BRETHREN

N. T. Meek

Genesis 19: 6, 7; 24: 26, 27; 37: 15, 16; Numbers 8: 23–26

I was thinking of these references to the thought of brethren. It is a relationship of great interest to God. The word is used over five hundred times in Scripture and, as the saints would know, it has a bearing related to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, especially in John’s gospel where, in the condition of resurrection, He says, “Go to my brethren”. This is perhaps the highest level of this relationship, as being of His order. In the other gospels it is more presented as being reached on moral lines. In one instance the Lord looked around on those who were gathered and said that His brethren were those who heard the word of God and did it. I take it we have to keep both sides in our mind.

I thought of Lot in this first scripture. How sadly confused he had become as to the truth as to brethren. He even called the wicked men of Sodom, “My brethren”! How sadly, in his view, the relationship had dropped! He had once been with Abraham, companied with him; no doubt he had enjoyed conversations with him as to the truth—as to how they had been called out of the world. And Abraham had given him every advantage, but Lot chose material things as his object, and their pathways diverged. As, has often been said, to begin with they were not too far apart, but as day followed day they would be further apart and here you can hardly think of them being further apart—Lot called the men of Sodom his brethren. I suppose it teaches us that we have to watch every step we take. May we be kept, beloved, in every step and know what it is to keep the Lord’s word to guide us.

The passage in Genesis 24 was read especially because of what is said at the end of verse 27. The servant said, “Jehovah has led me to the house of my master’s brethren”. It is a very fine expression, “my master’s brethren”. If we apply it today they would be those whom the Lord Jesus owns. It would involve His will—“my master”. “My master’s brethren” are persons in “my master’s” control. To be one of these brethren we must come under divine control. There are some of the Lord’s people who are His, purchased by His blood, but the way they go on, mixing with the world and following their own inclination, hardly allows us to say that, practically, they are our Master’s brethren. We are not saying they do not belong to Him, but practically they cannot claim this wonderful privilege. Well, may we be worthy to be so called, brethren who clearly are under the Master.

The man was very glad to find such; typically, the Spirit was very glad to find such here, and great things developed in this chapter from this point—typically the truth as to the assembly, for instance, the truth of the bride; she must be of Isaac’s kindred, and when she said, “I will go”, she was showing her pedigree. Paul speaks in Hebrews about some who showed they sought a better, that is, a heavenly country. How different from Lot!

I read from Genesis 37 where Joseph said, “I am seeking my brethren”. I think there are eighteen references to brethren in this chapter, and the chapter shows that whilst positionally they were in this relationship, yet practically they were not his brethren. We know that much developed from this point. It really speaks of the Lord seeking His brethren, and they must come to this relationship in reality. Having the position is not enough. So they had much heart-searching, much anguish; they had to review things they had done. Sometimes it seemed that Joseph was against them, but in truth all the time he was seeking his brethren.

And we are not without some such experience, dear brethren. The Lord acts to purify us, to separate the precious from the vile. But we ought always to bear in mind that the Lord is bent on securing us for Himself.

I want to make way for another, and I just refer to the scripture in Numbers 8, speaking of the Levites. They are of the priestly family and it speaks about the period of their service, twenty-five years old and upward, and how they retired at fifty. We do not take this literally, of course. I think it has been said that we should never get older than fifty. “He shall minister with his brethren in the tent of meeting”. I like that touch, beloved brethren. We have our times of privilege, especially on Lord’s day, and we stand up, as we say, in the service of God, and brother follows brother, and the sisters enter into the spirit of the meeting. It is greater than ministering individually—“he shall minister with his brethren”. It is perhaps then when we are closest together, closest together in privilege, and, in the principle of it, it involves the body, as we say, the assembly.

Well, I thought this was to encourage us because ministering of this kind goes right through. It is also said here, “and keep the charge”, which would be down here; that is, we take up what is committed to us to carry. So we learn to respond together in the service of God. I might serve before my brother, or he might serve before me, but I learn to serve with him, to minister with my brethren. This is very wonderful, beloved, and involves that we are very close together. The note that my brother has just expressed, the note of praise, I can carry on from that point; I can take up the next note, so to say, and the next brother can take up mine.

It seems to me there is something very precious here. Along with the fact that the brethren are together in practical exercises in keeping the charge of the testimony, there is also the other side in being together in privilege and the service of praise. May the Lord help us in these things, for His name’s sake. Amen.

Word in meeting for ministry, Valence
28 April 1987