THE MAN OF GOD
[p. 469] THE MAN OF GOD
2 Timothy 3: 17; Deuteronomy 33: 1; 1 Kings 17: 24; 2 Kings 4: 8,9; Nehemiah 12: 24
I have in mind to present the idea of a man of God in its application to the present time. If there are not those who may be so designated, there should be; it should be the aspiration of all, especially those who serve amongst the saints in a prominent way, and in view of our own times it is significant that Timotheus, as far as I know, is the only one so designated in the New Testament. His being a young man brings the matter within the range of all of us, even the youngest; it is something to be attained, and this is not by mere ability. Divinely given ability is necessary for the service of God, but it does not alone suffice for the filling out of the thought of the man of God, one who, as I hope to show from the examples in the scriptures read in the Old Testament, represents God and stands for all that is of God. That Timotheus is the only one mentioned in this way does not imply that he is the only one that could be so designated in the New Testament. It is needless to say that the writer of the epistle was one, and many others.
In 2 Timothy the title is not formally applied to Timotheus, as it is in the first epistle, but appears in this second epistle evidently in view of the last times when men of God are so needed; and in this respect it is remarkable that the preceding verse calls attention to the inspiration of Scripture: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” 2 Timothy 3: 16,17. It is by no means implied that the Scriptures are not for other purposes than for use by the man of God. The Scriptures are in themselves a great testimony to God; evidently carefully [p. 470] thought of beforehand, although many centuries elapsed in the history of humanity and of God’s testimony before any Scriptures were written, but being written by the power of the Spirit, they embrace all that is necessary for the man of God to know, and for all saints to know. The book of Genesis is remarkably concise and yet comprehensive. Satan knows that, and that it lays the foundation for all that should follow, hence his great effort to discredit that book, as indeed all the books of the Pentateuch. One of the chief features of modern opposition to the truth is seen in the attack on the book of Genesis. There is negative guidance in that, for Satan selects what is worthy of attack, what is needful to get out of the way to defeat the purpose of God; and so the Spirit of God has graciously furnished remarkable expositions of the book of Genesis, as well as the other books of the Pentateuch, which all christians should read as entering into this verse, if they are to be “perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” 2 Timothy 3: 17.
The Lord Himself stresses the books of Moses, placing them alongside His own words, indeed He says: “if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” John 5: 47 — remarkable grace and wisdom to stress thus the value of the Pentateuch. He began there in speaking on another occasion, not to a large congregation, but to two persons, and they erring christians. Christendom is full, alas! of erring christians, persons who have turned aside. Not that I am accusing any in particular, but it is a fact, and hence the example set by the Lord is to be observed: “beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24: 27), showing that erring christians need to have the Scriptures not only read, but expounded. Exegetical works of great value on these books are current, and should be attended to if we are to be throughly furnished unto every good work. Expositions are of great importance, not that christians should depend [p. 471] wholly on them, they should read the Scriptures in dependence on the Holy Spirit. The Lord said, “How readest thou?” Luke 10: 26 to one man, and that is a good question for us all. If you read them aright you will be supported in them, they even preach the gospel. An unconverted man would do well to read them, for the Scriptures preached the gospel to Abraham, we are told, and here it is said to Timotheus: “from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus”. 2 Timothy 3: 15. They are able to do that.
The apostle says elsewhere, “the Lord will give thee understanding” 2 Timothy 2: 7; He is available to us. The Spirit too, guides us into all the truth. We are wonderfully furnished and no one who is ignorant is excusable. In fact, where people are ignorant and have no exercise the word might apply; “let him be ignorant”, 1 Corinthians 14: 38. Very solemn! So we are to read the Scriptures. The Lord Himself says, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”, John 5: 39. They are full of holy matter, the most engrossing matter for the renewed heart, able to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. The eunuch is a good example; he says to Philip, “How can I [understand], except some man should guide me?” Acts 8:31. It is well to have the sense that you need to be shown. The eunuch was reading, but he admitted he was not getting help, and if not getting help in reading Scripture it is wise to ask; I would advise each to do so, to ask the person most likely to answer helpfully. We read of the Lord Himself in the temple hearing and asking questions. I am not going to say He needed to ask questions, as we do, but that is what He did, and then His understanding and answers! It is wise, as I said, to ask questions, but be sure of the person of whom you ask. Philip was a good person of whom to ask questions about the Scriptures; he was a man amenable to the guidance [p. 472] of the Holy Spirit, a safe man, not a man who trusted his own mind. An angel directs Philip to go down to the desert, and the Spirit says, “Go near, and join thyself to this chariot” Acts 8: 29, and he did. He was a man under the guidance of the Spirit, and Philip preached Jesus to the eunuch; so it is not only the understanding of the Scriptures that is needed, but the knowledge of Jesus, for He is the subject and substance of all Scripture.
Moses is, I think, the first man called a man of God. I begin with him. What is in mind is to point out the features of the man of God. They are not all in one man — they are all in Jesus, every one of them, and Nicodemus is a good example for us as to discernment of these features. He says, “we know that thou art a teacher come from God” John 3: 2. That is the idea — we know. There is guidance in that statement; he not only says that, but gives his reasons, “for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him” John 3: 2. You may be sure if there are these marks in any one, you can designate him a man of God. Nicodemus would regard Jesus as pre-eminently what is indicated in the thought of a man of God, but he did not go very far, and there are many like him today. He was a questioner; he knew that Jesus was come from God, basing it on signs, but seemed to fail in not allowing light to flood his soul, although clearly he was a subject of the work of God. The true light is shining there before him, and yet he kept on questioning, and it would appear there was nothing definite reached in his soul at first. There are many like that, they come to meetings, and hear something and speak well of it, but the soul lacks light, the soul fails to take in the light that is shining, so that the person remains where he was — a member of the Jewish council. If John did not mention him we should have known nothing of him. John, representing love, mentions the least evidence of God’s work; he mentions Nicodemus three times, and finally as identified with Christ as dead, which is important. It is a [p. 473] pity he remained so long unidentified with a living Christ while He was yet available to him. Still Nicodemus recognised that Jesus was from God, and the Lord unfolded to him the truth as to new birth.
Jesus, the Word become flesh, represents every trait of the man of God; He is infinitely more than any of us. Moses beforehand exhibited some of these traits; he was near enough to Jesus in character to be His companion in glory. What a great end is before us! “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory”, Colossians 3: 4. We cannot afford to be marked by discrepancies from what Jesus is if we are to appear with Him in glory. Moses, too, appeared in glory, he and Elijah; we can see how he is honoured; he speaks well of the people of God; that is a point in this chapter. It is remarkable that he is called a man of God here; he is called also a man of God as praying, the prayer of Moses, the man of God (Psalm 90). He is also called a man of God elsewhere, but he appears here for the first time as a man of God. The idea is cumulative; he did not just become one because he wrote this book of Deuteronomy, or this one chapter, but it is stated at the outset as if the Spirit of God would say, This is one of the most beautiful traits of the man of God that he can speak so well of the Lord’s people — he blesses them. He is not a characteristic critic of the people of God, not that they did not deserve to be criticised to themselves; but he is king in Jeshurun, that is, among people who are “upright”, in this chapter.
Every upright person in that day would regard Moses as a man of God. He speaks well of the people of God; he could speak ill of them, too, and we are to be warned by that, such a great man calling the people of God rebels, but it was not characteristic of him. This chapter is characteristic of him, he loved the people as Jehovah did. Of Jehovah he said, “Yea, he loved the people” Deuteronomy 33: 3. Moses loved the people too; the people [p. 474] he had known in their contrariety for forty years. Israel sinned from the time Moses knew them. The book of Ezekiel says they sinned in Egypt, sinned in the wilderness, sinned in the land, sinned in captivity; it is one history of sin. There were good features, but the general thought is continuous sin. There is not much in such conditions to draw out affection, yet it is after forty years with them that Moses speaks so well of the people (Deuteronomy 33).
Elijah is the next example. He accepted responsibility, took to heart personally the calamity in others. The son of the mistress of the house died, and Elijah made it his matter. God has great respect for men and women who identify themselves with the calamity in others. Notice what Elijah did. “And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed”, 1 Kings 17: 19. Elijah appeared in glory on the mount of transfiguration talking with Jesus, and what I am speaking of now entered into that, it is indicative of how God honours faithfulness in His servants; and He honours what is of Himself.
Elijah takes the child out of the mother’s bosom; spiritually that was the real difficulty — the natural being usually the source of all troubles amongst the saints. He laid the child on his own bed, he took on the calamity as before God, as the passage goes on to say, “And he cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again” 1 Kings 17: 20,21. What a beautiful complete identification with the child, with the calamity! And then the prayer, acknowledging he has no strength in himself to do anything. Power is in God, the God who raises the dead, as Paul said. That is a man of God; for he is acting for God, for the widow,
[p. 475] for the boy. Let us look at this feature in a man of God, and learn to accept as our own the calamities of the people of God, and bring God into the matter. I may share in a calamity and not help much in it, but if I bring. God into the matter it is a great deal. A man of God does that. “And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth” 1 Kings 17: 22 - 24. He is discerned to be a man of God. It is not put just that way as to Moses. The Spirit of God calls him a man of God, but here the beneficiary of the man of God calls him that; that is, the saints come to know by what a man does and is, that he is a man of God. What greater renown can one have? Not that you are aiming at that. It is what God is in His work, in His purpose, that such a man has before him. Still, the incidental result is great, and here the woman who got the benefit says, He is a man of God. The representation of God becomes fixed in people’s minds in this way.
The third example is Elisha. What is to be observed here is not a widow, but a great woman, not great as in mere human parlance, but great in a true sense. Spiritually speaking she is the continuation of the widow who paid her debts from the proceeds of the oil and lived on the rest. The widow represents a believer living on the Spirit, the Spirit is life rightly understood, and makes us great in a moral sense, so that we are capable of seeing what is of God. It is a very great comfort that there are people in this world who can discern what is of God, and persons that are of God. The widow of Zarephath discerned by a signal miracle, not only that Elijah was a man of God, but that the word in his mouth was truth. Here we have a great woman,
[p. 476] and such a person is attested as having spiritual discernment. Many are regarded as great, but have they spiritual discernment? This woman’s estimate of Elisha was not based on his miracles. Elisha had been passing by her house: “And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually” 2 Kings 4: 8,9. “An holy man of God”, a new term in our subject, one that ought to affect us all, because holiness is very scarce. Righteousness is scarce, but holiness is more so. Elisha is designated by her “an holy man of God”. One would covet to be known in that character. Moses is not said to be that, nor Elijah. Elisha is called it by this woman. Is her judgment right? That is to be considered. Is she affected merely by the presence of the man, such a great man, a man of great repute? That would be a poor thing. Men of repute are in demand. Is this woman just making much of a distinguished man? Evidently he is not affecting her naturally, she calls him holy, and “she constrained him to eat bread” 2 Kings 4: 8. That is, she is hospitable. To eat bread, not simply to spend an evening with them. The social side amongst us is to be watched; she had not that in mind. A man of reputation of this kind is sought after, and even for evening occasions. All no doubt may be well if under control, but all she constrained him to do was to eat bread. He needed support and she ministered support, a very great matter in the service of God. “And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread” 2 Kings 4: 8. He did not go beyond that.
I speak of this, because of the importance of limiting ourselves in the service of God; not allowing the social side of things to influence us; it would surely tend to damage. He turned in to eat bread; he did not go further than that, he is a man of God. And then she called her husband into the matter, very important in [p. 477] these cases. She was evidently greater morally than her husband, which is humbling. She brought him into the matter and says to him, “Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God” 2 Kings 4: 9. She evidently perceived it by his deportment as passing by her house. He came in according to her constraint to eat bread, and did not go beyond that. Elisha was a working man, as every professed servant ought to be. Not that the Lord does not make allowance for the need of rest; He does. He said to His disciples, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while”, Mark 6: 31. He knows exactly what the strain of service is, and those served ought to take notice of this in regard of those who serve. It does not say that Elisha rested in this house, he just went in to eat bread.
Now she has a further thought — hospitality in a fuller way. He is a safe man, one to be desired and trusted in the house, so she proposes that a little chamber should be made; it would be no social matter. You understand I am speaking in the spirit of things, not in the letter, for we have affections, and these affections in a spiritual way ought to have play, but here the thought was isolation, not exactly to bring him into the family. “Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither” 2 Kings 4: 10. Servants are very glad often to get that little chamber, and not to have any part in the social side of the household. She had right thoughts, she was a great woman, a remarkable woman. How touching it is that he passed by continually! Where was he going? The Lord regards His servants as those who have to go out and journey; it is a great privilege to do it; but He says of each, “he shall go no more at all out” Revelation 3: 12. That is indeed to the overcomer in Philadelphia, in our own time; rest for ever is in view; so that, as Paul said, no servant should be lazily a charge to anybody. The time of rest is coming, “he shall go no more at all out”. This kind of hospitality brings about a living condition, results in better conditions in the locality wherever it is found. How much one sister can contribute to the living conditions in a locality! So that the outcome of this is life — a son, a great increase in the truth. I mention that as an inducement for this kind of greatness to be developed in regard to the service of God.
Finally, coming to David in Nehemiah, the point as regards him is an entirely different phase of the matter. It is a question now of the service of God in song. This has come up lately, and the Spirit of God seems to stress it, how a man who is marked by care and consideration for God in these things is a man of God. So we have in the verse read: “And the chief of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over against them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, ward over against ward” Nehemiah 12: 24. “The commandment”, it is no optional matter, no question with him of learning to sing a few hymns, very often for personal enjoyment, the Lord with us doubtless, for we are to sing and make melody in our hearts to the Lord, but David commands it here, it is an imperative matter, and that is a word for the present time. The service of God is imperative. God would call us all into it, and so we have here “according to the commandment of David the man of God” Nehemiah 12: 24. It is in connection with this that he is called a man of God, not as a military man or as a ruler; he is not called a man of God in these connections, but as promoting the service of God. How important this is, and God would lay it upon us, and so we find a further word in verse 36 in connection with the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem. It says: “with the musical instruments of David the man of God” Nehemiah 12: 36. We are told about the musical instruments earlier, but David is not said to be a man of God there, the Spirit of God here crediting [p. 479] him with this remarkable thought, he is a man of God in relation to musical instruments and in relation to the service of God generally. He commanded the service and prepared the musical instruments.