MARCH 20TH, 1942
MARCH 20TH, 1942
BELOVED BROTHER. — I was glad to see your handwriting, and to know something of your local cheer. I am interested to hear of your new meeting, and I trust it may prove as distinctly of the Lord as similar ones have in other places. It is good to see the Lord’s work and testimony extended, and I hope you will have this joy as a result of the new room being available.
In all typical characters it is very needful to distinguish between what they were personally and those incidents in which they were typical of Christ. This is especially needful in such a case as Samson’s. His personal weaknesses are marked, and yet he has faith (Hebrews 11) and power by the Spirit of Jehovah. In Judges 16: 3 it is not the Spirit exactly, but his own inherent power by which he escapes from the [p. 307] snare. It is good when we see a believer who has been caught by the enemy proving that he has power to extricate himself. In so doing he shows that there is inward power notwithstanding his sad failure. So that Samson does something which the Spirit of God can use as typical of Christ. There was something there by the work of God which asserted itself in the crisis of verse 2. We might wonder how such weakness and such power can be in the same man, if we did not know something of our own history! God knows how necessary it is that we should be humbled by our own weakness if we are to be in any marked way the vessels of His power. God sometimes uses that which has something discreditable about it, so that there may be no glorying in man, and in times of disorder like we see in Judges it would be likely that He would do so. He takes up what is not commendable, but disciplines the vessel so as to bring out features of Christ, and these are enhanced by the previous contrariety. I think Samson is very instructive for us in the last days.
I am just getting over a cold which has kept me indoors about ten days. The brethren here are sustained, and there is often gracious help from the Lord in spite of all our weakness. We have about a dozen with us through war conditions, and they are a help. We do not see much extension of interest amongst believers locally, but one or two come in to the readings, and we hope are getting something.
We have had several raids here, but on a small scale compared with what has been in your neighbourhood. We have the dear brethren in Australia much in mind now.
With much love in the Lord,
Yours affectionately in Him,
March 20th, 1942.