CONFLICT

CONFLICT

Jude 1 - 3; Judges 4:1 - 9; Judges 4:17 - 24

I have in mind to speak of conflict, not as ordered and advanced by leading brethren, but conflict in which all the saints participate, as representing the motherly element.

Jude regards the saints in a peculiarly affectionate way. Indeed in that respect his epistle is a model for ministry, for he addresses the saints as “called ones beloved in God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ”. He had in mind to write to them of “the common salvation”, but owing to the exigencies of the time he was obliged to write about conflict. It is well for a servant to be free before the Lord that he can turn from one thing to another under His direction, and according to the need amongst the saints. But whilst Jude writes of conflict and covers the ground of the activities of evil from the outset, dealing in the main with evil and how it is to be met, he does not fail to bring in what edifies. Our conflict is thus seen in a wholly affectionate setting, not provocative, but as the necessity of love, and he speaks of the saints in this endearing way as “beloved in God the Father”. Then he speaks of the opposers under various heads in the most denunciatory manner ending with a specious form of opposition coming to light in these last days in persons “who set themselves apart, natural men, not having the Spirit”.

I have no doubt that the allusion is to the great sacerdotal system, in which the principle of separation is pushed forward as assuring a certain prestige among men for holiness, as it may be seen in the flesh in those who are called “natural men, not having the Spirit”. We are therefore to be warned against any attempt at separation on official lines, for anything ^[p. 323] outside the Spirit is spurious. I doubt whether this great system that I have in mind could exist, from its head downwards, without this principle of ostensible separation from what is natural, for they are really natural thoughts and natural motives underlying this so-called separation. We have to contend with the most masterly combination of evil that has existed at any time. In saying that, one is reminded of a certain narrowness to which we are prone, not only in regard of the Lord’s people — for the full work of God is seen in us in our having love for all the saints, as in Ephesians and Colossians — but also in respect of the organised evil that is working. We have but a small estimation of this organised opposition to God, an opposition that is effectively designed to nullify all truth, and especially “the faith”. “The faith once delivered to the saints”, as it is expressed here, alludes not only to the truth as we may have it in terms and doctrine, but to what is held in the soul, apart from which the truth is not really of any power. Holding it in terms or in writings, in itself is not power, for the kingdom of God is not in word, or even in doctrine, but in power. That means that the truth is held in the soul, but on the principle of faith. This great opposition that I am speaking of had in mind to destroy the dispensation. Whilst holding the truth, they hold it in unrighteousness, and thus they make the dispensation one of sight and not of faith, whereas it must be of faith or it is valueless. This dispensation is one in which the Lord is hid from the eyes of men, the heavens having received Him “until the times of restitution of all things”, Acts 3: 21. He is apprehended by faith, and the system is developed in the souls of God’s people on the principle of faith. Jude in speaking of “the faith once delivered to the saints”, refers to what was delivered by the apostles, and that was on the principle of speaking in the power of the Holy Spirit.

We are told that they “began to speak ... as the Spirit gave to them to speak forth”, Acts 2: 4. The speaking was on the principle of faith to faith, so that what was presented — the apostles’ doctrine — was held in faith. Christianity was never intended to be an accredited system of doctrine held in this world; that is what christendom has become, each system having its own creed and doctrine in conformity with eastern custom. The divine thought was to deliver the faith to the saints, to persons who were trustworthy.

This is how the matter stands in Jude’s mind, and he writes to the saints as “called ones beloved in God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ”. He is dealing with us from an elevated standpoint, and he reminds us in his epistle of the kind of conflict that the archangel Michael carried on. Michael disputed with the devil about the body of Moses — a remarkable issue! It might be said, Why make that an issue? But if Satan makes anything an issue it must be contended against. If he wanted the body of Moses, he wanted it for some pernicious purpose. We are therefore guided negatively, as I may say, by what Satan does. We have to watch what he is doing, and you may depend upon it that whatever he does is against Christ in some way or other, and he is not to be allowed one inch. We are told that Michael contended with the devil for the body of Moses, but he contended in a comely way. It might not be expected that comeliness would enter into warfare with the devil, but no circumstances should draw us away from what is proper, from proper feelings and sentiments. The worst kind of adversaries are to be regarded in a comely way, and certainly so if it be a question of those known to be our brethren. If issues are raised, it behoves us in conflict to behave in a comely way. Here Michael does not bring a railing accusation against the devil, but says, “The Lord rebuke thee”. It is as if the dignity of the person can only be met by divine rebuke, and God will not fail to stand at our side. However provocative conditions may be, the Lord will never fail to stand by, nor to act, so that the enemy gets no advantage by any lack of comeliness on our part.

As I have already said, Jude brings in the saints as conveying the motherly element, and he says, “But ye, beloved, ... praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God”. What a word that is, dear brethren! How we are clothed with affection! Having a clear view as to the end, a hope in our souls, we may be assured that the Holy Spirit will develop in us all those instincts and feelings that are proper to the mother, so that some we save with fear. There is tenderness to the persons, pulling them out of the fire, but in this the militant spirit is seen, in that even the garment is hated. We must not be afraid of the word ‘hate’ — “hating even the garment spotted by the flesh”. How easily a garment may slip in which is seemingly acceptable, and the spot be unnoticed! These “filthy dreamers” in Jude’s mind are “spots in your feasts”. They are unnoticed, sunken rocks, it may be, but therein is their deadly danger. One might say much about garments amongst the people of God. Garments have a great place in Scripture, even a skin. God began making garments by using skins, and Leviticus contemplates the possibility of garments being spotted by leprosy. Even the profession of Christ might have the spot in it, so that there must be the “hating even the garment spotted by the flesh”.

That is how Jude regards us in calling upon us to contend earnestly for a known thing, something “once delivered to the saints”. As elsewhere the Lord warns certain as to how they receive and hear, so now they must not let slip the faith once delivered. ^[p. 326] How one would love to have heard the apostle speak.

How one would love to have heard the Lord speak. It is said that they marvelled at the words of grace that proceeded out of His mouth. With what grace, with what power the faith was delivered! As the apostle Paul says, “I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you” 1 Corinthians 11:23. How were the Corinthians using it? How were they misusing it? They were falsifying it. That precious thing which was so delivered, having been received directly from the Lord, became beclouded in course of time with all kinds of incongruities and idolatries; but the Lord has rescued it for us, as He has rescued the faith. It has been redelivered to us, so that we are to contend for it. It is an urgent matter, “the faith once delivered to the saints”. This bondman of Jesus Christ sees what is necessary, and turns aside from that of which he would have spoken — “the common salvation” — to speak of this.

I desire to show from Deborah how this is amplified in the Old Testament, and to point out that Jabin, king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor, is really a type of what I have been saying. Hazor was the head of the nations in Joshua’s time, but it was destroyed and burnt with fire. This implies that, in introducing and delivering the faith to the saints, there was the overthrow in their minds and hearts of the great political system that then existed. Rome stood in those days in the place of Hazor; it was the head of the nations. The apostles did not attack it openly in a political way, but they brought in what completely superseded it in the hearts of the saints. They brought in “Jerusalem above”, the city of God. They brought in the nobility, “the assembly of the firstborn ... registered in heaven” Hebrews 12:23. In a word, on the principle of faith they brought in a system centred in heaven that effectively set aside the one that was established on earth. The great political Romish system was set aside; not openly, for the authorities were prayed ^[p. 327] for as before, but the saints were delivered from all national or political interests and prejudices.

In Joshua’s time it was completely destroyed, yet in Deborah’s time we find the same title, Jabin. He is said to be king of Canaan, which would imply a spiritual setting, I apprehend. The system had revived, but in another way, as it has in our own time. Instead of dominating politically, this great system has endeavoured to dominate spiritually, and has so far succeeded. Let nobody be asleep as to that. The more we are asleep as to that position, the better the enemy will like it. The Lord would enlist our sympathy as to what is in the way of opposition in the world. But what is so striking is this, that in spite of this enormous concentration of power — nine hundred chariots of iron — a woman is the leader against it.

Jabin reigned in Hazor, and Sisera dwelt in Harosheth of the gentiles; the head of the army had a different residence from the political head, showing how ramified the system was. There is a great abiding centre with ramifications all over the world, and we are not to be asleep as to it. The power is universal and is especially set against the operations of God in relation to the assembly. It is the maternal element that meets this. The only effective check to that system is the truth of Christ and the assembly. The greatest check it ever received spiritually was the revival of the truth of Christ as Head of His body — the assembly — down here. The more we keep to these two great principles, the more effective will be our preservation of the truth once delivered to the saints, and the more effective will be the check to this opposition. I am not saying that the opposition is confined to that system only, for it permeates the whole of christendom. Even with those who turn away from the truth in independency you will find the same kind of thing. It is official opposition to ^[p. 328] Christ as Head of the assembly here; and if we are to rise in any sense to the idea of the Lamb’s wife, it is for us to be contending for what belongs to Christ, for what was once delivered to the saints.

Deborah was judging Israel at that time; this was not accidental. We might have thought that an Othniel would be needed here; but no, Deborah judged Israel at that time. And who is Deborah? Whence is Deborah? Typically, she is a believer who has commenced by gaining the victory over himself. Of what use is any one of us in the army of God, save as we have gained the victory over ourselves? That is indeed the greatest victory, that in the power of the Spirit I should set aside my own will, my own importance, my own distinction, and think nothing of myself, and be able to say with the apostle: “no longer live, I, but Christ lives in me; but in that I now live in flesh, I live by faith, the faith of the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself for me”, Galatians 2: 20.

Now that is Deborah. It says, “she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel”. I speak of this because it applies to each of us, for the evidence of christianity in any one of us is necessarily null and void apart from personal victory over oneself. Unless I acquire that, I am of no use in the army of God. This great moral victory over herself obviously gave Deborah prestige in the eyes of the brethren. Apparently she never proffered her judgment, but they came to her for it. It is a sure sign of spiritual progress and of overcoming when the brethren ask counsel of another. Why should I not be able to give advice? Even in Corinth, shallow as the christianity of the Corinthians was, the least in the assembly was to be set to judge in certain matters. Every one of us ought to be able to give some advice, and certainly, as Nehemiah says, to take counsel with oneself; but of course I take the Lord into that ^[p. 329] counsel, and never act apart from Him. Then I am also to recognise the Holy Spirit as dwelling in me, so as to learn to enquire inwardly, for John’s ministry would make us introspective. Thus we should acquire spiritual status and moral weight amongst the brethren.

So it says, they “came up to her for judgment”. You can see how the people would come up to that woman as she dwelt under her own palm tree. She would not be filled with pride because the brethren came to her and asked her questions. She is said to be a prophetess, a remarkable expression in Scripture, conveying the mind of the Lord. Is not that a word for the sisters? It says also that she was the wife of Lapidoth, and Lapidoth refers to light. She is his wife, and a true one. One great feature of a wife is subjection, as the assembly is subject to Christ. United in the conflict. “Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded?” It is urgent. If the Lord has commanded I have no choice.

The next thing is to bring in the responsible element, which makes room for the leaders. Deborah was a mother in Israel, and the mother will not ignore the responsible element, or the feminine element. Hence Barak, not Deborah, is commanded; but she says, “Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded?” and it was for him to “Go and draw towards mount Tabor”. The battle was the Lord’s and He was selecting the battleground. Many a time the truth suffers because we attack too soon or too late, or the ground is ill chosen. In the days of Absalom the battle was in the wood of Ephraim — a poor battleground, for the wood destroyed more than the sword. That should not be. The weapon of destruction should be the sword, the “word of God”. So that the battleground is selected by God and the victory is assured. I do not go into all the details, because they are well known; but I would just ^[p. 330] show how the Lord would call old and young, brothers and sisters, into this, to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints, and contend for it on the line of personal victory over oneself, of subjection to the husband, and of respect for the Lord’s commandments. So the battlefield was divinely chosen and victory is assured, for the Lord fought for Israel.

I conclude by calling attention to Jael, the wife of Heber, so that we might see how this same principle runs through this particular conflict. If we are successful in conflict, it will come to the doors of others of our brethren; faithfulness in conflict encourages others to come into it. Jael had no common interest with Deborah, her house was at peace with Jabin, and her tent was apparently open. But the very fact of her being at peace was used against the enemy, showing how that when we are right with God in the conflict, when our motives are pure and the faith alone is at issue, God brings everything into action for success. Here is a woman who obviously had no personal motive, and yet she is brought into the conflict in the most effective manner, and what she deals with is the head. She sees that in that head, as it were, the power lay. Just as headship according to God is Christ so we see that headship on the enemy’s side is in someone else. That is the idea from the very outset, that the opposition was to be overcome by the enemy’s head being bruised. The serpent’s head was to be bruised, and it has been bruised. So here the head of Sisera was pierced with a tent-pin by the hammer in a woman’s hand — a remarkable triumph.

I am speaking of this because it is important to see that as we are faithful in contending for the faith once delivered to the saints, the thing spreads and others come into it effectively. Jael takes what is available and she smites Sisera, so bringing to ^[p. 331] nothing the whole system of Jabin, king of Canaan. So to finish the beautiful history of Deborah, her song in the next chapter speaks in most affectionate and deferential terms of her sister in the conflict. “Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent!” The feminine side, as contending, is brought into blessing in the mind of the Spirit of God. Then you have the final word: “let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might”. That is the prospect, dear brethren. The conflict is really a question of a long time and there is this beautiful ending: “let them that love him be as the rising of the sun in his might”.