ACTIONS AS WEIGHED BY GOD
D. T. Pye
1 Samuel 2: 3 (from ‘For’); Ruth 1: 16–19; Daniel 1: 8–16; 6: 10, 11; Acts 6: 8–15; 26: 15–19
It is quite a striking verse in Hannah’s note of praise. She had been severely tested and felt the pressures of it. She had prayed about it and there does not seem to be much result. But there comes a point when God comes in for her, and it is this statement that she makes that I would like to speak a little about. It is a very searching one as to the fact that “Jehovah is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed”. That refers to every one of us in that regard, God weighs our actions. But what is in mind as well, is the fact of the need of a definiteness for the believer in their life and pathway, and in that sense there is a purpose of heart. Now it is fine to have a purpose of heart when you have divine things before you. You have an object, you have an aim in life and you find it changes your whole life.
You see in this section related to Hannah that she was without child, she felt it. Her husband thought he was better to her than ten sons, but you know that is just the attitude that does not discourage a soul in true exercise. She vows a vow, if given a man child, she would give him to Jehovah. Even Eli the priest looking upon her despised her, thought she was drunken and spoke to her. But she says she was a woman of a sorrowful spirit. She was feeling matters keenly, but she accepts God’s hand over her, she returns to her own place, and then what she had earnestly desired comes true. She has a son and before he was born she dedicates him to be of service to God. That was the whole of her bent and outlook, the thing she desired most and was going to get, in a sense she was going to give it away. But oh what giving, to give one up, a child, to be for God’s service. And that was Samuel, as we know. How attractive Samuel is in his life and history, and his relationships with God’s people, and what he set out, and too the fact that he anointed the king after God’s own heart, David. Well all these things are instructive to us, but here it is through her soul exercise she comes to it, “There is none holy as Jehovah, for there is none beside thee, neither is there any rock like our God”, 1 Samuel 2: 2. Now that is something foundational in Hannah’s soul.
She had proved the blessing, but she was giving this child in view of being serviceable to God, and here she is able to make these statements. True feeling in them, it was not easy for her to give up this child, and as we know she cared and tended as she could, coming up every year with a fresh coat as provision for the child. The child grew and was favourable. So in it all something is brought strongly and firmly into Hannah’s soul. So she makes this statement, “For Jehovah is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed”. And we know that to be very true, there is nothing unapparent before the eyes of the God with whom we have to do. A simple statement but how testing it is. It makes us feel the sense of responsibility in our life, as to how we act as having come into the blessed favour of knowing the One whom God has provided to meet our need. Then too the blessed Holy Spirit has been given to indwell us, and help us in our life and in our path and in our actions. It is quite searching in one sense, and yet it is very encouraging in another, because divine resource and help are there for us. So these are the true features found in Hannah.
When you come to Ruth you find there is one who had no right or portion really related to God’s people, or to the blessing that God’s people were enjoying or were being afforded, although they were maybe not too happily in the enjoyment of it for there was a famine in the land. But here Naomi had gone down with her husband to Moab and he had died there, and their two sons had died there. They had married there, which was not really according to what a true
Israelite would have done. But there it is, grace comes in, and although they both die, here is Naomi returning on her own to her own land with her two daughters-in-law. One was committed to Naomi because she had found something attractive there. Something had touched her heart related to what she had found in Naomi’s life. I do not think she had found it in her husband. But here it is she appreciated what she found in Naomi. So much so that she was not prepared to leave her. How attractive these blessed features that come to light here in type are in a believer’s soul. Full committal is really what is demonstrated in Ruth. She was prepared for sacrifice, she was prepared for burden, she was prepared to be ignored as a stranger and foreigner where she went, because she had appreciated what she had found in Naomi. She expresses it so simply when the challenge is raised by Naomi to her two daughters-in-law. When her sister-in-law had gone back, Ruth says, “Do not entreat me to leave thee, to return from following after thee”; there it is her committal was real in her soul, she appreciated what she had found in Naomi and that related to God’s people.
Well she acts, that is what you find with Ruth, she makes this decision, she has her committal and it is full, she is prepared to go the whole way even to “where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried”. There is a soul really in the happy enjoyment of these relationships that she had been introduced into; you find the wealth and fulness of them developed with her as she comes into the land, because there is rejoicing that takes place. It says Naomi “saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her”, there was no turning back for Ruth. The two of them go on together on their way to Bethlehem, and when they come there all the place “was moved about them, and the women said, Is this Naomi?”. Here it is, she is returning, as she says, embittered, but there was something in her soul that she had come to her own place. There were persons of wealth there, relatives as well, that was Boaz as we know. We find that through Ruth’s faithfulness and walk, she knew there was a need for food; she did not know how to go about it, but she was prepared for great sacrifice to get it to provide for her mother-in-law. What lovely features come into expression!
So she goes and lights on this field of Boaz, and she gleans there; you find that wealth is gathered up, then Boaz takes account of her too. He sees the feature of committal here, he knew that Naomi had returned, he knew that this one had been brought back, but he saw the features which were developing which were so attractive to him. Committal to matters and faithfulness, preparedness for labour and sacrifice, could not be turned away to other things, she did not seek after her old idols that she had been accustomed to, she was freed from that, she was in the happy enjoyment of being in God’s promised land. So things develop and as we know she becomes acquainted with Boaz and then he forms a link with her. Boaz has the right of redemption and he is prepared to exercise it in view of securing this choice one to be his wife. There is fruit as a result of it, because the royal line comes on through this woman. How blessed these matters are, and her actions were very commendable, she had true purpose of heart.
I read in Daniel because you find the expression comes in there, “purposed in his heart”. We find he is a captive in a land where he was held away from the favour of being in God’s land the chosen place, away from what he had known related to order in the house of God. It had all fallen under the power of this king because of the discipline of God upon his people. But Daniel has a true heart, and there are others that have a true heart with him, these ones that are named. But what we find is that he is not prepared to accept what those that were over him would provide in this wealth of rich things. He knew there was a need for sacrifice to come in—the delicate food speaks of the tempting things of the world, but it is not food that profits. It was food that brought about ease and laziness, but we find there was a different spirit with Daniel. He had his links with his God, they were real and true, and he is faithful to them. He is prepared to approach the eunuch who was in charge, and requested that they would not pollute themselves with the king’s delicate food. It must have been quite something for the eunuch to have such a matter raised with him. He was in authority over them, and this request was made and he was worried for his job. If he allowed these persons to eat what they wanted, he thought they would not have looked so well as those who were living on the rich food. But you find there is something in Daniel that affects the eunuch. It was really because he had purpose of heart. Then you find a way is made through and the eunuch accepts his request. The result is that they were fairer and fatter than all those who had been eating the king’s delicate food. So purpose of heart has its own results.
It comes in later too to that time when there are those accusations that are raised against Daniel. There were those who were annoyed, displeased because of the position Daniel had, and they sought opportunity to raise accusation against him. They beguile the king and the decree is made as to worshipping idols; it is a very grievous matter for Daniel and those who were with him. How they felt these matters keenly. But in it all, what do you find? He does not appeal to the eunuch, he prays to God as was his custom. It was nothing new to Daniel, he prayed to God. That is a person with purpose of heart; you have your links with divine Persons and you need them. You need to keep them too, and you find it is honoured as well. These persons rise up, and indeed the king actually cast Daniel into the den of lions, much against his will, but the decree had been made and it was according to the law of the Medes and Persians unalterable. But it was overthrown by God, because God shut the lions’ mouths. That finished matters, Daniel was preserved and brought through. There is a verse we learned when I was young, I do not know if children learn it nowadays, it is a very searching one,
‘Dare to be a Daniel!
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known!’.
The last bit will maybe test you most, ‘Dare to make it known’. But Daniel was quite prepared to do so, and you find that God blesses him in His ways, and preserves and keeps him until He unfolds all the great matters of prophecy to him, right through to the end. It is only persons who have this courage and the purposes of God in their heart, that can be preserved and kept and enlightened and brought through to these great matters in the soul.
Then we read in the Acts as to Stephen. Here was another young man, a bright believer. He had heard the wonderful matters related to the glory of what had been accomplished by the Lord Jesus. His soul was affected and he joined himself to those who were faithful, those one hundred and twenty, and others who were all gathering at this point. Three thousand were converted at one preaching; all these matters were taking place. Stephen was in the intelligence of these matters that were happening, he was part of it and you find something so very commendable that was mentioned of him. They were needing persons for a service, a lowly one, and they chose these persons. Stephen is mentioned and there is that commendation of him that he was full of the Holy Spirit; a very good feature to have. You challenge your heart as to how much the Holy Spirit has liberty in it. It is a challenge, but God takes account of these things. He is a God of judgment and by Him actions are weighed. We need to realise that in our souls and our lives and pathways too as we are left here.
Here is Stephen, he bears witness in testimony and in it all you find that “Stephen, full of grace and power, wrought wonders and great signs among the people”. There is a person proceeding in the power of the Holy Spirit, but some raise accusations against him. Oh how the enemy is always ready to attack when there is a soul that is true and real in their belief and interest in God’s things. The enemy is always against it, but did it deter Stephen? not at all. You find it shines the more in him, what was foundational in his heart, because the last verse of chapter six is a most appealing one. There they are, they take him before the council, they really cannot find anything in him, although they falsely accuse him in so many ways and it says, “And all who sat in the council, looking fixedly on him, saw his face as the face of an angel”. Now they had never seen an angel, but there it is, they saw something in Stephen that they had not seen before. Maybe they were not in close proximity to the Lord, we do not know, but what they are seeing faithfully presented in Stephen is the same as was in the Lord Himself. So humble in his ways, not turning from the truth, presenting matters in clarity to those persons who were there to hear.
We have his preaching in the next chapter and how full a one it is, well worth reading. He brings the matter home to the soul of the Jew that God had acted in favour towards His chosen people, and too that the gospel of the glory had been given. They needed to answer to it. Sadly it brings out the very worst and bitterest features. They were convicted but they refused it, and as we know Stephen was stoned. But how gracious his spirit; as he was stoned he is looking up, he sees into the glory, sees Jesus standing there, what filled his soul! Then those simple words that he says, but so humbly and with true feeling as he cries with a loud voice saying, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge,” Acts 7: 60. He was prepared to go out of sight and be nothing. He was ready for the glory. He saw right in, he was going to be there with that glorious One, the Lord Jesus. Stephen was very true in his purpose of heart.
The same feature is also seen in Paul. We see there that this is well on in Paul’s history. Here he is with a chain appearing before King Agrippa, and he recounts his conversion. It had grown richer in his soul the longer he lived, a light that was out of heaven that had brought him to the ground. Now it brought about faith in his soul. Here he came to know One immediately, who was in heaven and yet there was something here that was of Him. Something developed in persons that was of the One who was in heaven, because the Lord’s words to him were, “why dost thou persecute me?”, Acts 9: 4. Saul as he was then, knew then that the Lord protected His people. Saul had been persecuting them, but from the glory the Lord protected his people. These are profound matters to lay hold of in the soul and they characterise really the rest of Paul’s life as we know. But here he is recounting it before king Agrippa. As he touches on these matters he gives a history of his conversion, and how he had kicked against the goads. The Lord said, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest—but rise up stand on thy feet; for, for this purpose have I appeared to thee, to appoint thee to be a servant and a witness both of what thou has seen, and of what I shall appear to thee in”.
How full that verse is relating to Paul’s commission. And he took it up in faithfulness, all his life from the point of his conversion which shows the change that was in the man. He went forward with a true sense that God weighed actions, and he acted in faithfulness to the One that he knew who was in the glory, his whole life was characterised by it. And there was his faithfulness in his pathway as bringing in what was needed for the saints, to encourage and lift them up and set them forward. He was given it all and he was happy here. It says of him, “taking thee out from among the people, and the nations, to whom I send thee, to open their eyes”. That was Paul’s great commission, preaching the glad tidings to open persons’ eyes, and then that they should see too the glory of the truth as it is in Jesus. He opened up these matters in fulness “that they may receive remission of sins and inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me”. That was the whole path that was outlined for the persons who were prepared to accept God’s provision in Christ for them, and to come into the sphere of divine privilege and blessing.
Then there is that verse that he touches so beautifully, “Whereupon, king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision”. He accepted the commission that he had been given and he filled it out with true faithfulness. How full was the life of Paul! Prepared to suffer again in view of ministering to the saints, he would not be held back in any way. In fact in Acts 20 he says that he had announced to them all the counsel of God (Acts 20: 27). There was nothing left out in Paul’s service related to the fulness of all that was in Christ towards them. That was his labour, and oh what purpose of heart he had in it.
Well I just leave these matters on our hearts. May there be help for us in our lives to be more dependent, more trusting in the Spirit’s service, and be helped to show something forth of the features of persons who are living related to another sphere, another world a world where Jesus is. May it be so.
Address at Brechin
11 April 2009