulness, for it would be a question of fellowship and maintaining what is due to the Lord. We are all committed to it. There are twelve courses in regard to this service. Twelve and twenty-four are universal numbers, so I think any particular course would represent any particular local assembly. Now we are all alike on that footing.
Rem “God is faithful, by whom ye have been called” (1 Corinthians 1: 9).
CAC Yes, and therefore we have to be faithful to maintain what is connected with the fellowship. The courses go right round, and we are to be ready to take our turn in anything that touches what is due to the Lord.
Rem Lydia was judged “to be faithful to the Lord”.
CAC Yes, she is a model for all. It applies to every saint. If any matter has to be dealt with for the honour of the Lord, we are all in it, every sister as well as every brother.
Ques Who do the rulers over these divisions represent?
CAC It is all a matter of order. Practically the princes give a lead in these matters, but then everyone must take his share in it.
Rem “We beg you, brethren, to know those who labour among you, and take the lead among you in the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 5: 12). They would be the rulers.
CAC Yes, I thought so. These courses represent things in which we all have our share and should be prepared to take our turn. It may be painful or distressing, but I must be prepared for it if it is my turn. I think it all helps us to take up our individual service, and each one his own particular department.
The knowledge of these principles would preserve us from taking up any department of the work which would interfere with unity. All the different officers are members of one body (Romans 12: 4), so they do not bring in any element of division, but co-operation.
Ques What are the king’s treasures?
CAC We all know that the Lord has great treasures. There are all these departments which tend to enrich and magnify the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rem Archippus was told, “Take heed to the ministry ... that thou fulfil it” (Colossians 4: 17).
CAC Yes, we need exercise as to whether I know what department the Lord has set me in. I ought to know. The Lord would be very pleased to let me know and then we should go on with it diligently (Romans 12: 7, 8). Find out your part and go on with it. It would save us from independency if we began with a spiritual understanding of the courses; then we should not bring in any element of discord.
Ques Why are Ahithophel and Joab mentioned among them?
CAC I think to show the whole matter is viewed from the divine side. They both fell out of their department, as many have done. They had selfish motives working which took them out of the unity of the service. So there is a warning that we should know what our department is and go on diligently with it. It is very important that we should understand how to work according to the courses first, and then take up our departmental service in the light of that, and then it will always harmonise and never conflict with what other brethren are doing.