A SPIRITUAL LEAD IN EVERY LOCALITY
A SPIRITUAL LEAD IN EVERY LOCALITY
CAC My thought in suggesting this scripture was that the Lord might help us, as together, to realise that we have to do with a holy system of things which is entirely of God. It is not simply something that is a little better or more moral than what is going on around us in the christian profession, but we are called to be in relation to things which are entirely of God. God would have us to be increasingly conscious of that. On the divine side everything is complete. We read of the true tabernacle which the Lord has pitched and not man. There is no element of the world in it, no element of the flesh. So that what we find in Numbers 7 is that the twelve princes who offered were men who had a profound appreciation of the holy character of the system that was set up amongst them — the glory system as seen in the tabernacle in type. And as having an appreciation of it they could, without any specific instruction, act in relation to it. They could offer what was suitable and they could dedicate the altar. Now it seems to me that that is our side. And I would suggest that in the princes we get the principle of a spiritual lead given in every tribe. There is no such thought contemplated as a tribe without a prince. And we have suggested here the thought that in every tribe there is a spiritual lead given which is suitable to the testimony. It is suitable to the divine system which had been initiated and hallowed by Moses, indicating to my mind that the Lord intends that in every local assembly there shall be a spiritual lead, so that what is suitable shall be found in each.
[p. 152] Ques Would you confine the idea of a tribe to a particular local assembly?
CAC I think the tribes, as occupying different locations in regard to the one tabernacle of testimony, represent the local assemblies.
Rem The Lord would look for this element that would respond spontaneously to His own thoughts.
CAC I think we should be much exercised that in every local assembly large or small there shall be an element of spiritual lead which is in correspondence with the divine system. So we find that there must be a certain spring of spontaneity. There was that in the princes, because there is no commandment; the offerings in this chapter are not prescribed. Now the spring of spontaneity is that we become conscious of the exceeding blessedness and value of what God has introduced. And a spontaneous movement of heart is always originated by a sense of the preciousness of what has come in, like the offerings of the magi in Matthew 2. They come with their choice offerings because their hearts were impressed with the blessedness of what had come in; and so with the holy women that anointed the Lord, they were impressed by the surpassing excellence and worth that was there, and it became a spring of spontaneity. I think if we had a greater impression of the precious character of what God has brought in and set up in Christ and in the power of the Spirit it would produce spontaneity; that is, we should do things that nobody ever did before.
The system is a spiritual system, and we must remember that the great tabernacle system is as spiritual today as when it was first set up. The failure of the assemblies and the breakdown of the christian profession has not affected the tabernacle system at all. The Spirit never departs from the original idea. The whole thing was set up in the power of the Spirit, and the Spirit is still here, and therefore the power which is suited to the system is here to be utilised, if we are spiritual enough and affectionate enough to desire it. There is a remarkable word in Malachi 2: 15: “The remnant of the Spirit was his”, indicating to me that the Spirit will never depart from what He began with.
Rem The tabernacle that the Lord pitched is in the midst of a hostile scene, so that intelligence marked the offerings of these princes.
CAC Quite so, and do you not think that they seem to have been impressed by the onerous character of the service? It was a service which made great demands on all those who were engaged in it, and the thought of the princes — a thought by which I think the Lord would affect us — showed that they considered that the testimony was precious and holy and so entirely of God. Being surrounded by a hostile scene the weight of the service bears heavily, if one may so say, on all those who engage in it, so that the first exercise of intelligent affection acting spontaneously is to facilitate the service — so they bring waggons. Now I believe the Lord would have that element in very strong evidence in very local assembly.
Ques You would say that there is nothing irksome about the service?
CAC Nothing irksome, but extremely laborious. Think of the labour of the apostle Paul. Can you imagine anything more spiritually diligent and laborious than his continual care for the assemblies? It is not irksome in the sense that you have to do something that you are not minded to do, but it seems to me that if you think of the nature of the testimony and the character of the world in which it has to be maintained, you will see that it involves strenuous labour, and it makes a demand on all the saints to do whatever we can to facilitate levitical service, so that it may not bear heavily on those who are rendering it. They are to be relieved and assisted and helped in every possible way.
Ques What is the thought of the covered waggons?
CAC I think the princes had drunk into the suggestion of chapter 4, that the holy vessels were to be covered; that is, the things connected with the testimony of the Lord are not for public display. They are not for the natural man. There is a certain secrecy which is preservative. If we want to make [p. 154] the things of God public we must reduce them to the level of the public.
Rem That is an extremely important point; the treasures are to be kept secret in the treasury.
CAC Exactly, and that is involved in the very word ‘mystery’. I suppose the most characteristic word in the present time is ‘mystery’. That is, things are covered; they are only known to those who are initiated, and they have to be preserved from all the contaminating influences of the wilderness. That is the idea of the covered waggons. The wilderness is a place of death and uncleanness, and the holy things have to be preserved, and the levitical service has to do with the carrying of the holy things through such a scene. We need to be preserved from the idea that the precious things that we have can be connected in any way with the present world’s system.
Ques I was going to ask what is the thought of each of the princes bringing exactly the same?
CAC I thought it was most helpful to see that the spiritual lead which the Lord would bring about in every local assembly is not only marked by unity but by uniformity.
Rem So the smallest tribe brought just as much as the largest tribe.
CAC The spiritual lead given to Manasseh, where there were thirty-two thousand, was just the same as that given to Judah where there were seventy-four thousand. The spiritual lead in the smallest meeting is to be precisely the same as the spiritual lead in the largest meeting. I believe that is very important. We might say we are just a handful here and we do things in a very simple way. Well you may talk like that till you lose sight of the august character of the system that you are connected with. If we have to do with a spiritual system, a glory system, every element in it is of God, and the system is just as great in the smallest meeting as it is in the largest. So that the spontaneous response would be as adequate in the smallest meeting as in the largest.
Rem [p. 155] The system is not local.
CAC No, the system is not local, and that is very important because it puts us outside merely local conditions and you begin to think of the elements of spiritual leading. I do feel that we ought to be more exercised as to this. I cannot think of a local assembly without having the element of spiritual leading in it, and this element would tend to the liberation of service. It will tend to the liberation of levitical service, and the levitical service will be regarded much more gravely, more seriously, and we shall be careful as to the principle of facilitating it — providing waggons which are accessory. They do not form part of the spiritual system, really. They are a suggestion of love. Now I believe in christianity there is room for every suggestion of love. It is not a cut-and-dried system.
I think in this way you would find that the ordering of things would be marvellously unified, and the assemblies would be marked by uniformity and great diligence to facilitate the work of the Lord. We may forget the dignity connected with the work of the Lord. We think of the limitations, and perhaps the smallness and poverty of apprehension of those who put their hands to the work, but we must beware of all that. The principle is, “Let a man so account of us as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4: 1). The Corinthians had a degraded idea of the service; there were men who were competing even with Paul. Now this spirit of competition and rivalry is abhorrent to God, and it would never be found in our hearts if we were dominated by the glory of the divine system. And I believe, moreover, that a greater sense of the dignity of the service would dignify the servant. If a brother comes to expect criticism and disparaging remarks it tends to lower the holy dignity of his service. I believe many a brother’s service might be glorified if he were more appreciated according to God. A brother would realise that nothing short of divine power and the grace of the anointing would commend him in any service that he might render, and the general idea of facilitating and promoting the work of the Lord would have a reflex [p. 156] action on every individual who put his hand to it; it would tend to elevate the whole character of the service.
Ques Did not Jehovah express His special delight in this act? He says to Moses, “Take it of them”.
CAC Yes, it is very beautiful, “Take it of them”. It was a spontaneous suggestion of love, and I believe there is room for every suggestion of love in the divine system, because a suggestion of love would never interfere with divine order. Love is the most orderly thing in the universe.
Ques Would you say that that corresponds with, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these”?
CAC Well, that would dignify the least, and I really believe that we do not think enough of ourselves in a divine way; that is, we accommodate ourselves to a low level of thinking about ourselves, but we should think about ourselves as the apostle says to the Romans, “think soberly”. Now, what is sobriety of thought? To think according to the measure of faith.
I think it is most important that the work of the Lord should be facilitated, and that we should realise that a spiritual lead would be in that direction, that the smallest bit of service would be highly esteemed, and we should not like to do anything to put a brake on it; we should like to put it on wheels to facilitate movement.
Rem I was looking at the first paragraph of the next chapter where the Lord begins to speak, after all this is done. He gives orders as to the light. The Lord will begin to speak to His people and will give heavenly light and in an advanced way.
CAC I think that is the way of it. These things are most important in the estimation of God. So that every bit of the ministry of Christ is precious and we ought to remember that the ministry of Christ is amongst us. Now the thing is to facilitate the carrying of all the precious ministry because there will not be anything for God if the work of the Lord is not prospered. The work of the Lord secures edification [p. 157] amongst the saints. It secures the bringing in of new material, and it secures the development and increase of what is there. So we want the work of the Lord locally. We ought all to be able to say, ‘We are only half a dozen in this place but the work of the Lord is going on amongst us’. No spirit of barren criticism, but every one putting his shoulder to it. Have you noticed that remarkable scripture in Zephaniah, that they all serve Him with one shoulder? (see Zephaniah 3: 9). That is everyone putting their strength into a collective shoulder so that the work of the Lord is promoted. I think we are far too casual about the work of the Lord.
Rem It is the unity of the fellowship, because there are six waggons, but twelve princes.
CAC That is, the principle of co-operation runs right through it. We sometimes confound fellowship with cooperation, and I think it is very important that we should learn to distinguish the two. Now in connection with the waggons it is co-operation, so that there is no prince that has a waggon to himself. It seems to require two princes to be adequate to the idea. “If two of you be agreed”; it is the principle of agreement and co-operation in what we are doing. It is very precise. Co-operation, of course, must be in the light of the fellowship, but it is a different idea from fellowship. It is the practical side. Each prince brings an ox, a figure of steady purposeful labour, but the ox is to pull in a yoke with another. There is no idea of it working singly. In connection with the work of the Lord I believe co-operation is essential. John and Peter go together. We find Paul works with the twelve. Of course if you get two like John and Diotrephes you will not get co-operation; they could not pull together in the same yoke. But there is the principle of pulling together, and I believe that is the test: can I pull with another brother? Many a man has energy but he is not sufficiently governed by the divine system to subordinate himself to the restraint that is involved in pulling with another. We need that in every local assembly. I am more and more [p. 158] impressed by the great need of the recognition of the work of the Lord locally. All the Levites should submit to this yoke of co-operation, which I can assure you has a practical effect in shutting out the action of the flesh. If I go simply on my own, there is a great deal of room for what is of the flesh, but if I have to move in co-operation with another, and especially if he is a spiritual man, there is a wholesome restriction on the flesh in myself, and if I am a spiritual man that is just what I shall take pleasure in. I take pleasure in being reduced.
Rem We were noticing the principle with Prisca and Aquila, they had only one neck.
CAC They were really governed by the testimony, so that anything that was merely personal was effaced in the presence of the glorious character of the testimony to which they were committed. What a privilege to subordinate one’s self in order to further what is connected with the divine testimony, to give more scope to what is of God and what is of Christ and what is of the Spirit — to go on with the remnant of the Spirit. It is a fine privilege.
Ques It says of all these offerings that they brought them before the tabernacle. Does that mean that they each one had the divine centre in view?
CAC No doubt they had, and their offerings were taken of them. I believe God will accept everything which involves personal cost, but which is a suggestion of love in relation to the work of the Lord. He will accept it all, the smallest thing as well as the great things, and make it contributory and accessory to His blessed system of glory.
Then we must not leave out the thought of the altar. It is the second great element in spiritual leading, the dedication of the altar. I suppose we are all prepared to accept that the altar has been anointed and hallowed; we have not to do that, that was Moses’ part. That is, there is a way of approach to God; it is anointed and hallowed, set up in all the precious value of Christ and His death, and of the Spirit. But now the dedication of it depends on us. The altar has to come into use [p. 159] in every local assembly. The dedication is equal in every tribe.
Ques Why is it not connected with the mediator rather than the priest?
CAC The mediator had to do with the inauguration of the system. The system is inaugurated by Christ as Mediator, and it is sustained by Christ as Priest; but then there comes in a third exercise and that is the exercise of the brethren, the local brethren. There is what Christ does as Mediator and what He does as Priest, but that does not obviate the necessity for the exercises of the local brethren. The altar is not dedicated by any service of Christ either as Mediator or as Priest, it is left to the brethren.
Ques Do we gather that there must be an apprehension of what has been set up before we can act becomingly with regard to it?
CAC I think that is the idea, so that having a right apprehension of the altar, which is particularly prominent in this chapter, the princes could supply what was perfectly suitable to such an altar; and the princes give the same kind of lead in every tribe. Whatever spiritual lead there is everywhere throughout the world will be in the same direction.
It is remarkable that the first exercise is that there shall be suitable vessels. Before there is the actual thought of offering there is the exercise as to suitable vessels in which to put the meat-offering and the incense. That is, there is the thought of silver and gold vessels, which I should link with 2 Timothy 2. Silver vessels and gold vessels are vessels to honour.
Rem It is each day — the whole time that the testimony is here.
CAC The twelve days are a complete administrative idea, covering all the time, so that God had such pleasure in these offerings that He would spread them over twelve days. They are twelve days of profound pleasure for God, because what is being brought before Him each day is Christ.
[p. 160] Rem It should be very stimulating to see that we might minister pleasure to the heart of God by recognising what is valuable here.
CAC Yes, and you get certain essential features. You get the thought of vessels, and if you think of the oblation it is most important, because if Christ is to be brought to God how abhorrent would be the idea of His being brought in an unsuitable vessel. It would be detestable. You must have a suitable vessel — vessels of silver, and they are not all the same size. Indeed it does not mention the size of the vessels, but their weight, which is, in itself, a suggestion of the weighty character of the way in which our souls have apprehended the grace and faithfulness of God as found in redemption. It seems to me that that is the thought. And there is a certain difference, two vessels were much larger than the other, suggesting to my mind the sovereignty of God in permitting in His service that, although all the vessels are equally suitable, they are not of equal dimensions.
Rem I was thinking of the time of recovery when Cyrus weighed out all the vessels; the weights are given.
CAC Yes, and it is important to know that the balances of the sanctuary are always in action to weigh us. We are being weighed all the time. Now my exercise ought to be, what is my weight? I may be able to speak — many of us can talk, but that may have no weight. You will sometimes find that a brother who says very little may have great weight locally, and everybody feels that he is a large vessel, that he has a large appreciation of Christ in oblation character, the fine flour mingled with oil. It is the thought of what Christ is personally — not anointed with oil, but mingled with oil. What he is as anointed is what He is officially, but as mingled with oil it is what He is personally, what He was from the moment of His conception in the womb of the virgin. So that all the perfection of His life was blended with what was of the Spirit of God. His humanity was altogether unique. You cannot detach the Spirit of God from a single feature in the life of Jesus from the manger to the cross. How dreadful it would [p. 161] be ever to suppose that He was either personally or relatively anything but of profound delight to the heart of God. We must not forget that. We are apt to dwell on the anointing, which is official; but “mingled with oil” is connected with the divine holiness of His person from His conception onward, and this is really for the altar.
In the divine system you have room for differentiation between one saint and another. We are not all the same weight, we are not competent to carry the same measure, but it is according to the faithfulness of God and the ordering of God and we can happily accept it. If another brother is a more weighty vessel than I am, that is a gain to me; if he carries more of the preciousness of Christ, that is a gain to me. And what comes to the altar nourishes the priests, and if I am one of the holy priesthood I get it for food, so that it is all to my advantage that another brother should be a weightier vessel than I am. I do not need to be jealous of him; I should not like to be without him.
Rem It cuts at the root of clericalism.
CAC Quite so. I think we should be with God as silver vessels, that is, not according to flesh or nature. As a silver vessel I am not regarding myself as in mixed condition at all. I am regarding myself as set in relation to God in the value of redemption. I am set in relation to God by the one offering of Christ which has perfected me for ever. The preciousness of Christ is connected with me, and we must learn to divest ourselves of every other thought.
I suppose that the smaller vessel of gold is important; because it shows that the dedication of the altar gives us the freedom of the holy place — that is, you come in to the golden altar. If there is a vessel full of incense it can only be used at the golden altar. The silver vessel is the result of discipline; that is, it is the result of the purification of the furnace that there come out vessels for the refiner. And none of us become silver vessels apart from the disciplinary dealings of God with us.