THE SERVICE OF ELIJAH (3)
THE SERVICE OF ELIJAH (3)
JT We should all be reminded of what we have had already, beginning with chapter 17 of this book. The history of christendom enters into it, and we have to consider here what is about to be, we might say, set aside. A servant known to us in this country fifty years ago, Mr. Revell, a man whom God used much, referred to this incident, saying that Elijah went to Horeb and resigned his commission. A remarkable thing that that should be said of a great servant of Jehovah. That is what we see in this chapter. So, “Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and in detail how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. And Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, So do the gods to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time! And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life”. That is a very humbling thing to have to read of a great servant, that he fled for his life — fled from the threat of a woman, Jezebel. It seems to me that Jezebel represents an evil element. It needs to be considered by us, in view of the perusal of this book, what we have to contend with in the service of God in these times, that a woman should become the head of a movement of the enemy to overcome the servant of the Lord. Any one of us who has a little service to do must see to it that he does it, and does it well. We have to look at this chapter and we see how Elijah fled for his life. God had power; but Elijah flees for his life. He was afraid he would lose his life. So it says, “Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, So do the gods to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time! And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life”. Why should he be [p. 344] afraid of a woman? but he was. That is a word for all of us who have any little thing to do for the Lord. We must not be afraid, “Be strong and very courageous”. We have to say that he fled; he was afraid at this time. It says “he went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba”. Beer-sheba should have reminded him of the faithfulness of God. So it says, “which belongs to Judah”. That ought to remind him that things are stable, but he fled for his life nevertheless. It says, “and left his servant there. And he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a certain broom-bush, and requested for himself that he might die”. He loses courage, which is a matter to be seen to by every one of us, that we do not give up our courage. He said, “It is enough, now, Jehovah, take my life; for I am not better than my fathers”. That was not much. “And he lay down and slept under the broom-bush. And behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, Arise, eat! And he looked, and behold, at his head was a cake, baked on hot stones, and a cruse of water. And he ate and drank, and lay down again. And the angel of Jehovah came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise, eat; for the journey is too great for thee”. Very touching, how God is thinking of his servant! He thinks of His servants in their weakness and their failures. He is thinking of us, those of us who serve, “And he arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God”. He is brought directly in touch with God Himself now. It says, “And there he went into a cave, and lodged there”. He had time to reflect on what had been going on, what he had been doing. God is sure to challenge us if we are unfaithful in the least degree. He loves us too much to give us up.
JMcK “The word is faithful and worthy of all acceptation; for, for this we labour and suffer reproach, because we hope in a living God, who is preserver of all men, specially of those that believe”.
JT A beautiful passage. Then there is that other passage, He does not allow you “to be tempted above what ye are able to bear”. A very comforting thought.
HB Paul says in Acts 20, “I make no account of my life as dear to myself, so that I finish my course”.
JT “I make no account of my life”. He was not like Elijah.
CCT The message is to Joshua to be strong.
JT That is very important, read it.
CCT “None shall be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life”. And then, “Only be strong and very courageous, that thou mayest take heed to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded thee”, Joshua 1: 5, 7.
JT The thing has to be done; let it be done and done well; that is a word for us.
RWS What does that correspond with in our day?
JT It is for those of us who in any way are able to serve, that we would not give up but go on. We have already quoted the saying from one of the Lord’s servants, ‘Go on, go on, go on’. That is the word in service, Go on. Elijah gave up. He fled for his life. Why should he flee for his life? The Lord Jesus laid down His life for His enemies.
AP “For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice”.
HK “Should such a man as I flee?”, Nehemiah 6: 11.
JT Just so, very good.
CCT Would it bring out the perfection of the Lord Jesus Christ in His service?
[p. 346] S There is a great contrast between Elijah’s prayer in chapter 18 and here. There it was a question of God and the glory of God, and here it is a request for himself. In one he had God before him, and here himself.
JT There are many here today who are able to serve, and go forward in courage in the service, not only having ability. The word is, Go on in service, do not give up.
AB The word to Paul in relation to Corinth in Acts 18 was, “And the Lord said by vision in the night to Paul, Fear not, but speak and be not silent; because I am with thee, and no one shall set upon thee to injure thee”. There is not only the value of the life of Paul to divine Persons, but its value to the saints according to Romans 16, where he says, “Who for my life staked their own neck”.
JT Very good, I wanted to get that in. It is one of the most striking passages confirming what we have been saying.
AB Would this be maintenance in divine service?
JT The word ‘maintenance’ we have in chapter 17. The Lord promised maintenance for Elijah. A certain widow woman was to maintain him there.
WC “I have stood firm unto this day”.
JT Very good.
JK In the scripture in Samuel in connection with David at the time of Ziklag, it says he strengthened himself in God. Is it a question of the knowledge of God Himself that carries us through?
JT Of course, we had David last night, as well as Abraham and Paul as illustrative. They, of course, are not equal to Christ; they are not divine Persons.
JK If we all knew God in a greater way we would move in life in a greater [p. 347] way.
JT I think Paul is given to us as a peculiar illustration. “Be my imitators, even as I also am of Christ”. It is most stimulating.
RWS Are you viewing Jezebel as the great system of christendom, how it might intimidate the saints?
JT She illustrates evil in our times, Jezebel. She will change your mind. She represents both the Romish and communistic elements. They are both evil and supported by the devil. I am saying that as quite conscious that one might be spoken to about it, but it is quite right.
AH She calls herself a queen and says, “I am not a widow”.
JT Will you be kind enough to read that. That is the thing that we have to deal with in this country.
WC “Because she says in her heart, I sit a queen, and I am not a widow; and I shall in no wise see grief, for this reason in one day shall her plagues come, death and grief and famine, and she shall be burnt with fire; for strong is the Lord God who has judged her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication, and lived luxuriously with her”.
JT Pardon me. It was recalled yesterday that the church in that day was all but destroyed and we ought to keep that in mind, what has come through that system. Now Russia has become the counterpart of it. She is pursuing the idea of communism. That is the great danger at the present time, what she is advocating.
WC “... shall weep and wail over her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off, through fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! for in one hour thy judgment is come. And the merchants of the earth weep and grieve over her, because no one buys [p. 348] their lading any more; lading of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and pearl, and fine linen”.
JT Finery involved in all this.
WC “... and purple and silk, and scarlet dye, and all thyine wood, and every article in ivory, and every article in most precious wood, and in brass, and in iron, and in marble, and cinnamon, and amomum, and incense, ... and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep, and of horses, and of chariots, and of bodies, and souls of men”.
JT “Bodies, and souls of men”!
WC “... And the ripe fruits which were the lust of thy soul have departed from thee, and all fair and splendid things have perished from thee, and they shall not find them any more at all. The merchants of these things, who had been enriched through her, shall stand afar off through fear of her torment, weeping and grieving, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, which was clothed with fine linen and purple and scarlet, and had ornaments of gold and precious stones and pearls! for in one hour so great riches has been made desolate. And every steersman, and every one who sailed to any place, and sailors, and all who exercise their calling on the sea, stood afar off, and cried, seeing the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like to the great city? and cast dust upon their heads, and cried, weeping and grieving, saying, Woe, woe, the great city in which all that had ships in the sea were enriched through her costliness! for in one hour she has been made desolate. Rejoice over her, heaven, and ye saints and apostles and prophets; for God has judged your judgment upon her. And a strong angel took up a stone as a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall Babylon the great city be cast down, and shall be found no more at all; and voice of harp-singers and musicians and flute-players and [p. 349] trumpeters shall not be heard any more at all in thee, and no artificer of any art shall be found any more at all in thee, and voice of millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee, and light of lamp shall shine no more at all in thee, and voice of bridegroom and bride shall be heard no more at all in thee; for thy merchants were the great ones of the earth; for by thy sorcery have all the nations been deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all the slain upon the earth”.
JT All this dates back to the French Revolution and the elements of world domination that were promoted, then in Germany and now passed on to Russia. We should know how to compose ourselves in the presence of them and how to keep ourselves, and this great city called Babylon is just what is found in Europe and its outgoings and the great answer to it is the truth of the assembly, and it is to be revived and God is going on with it until we are taken up to heaven. “The Lord himself, with an assembling shout, with archangel’s voice and with trump of God, shall descend from heaven; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we, the living who remain, shall be caught up together with them”. We should expect it at any moment and we should be ready for it and we should be with God about these things.
SMcC What you are saying is extremely interesting in relation to that to which you now draw attention. You then view communism as having a definite place in the protracted scale.
JT And Germany has taken it on and now Russia. You are rightly referring to the book of Mr. Darby’s on Revelation involving all that we have said about Babylon.
SMcC And according to what you are saying communism has a definite place in the protracted scale in relation to the [p. 350] assembly.
JT So we see in these comments what we have to deal with, we who seek to keep the truth of the assembly, and maintain the principles of the assembly.
ADS In verse 20 the language is very significant, “for God has judged your judgment upon her”. So that at the present moment we should have a judgment.
JT Very good.
RWS All this bears upon the relative weakness of the meetings in Europe. It is only in comparatively recent years that the brethren on the Continent are moving in the current of the truth generally, the brethren in France and Germany. What would you say about that?
JT I think Satan has wrought in both doubtless, but God is working in the brethren in relation to the truth. These meetings are a great help. They come frequently, there are thirty, as I recall, of these meetings, and God is in them in a most remarkable way.
SMcC You made a statement at the beginning of World War II that I think was prophetic, that no dictator which arises in the Spirit’s day shall survive. Should that not be a comfort to us in the great matter of communism?
JT “God has judged your judgment upon her”, your judgment, our judgment. Today God is doing it. He is doing it constantly.
AH Is that what we have here. Elijah had his judgment as has been seen in chapter 18, which was really God’s judgment, but the system is overawing him now?
JT He had a judgment when he was slaying the prophets.
LES Do you think in the book of Zechariah you have reference to all this? In chapter 5 it says, “And the angel that talked with me went forth, and [p. 351] said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I said, What is it? And he said, This is the ephah that goeth forth. And he said, This is their resemblance in all the land. And behold, there was lifted up a round plate of lead; and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst ...”
J.T. Look at it, a woman!
LES “... of the ephah. And he said, This is Wickedness; and he cast her into the midst of the ephah”.
JT “This is Wickedness”, think of it! Proceed please.
LES “... and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; and they had wings like the wings of a stork; and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heavens. And I said to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these carry the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it a house in the land of Shinar; and it shall be established, and set there upon its own base”.
JT Very good — on its own base. I think if you can help us further it would be good.
LES What I had in mind was the chapter we have read in Revelation 18 and what you referred to yesterday. Romanism and communism — not only one woman, but two women, filling out the idea of Babylon.
JT I am thankful for your saying that. You are accustomed to those prophetic scriptures and what we need is a knowledge of prophetic scriptures at the present time. I am speaking generally; if you unfold it among the brethren you will do good service. It is a question of what opportunity the Lord will give the brethren who will open up the truth and there are those among us who are able to do it and they should get opportunity to do [p. 352] it.
JMcK Would you not say there is great need for us to become more conversant with the Scriptures relative to these things? I would like to read a verse in Romans 8: 31, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who against us? He who, yea, has not spared his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him grant us all things?”. Then in verse 35, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? tribulation or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? According as it is written, For thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we have been reckoned as sheep for slaughter. But in all these things we more than conquer through him that has loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
JT Thank you very much, that bears on what we have been saying. I want to again appeal to the brethren to read the Scriptures themselves carefully and prayerfully and read with them the Collected Writings, so as to get the full meaning from all that is available to us.
SMcC Referring to 1 Kings 18, there should be no thought entertained in the mind of a servant whom God is honouring of stepping aside to make room for another.
JT I think it is important what you have said as to the thought of resigning. There should be no such thought in anyone’s mind. You sometimes hear, He should give up and make way for others. If he is able to do the work he should do it. God would say, ‘Go on, go on’, and I want the brethren to think of it, to go on faithfully and patiently to the end.
CCT [p. 353] Finish my course, that would be the idea.
JT Finish the course.
VL The authority of the truth is peculiarly needed to offset the spurious authority. Anyone that serves should do so in full authority as coming from the presence of God, so that the spurious authority of Rome is offset.
JT “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world”.
RWS Was not that the point in Revelation, “she who calls herself prophetess, and she teaches and leads astray my servants”, designed to lead astray the servants?
JT How many have been led astray! Look at christendom! One does not want to give names. Think of the apostasy that began making way for evil by men who ought to be doing good. We thank God for one; we all quote Mr. Darby. How faithfully he went on and went on in the truth and lived to be eighty-two years old, an example for all, old and young.
SMcC He did not resign; he went on.
JT Just so. He kept his job. Many have resigned and gone into other things.
SMcC It is not only the servant, but all the saints should have it in mind each to keep his job.
JLF Do you think the apostle Paul had this in mind when he said, “I therefore thus [p. 354] run, as not uncertainly; so I combat, as not beating the air”?
JT Just so, I am glad you read that, it is plainly on the point we are dealing with. Please read some more.
JLF “Know ye not that they who run in the race-course run all, but one receives the prize? Thus run in order they ye may obtain. But every one that contends for a prize is temperate in all things, they then indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. I therefore thus run, as not uncertainly; so I combat, as not beating the air. But I buffet my body, and lead it captive, lest after having preached to others I should be myself rejected”. I thought the apostle accepted the responsibility through exercise of keeping in accord with the position.
JT Very good.
RWS I wanted assurance as to communism now. Are you assured that communism will be contained as long as the Spirit and the church are here below?
JT It is a question of apostasy. If you will read in 2 Thessalonians 2, because it deals directly with it.
WC “Now we beg you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, nor troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as if it were by us, as that the day of the Lord is present. Let not any one deceive you in any manner, because it will not be unless the apostasy have first come, and the man of sin have been revealed, the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself on high against all called God, or object of veneration; so that he himself sits down in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Do ye not remember that, being yet with you, I said these things to you? And now ye know that which restrains, that he should be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness already works; only there is he who restrains now until he be gone, and then the lawless one shall be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus shall consume with the breath of his mouth, and shall annul by the appearing of his coming; whose coming is according to the working of Satan in all power and signs and wonders of falsehood, and in all deceit of unrighteousness to them that perish, because they have not received the love [p. 355] of the truth that they might be saved. And for this reason God sends to them a working of error”.
J.T. Look at that!
WC “... that they should believe what is false, that all might be judged who have not believed the truth, but have found pleasure in unrighteousness. But we ought to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, that God has chosen you from the beginning to salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, whereto he has called you by our glad tidings, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brethren, stand firm, and hold fast the instructions which ye have been taught, whether by word or by our letter. But our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us, and given us eternal consolation and good hope by grace, encourage your hearts, and establish you in every good work and word”.
JT I might venture to say here, I have been looking for an opportunity to call attention to the prophetic word; it is for the brethren to take it on and look into it and be ready for the Lord’s coming. It is imminent and He is looking for us to be ready, and He is keeping us constantly on the thought of the assembly, the full idea of the assembly.
AH Linking on with Zechariah 4.
JT You might read that, added to what we have already had.
WC “And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep. And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I see, and behold, a lamp-stand all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon, seven lamps and seven pipes to the lamps, which are upon the top thereof; and two olive-trees beside it, one on the right of the bowl, and the other on the left of it. And I answered and [p. 356] spoke to the angel that talked with me, saying, what are these, my lord? And the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these are? And I said, No, my lord. And he answered and spoke unto me, saying, This is the word of Jehovah unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of hosts ...”.
JT That is the word of Jehovah.
WC “Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou dost become a plain; and he shall bring forth the headstone with shoutings: Grace, grace unto it! And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; and his hands shall finish it, and thou shalt know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me unto you. For who hath despised the day of small things? Yea, they shall rejoice — even those seven — and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel: these are the eyes of Jehovah, which run to and fro in the whole earth. And I answered and said unto him, What are these two olive-trees on the right of the lamp-stand and on its left? And I answered the second time and said unto him, What are the two olive-branches which are beside the two golden tubes that empty the gold out of themselves? And he spoke to me, saying, Knowest thou not what these are? And I said, No, my lord. And he said, These are the two sons of oil, that stand before the Lord of the whole earth”.
JT The Spirit of God is the point, and I think that we might proceed with our subject the remainder of the time.
ADS In relation to the apostasy, you spoke of two features. Is the one political and the other religious? You have been speaking of communism, where does the religious side come [p. 357] in?
JT It is centred in Rome. It has always been there. It came out during the Reformation. Germany gave way and Great Britain and now it is extended to the west. That is the position, and that is what we are dealing with just now at this meeting. Communism is extending out to the satellites in the East. They are all there and Russia, four hundred million people; we have to be ready to contend with all that.
SMcC In your mind do you regard the thought of communism as being held from breaking forth into universal dominion as long as the church is here?
JT I think Russia has to give way. This country is against her, thank God for that, and Britain is. It is a question of what God may allow and permit. We have got the principles handed down.
SMcC And what the assembly is, and in itself it is magnified in the general line of your ministry to today and yesterday.
JT It would challenge us in that simple way, What doest thou here? What are we doing here? We are here in the Lord’s service, and how many are not in it and yet they are christians? It is a challenge to us. God had his reserve man who could take the place of Elijah, and God kept on with Elijah, too, but He also took on Elisha.
RH What is the point of the food provided by Jehovah for Elijah? Verse 5, “An angel touched him, and said to him, Arise, eat! And he looked, and behold, at his head was a cake, baked on hot stones, and a cruse of water. And he ate and drank, and lay down again. And the angel of Jehovah came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise, eat; for the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God”.
JT God has provided enough, bread and water, that would enable a man to live. God is doing that. Man will not die on that. God is faithful, and He will do what is needed in the way of food. We may not get all that we might wish. God gives enough to keep us alive, I think that is the idea, enough to keep a man alive in God’s service.
CCT Is that why we need the instruction in these verses? We are told to hold fast the instruction. Could that be the thought, we are receiving instruction as to these matters before us as to Russia and other matters?
JT Just so.
RH I was thinking about the continuance of the service. We cannot live on service, we need food.
JT We have the food here, bread and water. Elijah lives on that forty days and forty nights and came to Horeb. And he proposed to Jehovah that he might die. He can live, God is ready to make him live. And so it says, “Ye shall live”. Dry bones can be made to live according to Ezekiel 37.
EJM Elijah having been supplied with this food it says he went in the strength of the food.
JT Very good. It strengthened him, even though a very poor fare, but enough to live on to carry on the work of the Lord.
EJM I was wondering if the passage in 2 Thessalonians 3: 5, “the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of the Christ”, would help.
J.T. What provision!
EJM Not exactly the power of God, but the love of God, who never allows us to go into anything contrary to his love.
JT Quite so.
ADS This is a very touching matter, this matter of the Lord taking account of his failing servant and giving him food, I am connecting it with John 21,
where Peter says, “I go to fish”, and culminating in the matter of the Lord being made known to them, and Jesus says to them, “Come and dine”.
JT I was just waiting for that, “Come and dine”. Not a pittance, but a dinner, a first-rate dinner.
ADS But none dared inquire of Him, Who art Thou, for they knew it was Jesus.
JT He provided a dinner for them, a full fare, a first-rate dinner, “Come and dine”, He says. The Lord did that.