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1 CHRONICLES 6 AND 9 (NOTES OF A READING)

CAC My reason for reading these two scriptures is that they give the standpoint from which these two books are written, probably by Ezra, written at any rate after the return of the recovered remnant. They give us the truth as God would have it to be known by a recovered remnant, and so they contain what is most important for us if we are in that position. It is a great part of the Scriptures specially written for such persons.

Rem It is very interesting. So the whole period concerned is similar to Kings, but from a different standpoint.

CAC And from a standpoint that fits it into our own position in a remarkable way and is meant to help us at a particular juncture as intended for the recovered remnant in infinite mercy. So the whole book is pervaded by a spirit of grace. Failures are only mentioned in these books when they are needed to bring out the character of grace. They are steeped in grace, and so are specially adapted for the dispensation of grace.

The only thing that will stand is the economy of grace. That ought to be a fixture in our hearts and minds. It is the only thing that will stand for eternity. The most prominent Person in the first book is Christ, and we reach the end in the second book, which is that God should be served in a way suitable to His own desires and character. We have been reading Ezra and Nehemiah, ministry addressed to the returned remnant to encourage them, and now it is in spiritual order that we should read these books written by Ezra. It is not a diversion from the line, but pursuing the line a little further.

Ques Do you think it shows that God will encourage this matter of service right through to the end?

CAC The first chapter is most essential to be familiar with. It shows the whole human family under God’s view.

Rem And then the bringing in of Christ, after all the misery and failure that came in.

CAC The three branches of the human family are given. The three sons of Noah are brought into view without failure, they are in the view of God for blessing. God would have us familiar with this. The whole world is in view for blessing through the bringing in of Christ.

Rem Shem means ‘name’ or ‘renown’. Ham means ‘blackened’ or ‘darkened’. Japheth means ‘God will enlarge’.

CAC We must remember that the whole human family is blessed of God through the bringing in of Christ. God told Adam to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. There was no more blessing for man till after the flood and God smelled a sweet savour from Noah’s offering. His three sons were then under God’s hand for blessing, and that is the position today. I think it is fine! (Genesis 9: 1).

Rem God blessed Jacob and Esau.

CAC Yes. It is very beautiful that there is a blessing for Esau as well as Jacob. If God puts a name down in His chronicle, which corresponds to the book of life, you may be sure it is for blessing. He puts them down according to His thoughts. Christ died for every one of them, and He can act according to His own grace — from Himself, all on the ground of Christ.

Rem Isaac is before Ishmael, Christ is in view all through.

CAC Yes. Of these great fathers like Abraham it is said that in them all the families of the earth should be blessed. It was in view when God called him out. And in Israel shall all nations be blessed. It is particularly the character of the present time, all nations and all men.

Rem Of Shem, Ham and Japheth, the sons of Japheth are named first. He is on the line of promise first.

CAC Quite so, Japheth is the eldest, but Shem has particular blessing — that Japheth, the gentile, may come and dwell in his tents. All that Shem had was to be shared by the nations. The Jews never took this in. God has all men in view for blessing; this is what I gather from 1 Chronicles 1. Of course, it required the coming in of Christ to make it effective.

Rem “Thou hast ascended on high ... thou hast received gifts in Man” (Psalm 68: 18).

CAC All the gifts of the ascended Christ are not only for the children of God, but for the rebellious, “Even for the rebellious”. God has such large thoughts, we have such shrivelled-up ones. We need to get out into the wide scope of God’s thoughts. That is why we arrive at the knowledge of God in this chapter. I think Luke must have had peculiar pleasure in reading the Chronicles. This is a chapter where Ham, Shem and Japheth are all brought in, showing God’s mind towards the whole human family.

Rem We should think of the sons of Shem first.

CAC Japheth has the first place really. God knew the greatest acting of His grace was to be amongst the gentiles. The assembly is characteristically a gentile company.

Ques Is Japheth dwelling in the tents of Shem now (Genesis 9: 27)?

CAC Yes, we have not a thing that we have not received from Shem. We have Christ. “Of whom, as according to flesh, is the Christ”, it says (Romans 9: 5).

Ques Why is Shem put first in Genesis?

CAC Because it defines the one in which the blessing would come, that is God’s sovereignty. He was going to enlarge Japheth and bring him to dwell in the tents of Shem.

Ques Is Christ getting the greatest comfort from Japheth now brought into the tents?

CAC Yes, Israel is dead, but He is getting His wife notwithstanding and she is for comfort to Him. Well, it seems to me that we get instruction of a very wide character here, for instance we read that Cush begot Nimrod (chapter 1: 10) and in verse 19, “To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days was the earth divided”. In connection with them there is the thought of the development of government, and the ordering of the nations by God, all in view of blessing. We have to take account of that; we are living in Nimrod’s day and Peleg’s day, and we ought to understand that.

Rem I am afraid I do not!

CAC Well, it is worth giving a little attention to. After the flood God did not allow lawlessness to be unchecked; He put the sword in the hand of Noah, and so there has been a check on man ever since. Capital punishment was instituted by God.

Nimrod is the first man that had a kingdom, so that government as set up is a principle set up by God in the world. I think Nimrod is introduced here from that point of view, as exercising government under the eye of God. He began to be mighty on the earth. In the history in Genesis we are told he was mighty before Jehovah, that is, under Jehovah’s eye in the exercise of government.

Rem In Genesis 10: 9, it says he was a mighty hunter.

CAC Personally he was an unlikely person, not a character of which God would approve. He was a rebel, and a hunter finding his gratification at the expense of others, teaching that we should never expect government in the hands of his people. God allowed him to have the first kingdom. No ruler ever had power except as allowed of God, and in view of blessing. The government of the world from God’s standpoint has in view the blessing of men. “It is God’s minister to thee for good” (Romans 13: 4).

Rem There is a government going on in the assembly, so it speaks of “governments” (1 Corinthians 12: 28).

CAC Yes, there are governments in the assembly that would judge evil and can guide in times of difficulty, those with capacity for spiritual rule.

The ordering of God is in view of the blessing of men. So in Peleg’s time, in his day the earth is divided. God divided the one human family into nations by altering their speech. It is God who made the nations. He has made them exist today in relation to the assembly.

Rem “When the Most High assigned to the nations their inheritance, When he separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the peoples According to the number of the children of Israel” (Deuteronomy 32: 8).

Ques Would you apply it in reference to the assembly in principle, as a principle that never changes?

CAC All God’s ways in government must be subservient to His grace. We cannot always see it. He will not let nations go a step further than what will carry out His thoughts. That is the position in which the assembly is set, amongst the nations, gathered out from among them. All the ordering of the nations is set in relation to the assembly; people do not think it, but we do. We know that all going on in the nations is going to be broken up, as Daniel’s image was broken to pieces by the stone cut out without hands. That is how we regard the nations; the next thing when the stone falls on them is that the whole structure crumbles into dust (Daniel 2: 34, 35).

Rem The saints should judge, and stand apart from, every principle of it now. We are going to judge the world.

CAC The saints have a judgment about all the powers that be; the government of this country is highly favourable to the people of God, and the gospel can be freely preached. Of certain other governments we have a moral judgment; they are opposed to the saints and to all that is of God. We know what will happen to them.

Rem He has “made of one blood every nation of men to dwell upon the whole face of the earth, having determined ordained times and the boundaries of their dwelling” (Acts 17: 26).

CAC “That they may seek God”. God made a man a German that he might seek God, and He says, “Being therefore the offspring of God”. It is very much in line with 1 Chronicles; God’s object in dividing the nations was a pure action of grace to weaken them that they might be more dependent on Him, not arrogant and independent. And He uses them to weaken one another, sucking each other’s life blood. God wants to weaken them to exercise His grace upon them. Supposing Russia were allowed to dominate and to destroy all the saints, well, God allows other powers to check it. God makes use of the power that is vested in man to restrain lawlessness, and provide either liberty or exercise for this country. If it became a persecuting power it would be discipline and profound exercise for us. Well, that is for blessing too. A christian is master of the situation; he is always on the top whatever happens. Nebuchadnezzar had the most distinguished place in the government of the world that anyone ever had. He was the head of gold, yet he died converted. Think of meeting Nebuchadnezzar in heaven! It was the best thing that happened to Lot, those five nations taking him prisoner.

Rem The devil said, “I will give thee all this power, and their glory; for it is given up to me”.

CAC The Lord did not dispute it. The devil has no right any more than Nimrod. It is a usurped authority that the devil has, with no right whatever, except what the sin of man has given him as right over man. I have often thought it strange that he dared to say such a thing. When the beast comes up out of the pit, it is satanic and will be judged under that form. The powers that be are ordained of God.

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