THE MAN OF GOD'S CHOICE
THE MAN OF GOD’S CHOICE
Isaiah 53:1-3; Isaiah 53:10,11
I desire to speak on this occasion about the Lord Jesus as presenting to us in Scripture the order of man that is for God’s pleasure. It is a very simple and yet a very important thing for us. What I have in mind immediately is a passage in Revelation in which it is said that “the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus”. Revelation 19:10. The spirit of prophecy is engaged with that Man; other men may be noted in prophecy; they come into notice in an incidental way, and they come into notice as obstructions, as standing in the way of the Man that is in the mind of the spirit of prophecy.
The spirit of prophecy has in its mind Jesus. It reveals that the earth is to be peopled by a race after the order or pattern of that Man. The spirit of prophecy presents that to our hearts; it presents to us a Man whose character is outlined in the remarkable scripture I have read. No one who knows Jesus will fail to have pleasure in the contemplation of the earth being peopled by men such as He. The men in control now afford no pleasure to those who have come to admire Jesus. We regard them as simply in the way, while subject to God in His providence. We look for that Man; we await Him in patience; we look for His appearing, and for the introduction of an order of things according to Himself. I want to say a word to you about this blessed Man. Firstly, as coming under the eye of God, so that there might be a divine selection secondly, as presented to the eye of man, so that man might have an opportunity to make his selection. I wish to dwell on the word selection, or choice.
What one finds is that, in coming into the world, our Lord Jesus appeared in the most ordinary [p. 147] circumstances. There was no attempt on the part of God, nor on the part of His parents, nor Himself, to alter His circumstances. He was born into and lived in these ordinary circumstances for thirty years. God did not make His public selection when Jesus was born. We have a formal declaration of the selection of God in chapter 42 of this book “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth. I have put my Spirit upon him”. Isaiah 42:1. That refers to a Person. It is quoted in Matthew 12 after thirty years of our Lord’s life on earth, so that it might not appear that the selection was arbitrary. It was quite true that the angel said to Mary, “that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” Luke 1:35; but that was not public. After thirty years of our Lord’s precious life on earth God’s choice was made public. I am not saying anything as to what was in the Father’s private thoughts. “That holy thing” was nothing less than the only begotten Son. I am speaking of what was public. Testimony has to do with what is public, and God waited till it was obvious that Jesus had proved His qualification to be the Man of His choice. It was not arbitrary, but righteous. Whatever God does is righteous.
The heavens were opened on a praying Man; a Man who in all His inner motives had Jehovah only before Him. He could say, “I have set Jehovah always before me”. Psalm 16:8. When He was capable of doing anything He was engaged with His Father’s business, and yet in the perfection of His humanity, under the eye of God, He went down and became subject to His parents. What was that to the eye of God? The spirit of prophecy tells us in Luke 2 that His parents had left Jerusalem without Him, and they did not miss Him for some time. Alas for their appreciation! He was not with the company. Alas! There are many companies today that He is [p. 148] not with, yet they do not miss Him. Where do they find Him? In the temple, engaged with His Father’s business. Even to His parents, He became an object-lesson. What was He to the Father? The Father knew that He was not in that company. He never withdrew His eye from that “tender plant”. As there in the temple, we are told, that “all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers”. Luke 2:47. How fragrant He was to the heart and eye of the Father as He sat in the temple, the “tender plant” in the barren ground of Jewish learning! What understanding and what answers! Jesus could hear, could ask, could answer! Marvellous Boy of twelve! “A tender sapling”, says the spirit of prophecy. That spirit took no account of the doctors, but it took account of that Boy of twelve, and writes down in holy page His own comment.
We are told by the Spirit that Jesus grew up in wisdom and stature, and if the Spirit did not use those words we should hesitate to use them. First, there was wisdom towards God, and then wisdom towards men. Who could fail to have pleasure in that Tender Sapling? All the sprouts of life were there. Who among men could fail, apart from satanic influence, to appreciate these holy, divine sproutings? So that He was said to be in favour with God and with man. At the age of thirty we find Him moving, not now “with the multitude to make holy day”, Psalm 42:4 not even going to the house of God with the company, not that yet, but moving towards Jordan. Others were going that way towards death, bowing to it, accepting it in figure, and they find a man, Jesus. He appears in the midst of the repentant ones. How befitting! “Thus” (He says) “it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness” Matthew 3:15; not only an element of righteousness, but all righteousness. Who could say that but Jesus? Only in Him can be found the fulfilment of all righteousness. Much was yet to be [p. 149] fulfilled, but He was on the way to that. John the baptist was brought to bow to His holy will. A Man prepared to fulfil all righteousness must have His way. He goes down. What a scene for heaven! Heaven was interested in the movement before. It began with John. He was “a voice”, and the voice was listened to. Happy for those who listened to it, they were the publicans and sinners. Heaven was interested in that, but when Jesus joins them, the most intense interest prevails. Heaven withholds its public committal till He comes up.
The Spirit of God tells us that “Jesus having been baptised and praying, that the heaven was opened”. Luke 3:21. Where were His eyes? They were, without doubt, lifted toward heaven. There was not a cloud between His holy soul and heaven. He could look up into His Father’s countenance; that was His privilege continually. The Father’s countenance was known to Him, and we find, that as coming up out of Jordan, “he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him”. Matthew 3:16. His eyes would meet the Father’s eyes; His ears hear the Father’s words. The moment arrives for God to make His selection, not an arbitrary selection, but a right selection. The Man selected was the One on the way to the fulfilment of all righteousness, and the Father’s voice proclaims, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight”. Matthew 3:17. God had found His delight there, and hence the righteousness of the proclamation, the righteousness of the Father’s committal of Himself publicly to that Man. The Spirit came down from heaven in the form of a dove, and abode upon Him. That was the Father putting out His hands, as it were, and committing Himself publicly to that Man. What a moment that was! It was foretold in Isaiah 42:1, “Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth. I will put my Spirit on him”. God has made [p. 150] His choice. He had so ordained that a choice had to be made, and it was made; not an arbitrary choice, but a right choice.
Now, I want to speak as to men making their selection. You may depend upon it, that it is a critical time with us. From the moment God committed Himself publicly to Christ the crisis was on; it has been one continuous crisis up to the present time. God has committed Himself to that Man. Now He is calling attention to Him, the Man of His choice. Are men going to ratify it from their side? Will they? Let us see. The Psalmist tells us they are against the Lord and His Christ, and they say, “Let us break their bands asunder”. Psalm 2:3. They are against the Man of God’s choice; “against his anointed”. Psalm 2:2. That is the attempt of men politically. I would ask you, What is your choice? Have you made your selection? There is no question more serious, for we have arrived at a time when another order of man is being put forward, a rival to God’s Man.
Now, I want to show from the Old Testament how, even those who have faith, may choose the wrong man. Even such a man as Abraham, who is called the father of the faithful, we find committing himself to the wrong man. I would say that the first son, the eldest, is always the wrong one to select, and I add that the great hindrance, perhaps the greatest that Christians experience in making a definite selection, is nature. Nature will always recognise the first-born. Abraham did, Isaac did, Joseph did, wonderful men though they were. One of the most pathetic features of Job’s position, as recorded in the first chapter, is that his sons and daughters were feasting in their elder brother’s house. That describes the experience of Christians at the present time. We may have faith as regards our consciences, and still live in nature; and if we do the “elder brother” has the first place with us.
[p. 151] These are the laws of nature, and the laws of every country respect it. It was that very house that was struck in its four corners. It is very serious. A house built upon those principles will come down, and woe be to those who are in it!
You will find in Job 42 the same number of sons and daughters. There is nothing said of the house. In chapter 1 they were feasting without their father. Why was he left out? He was head of his family according to divine order; but that was disregarded and nature ruled, so Job was not at the feast. But recovery is marked in chapter 42 by Job being in supreme command. He assigns to his daughters according to the Spirit. There is no beauty in nature according to God. God’s family is a spiritual family, based on spiritual lines. Job assigns his daughters portions or inheritance. Where? Not “in their elder brother’s house”, but “among their brethren” Job 42:15 typically a spiritual company. Nature is the greatest hindrance to a right choice.
I would refer again to Abraham. He says, “O that Ishmael might live before thee!” Genesis 17:18. Why? Ishmael was not God’s choice, and God’s choice is sovereign. Abraham’s second son is the one born after the Spirit. Abraham came to accept that, but Sarah came to it before him. She made a better recovery than Abraham did. She says, “Cast out the bondwoman and her son”. Genesis 21:10. And God says, “In all that Sarah has said unto thee, hearken to her voice”. Genesis 21:12. Sarah had found the man of her choice. It pained Abraham to cast Ishmael out; and if you make a false choice it will cause you grief. But, to Abraham’s credit be it said, he did it, though it pained him to do it, and it was an act of faith, for it was the response to divine requirement.
Now I come to Isaac. He too made a false choice, and his choice was of nature also, but more degraded nature than that of Abraham; he was governed by [p. 152] his appetite. Think of that! How many are governed by their appetites! The apostle tells us in Philippians 3:19, “whose god is their belly”. The result of Isaac’s error was that it blinded his eyes. The gratification of his appetite blinded his eyes! That the desire for gratification should rule is a very serious thing. Isaac had tasted of Esau’s venison, and his senses were dulled, but to the credit of Rebekah be it said, that she made a right selection. She selected the right man.
Now I come to Jacob. We read of him that he was a plain man, “dwelling in tents”. Genesis 25:27. He was a crooked man according to nature, as the sequel proved; but the traits of Jesus were in that man. Jacob dwelt in tents, as it says of Abraham, “having dwelt in tents with Isaac and Jacob”. Hebrews 11:9. These were features of Jesus. When we come to the close of Jacob’s life of pilgrimage, how blessed it was He says of himself; “the days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years; few and evil have the days of the years of my life been”. Genesis 47:9. But nevertheless it was a pilgrimage. Isaac is never said to be a pilgrim, and he never blessed Pharaoh. Jacob was in the full consciousness of being the man rightly selected and rightly blessed, and hence the transmitter of the blessing. What dignity there was in the selected man “Without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better”. Hebrews 7:7. Then see how he is able to select. He was in the extremity of human weakness; he was dying, and Joseph comes with his two sons. Joseph at that moment is unspiritual. Far be it from us to traduce that remarkable man, but nature deceived him, although he was a wonderful man of faith. See to it, that you are not governed by nature’s principles, for if you are, you can be sure that, though you have faith, you will make a selection according to nature, and not according to God. Manasseh is the man foremost with Joseph,
[p. 153] because he is the firstborn! Look again at Jacob. How did he bless? He blessed contrary to nature. Doubtless he called to mind the error of his father, and profited by the lesson. Doubtless he would say, ‘Had nature ruled, I should have lost the blessing’. How often that is the case! Hence Jacob crossed his hands. The Spirit says: “guiding his hands wittingly”. Genesis 48:14. He made a right choice by spiritual principles. He says to Joseph, “I know it, my son”, Genesis 48:19 and he crossed his hands. I would appeal to you as to whether you have ever crossed your hands wittingly; that is, whether formally and intelligently you have committed yourself to Jesus?
I have shown you from Genesis how nature hinders us in making our selection, and now in turning back to Isaiah 53, what you will observe is, that when the Lord Jesus was presented to Israel, Israel is governed by nature’s principles. The prophet says, “When we shall see him, there is no lordliness that we should desire him”. Isaiah 53:2. He does not commend Himself to principles that govern men naturally in this world. Is that the kind of a man He is to you? Are you ashamed of Him in public? How many of us are guilty of that! “He was despised and we” — even the remnant — “esteemed him not”. Isaiah 53:3.
Now I want to point out from verse 10, that after His soul is made an offering for sin, He “sees a seed”. I want to leave the idea with you that there is to be a seed of this blessed Man who is selected of God. He was alone until He was made an offering for sin. There were none like Him, but after He is made an offering for sin, “he shall see a seed”. Isaiah 53:10. What a triumph! What kind of a seed? “Whose seed is in itself”. Jesus produces a generation like Himself. It is not a development. In the death of the Lord Jesus there are principles that give birth to a seed which He sees. “He shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand”. Isaiah 53:10.
[p. 154] I wish to close with another word. His “seed” is the product of redemption. Then “there is length of days”; that is a suggestion of eternal life. Then “the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand”. Isaiah 53:10. We are in the Lord’s hands; otherwise there can be no hope of prosperity for us. We may prosper in this world; but that is not the pleasure of the Lord. Where is His pleasure now? In the assembly. There is a seed ultimately because there is the assembly, and He takes it into His hands; the pleasure of the Lord prospers in His hand. How comforting that we are in His hands! What a wonderful thing! The assembly and every one of us are in His hands, and hence there is prosperity. Out of His hands, the pleasure of the Lord does not prosper in you. Coming into the hands of the One God has chosen, you grow, you prosper.
John in his first epistle wrote to “little children”. He had positive pleasure in writing to them. They were prospering in the hands of the Lord, and the aged John takes account of them and writes to them. Where was Gaius? He, too, was in the Lord’s hands, and so were the “young men”! John sits down and writes to them, and has pleasure in it. The very words are delightful. He writes to older ones, too, to the “fathers”. He says, ‘You have made your choice; you know the Man whom God has committed Himself to; you know Him who is from the beginning’. In the Lord’s hands there is prosperity, there is growth from babes to young men, and to fathers. What pleasure for the heart of God!
We are in the Lord’s hands, if we have made definite choice. In ourselves we are utterly defenceless. “For thy sake we are killed all the day long”, Romans 8:36 but the pleasure of the Lord prospers. What could the “seed” be except according to the pattern delineated in the chapter; hence “killed all the day long”. But we are in His hands; no one can separate [p. 155] us from the love of that Man, the Christ. He holds us; and there we are prospering. Where is the pleasure of the Lord now? In the growth of our souls, according to the image of that Man — the image of God’s Son.