NOTES OF READINGS ON DEUTERONOMY (1)
NOTES OF READINGS ON DEUTERONOMY (1)
JT A certain difficulty is felt generally in regard to this book for public readings; but I think we might get help as to the bearing of the book. No one who looks at it even casually can fail to see that it has a distinctive character; and above all books of the Old Testament it is important that we should read it with our thoughts on the New Testament. Perhaps certain damage accrues to us in reading the Old Testament as though it were not intended for New Testament people. If we have our thoughts in the New Testament when we read the Old Testament we shall understand the latter spiritually. What has specially struck me in this book is that it gives great prominence to what Moses says; not as elsewhere what he was commanded to say, but what he says. In the end of the book of Numbers it is what the Lord commanded him to say; or what the Lord commanded the people through Moses; whereas this book opens, as you will notice, with “These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel”. Deuteronomy 1:1. So that Moses, personally, in his own intelligence, and his own affection for the people, is brought before us; all of which suggests to us Christ, but viewed as Head, rather than as Lord, although His authority is to be seen in the type. Unless we understand the books which emphasise the authority of Moses, we shall not understand this book; but if we do understand them, we shall see what this book sets forth, and that is, the Headship of Christ; and the sphere into which He as Head would introduce us.
WH Do you mean that in the history of our souls the Lord’s authority would come [p. 255] first?
JT Yes, or rather the authority of God through the Lord. It is obvious that unless our souls are subdued, there is no room for the headship of Christ; nor is there any inclination to go into Canaan. The mind of the Spirit in this book is full of Canaan; you have even in the second verse of this first chapter the number of days journey it was from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea. This intimates that the saints should not delay long in their spirits until they come into the light of heaven; it is only “eleven days journey”. Deuteronomy 1:2.
The boundaries of the land are indicated in Numbers. In this book the land itself is outlined, and a testimony is given of what it yielded. The book of Numbers prepares us for this, because unless we are within the boundaries of the land there is no appetite for the things that are yielded there. The boundaries refer to principles.
E .M. “Faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” 1 Timothy 1:14 are like boundaries.
JT Yes. Canaan, in the Old Testament, is a type of heaven for Christians; but it is heaven in the sense in which it is known now. There will be no need that we should be reminded of the boundaries of heaven when we are there literally; but it is while we are down here as a heavenly people, and walking in the light of heaven, that we are not to go outside the boundaries. Hence we have the boundaries outlined in the book of Numbers; but here in Deuteronomy we have the land itself, and the produce of it.
Ques What would answer to Deuteronomy in the New Testament?
JT Well, it includes both Colossians and Ephesians. Colossians in the sense that the headship of Christ is introduced in type; and Ephesians in the sense that the full extent of the territory is outlined, this Colossians does not furnish us with. I [p. 256] think Colossians helps us as to the boundaries, because we are told to set our minds on things above; that is what indicates the boundary, that instead of our minds being set on things below, they are to be set on things above.
JMcF What is the object of the book of Deuteronomy? Is it formative?
JT Yes. I think it is formative in the sense that it prepares us for Canaan. The formative work goes on, because they are on ground which typifies the possession of the Spirit. Moab as a territory typifies the possession of the Spirit. There must be that which prepares us for the land. One great formative principle is what Moses is; his own wisdom and his affection. These are two great principles in regard of Christ as Head; He is wisdom for us, and He has unbounded affection for us. That would lead Him to do all possible for us.
JM Is not that very much like Romans 8:35, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ”?
JT I think so.
PL It is Moses in his affection for the people of God, not exactly Moses in the official position.
JT In this book, Deuteronomy 33:1, Moses is said to be “the man of God”. It is more what the man was.
PL His love shines for the people there.
JT You cannot read of the blessing of Moses without being struck by the fact that his heart was in it. It is very different from what you get in Balaam. There was light in what Balaam said, but his heart was not in it. One often finds that in ministry there is light without heart. The interest of Moses in the people is manifested throughout Deuteronomy.
Ques Why is “this side Jordan” emphasised in the first verse?
JT Because of its nearness to Canaan, and [p. 257] it typifies the possession of the Spirit. It is only those who recognise the Spirit that are prepared for this teaching.
JMcF They were not actually in it.
JT They were not actually in the land, but they had the Spirit typically. A great many people do not recognise the Spirit as a principle in the soul, because the will has not given way. I think it is quite possible to have the Spirit, and yet to allow the will to act. There may not be any overt act of evil, but yet man’s will may be active, hence there is no progress; headship is not known.
WK That is to say, you would do what you think right yourself.
JT Yes, you do what is right in your own eyes. Before there was a king in Israel they did that.
JM Would Romans 8 help us as to the Spirit on our side?
JT Yes, that is the point in it; and that is the ground upon which Deuteronomy stands; it is all unfolded there. Moses explained all this law, and he goes on to explain Canaan, showing that that is the mind of the Spirit now. It is noticeable how active our wills may be, and yet there may be nothing in the way of gross evil.
WK It is a striking word we get in Titus 2:14; “who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all lawlessness, and purify to himself a peculiar people zealous for good works”.
JT That is it. Lawlessness is the law of your own will. There is a sort of unwritten law sometimes recognised, and people may go on doing their own will without going outside of it.
EM Do I understand you to say that this answers to Romans 8?
JT The plains of Moab do; they are really divine territory; an essential stepping stone into [p. 258] Canaan.
WK But with Canaan definitely in view, and with the idea that they are going in to possess the land.
JT Yes. So it says: “after he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei on this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying, the Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying ye have dwelt long enough in this mount ... behold I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them, and to their seed after them”. Deuteronomy 1:4 - 8. That indicates the law referred to in this book.
EM Would you say that the activity of Christ as Head is recognised?
JT This book supposes the activity of the Head so as to get us in.
EM But is it through the Spirit now?
JT I think all activity is through the Spirit. Romans 8 enlarges on what the Spirit is to you; whereas, what is set forth in Colossians is what the Head is to you; and all is with the end in view, to fix the minds of the saints on heavenly things.
FL “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God”, Romans 8:14. The leading of the Spirit is with a definite end in view.
JT Yes; and therefore you get in the book of Numbers, from chapter 21, the leading of the Spirit typically.
Rem Deliverance and the Spirit are found in Romans 8.
JT Of course the Deliverer is Christ, always; but subjectively deliverance is effected by the Spirit. The Deliverer is found at the end of Romans 7. “Who shall deliver me out of this body of death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Romans 7:24,25. But [p. 259] then Christ has given me the Spirit that I may be free.
Rem You would scarcely limit the activities of Christ to those who are in the land.
JT If you limit it you would not get any in; Colossians must have its place. The object of Colossians is to lead us into heavenly things. “Seek the things which are above, where the Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God”. Colossians 3:1.
WK You must distinguish between the Head, and the sphere.
JT Now, it is the Head that delivers us from all nationalism, and all sectarian feeling. Those things have no place beyond the boundaries. Nationalism and patriotism have their own place on earth, but beyond the heavenly boundary there is no place for them.
WK When you speak of sectarianism, by that we understand you to mean class or party.
JT Yes; Ulsterism for instance.
RL Would you say that in addition to the encouragement Moses gives them to enter the land, there would be instruction also as to how they should conduct themselves there?
JT There can be no doubt that when we are there all our conduct shall be in accord with the place; but the point is to know how to get in. We profess to have the Spirit, and as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God. Now, I take it that the leading of the Spirit is outlined in the previous book; that is, Numbers, from chapter 21. It is what the people did themselves; they did this, and they did that; there was no murmuring; there was failure true enough; they affiliated with the Moabites; but generally speaking, they moved towards Canaan.
EM Do you view the land [p. 260] as the sphere of privilege?
JT It is the sphere of privilege, but as it is known down here.
WH From Numbers 21 onwards it is the Spirit, and the subjective work of the Spirit; and then when we come to this it is a question of headship.
JT Yes; as I was saying, as to Numbers 21, the authority of Christ has done its work, and the believer has given up his will; and instead of the will of the flesh, it is the will of the Spirit; the Spirit is the recognised principle subjectively. Then when you come to Deuteronomy you are prepared for the wisdom that is in the Head. It is what Moses says, a man who loves the people. In verse 9, he says: “And I spake unto you at that time saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone; the Lord your God hath multiplied you, and behold ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude”. Deuteronomy 1:9,10. Although he under-estimated the power available, yet his interest was in the people. Now, when you look at it from the New Testament point of view, Christ does not say that; He does not say, “I am not able to bear you myself alone”. Christ is for us in the wilderness in the way of support. You must leave out for the moment the failure. You get the sympathy of the Priest, the unfailing One, to support you in the wilderness, and that Man is able to speak to you in the way of wisdom.
PL Headship is an eternal thought. The Lord will surrender the kingdom, but headship is eternal; and is it not a position which the Lord has assumed in His affection for the church?
JT Yes, I think it is eternal. I do not think we should care to have it otherwise. We should always delight in the thought that Christ is our Head.
WK In what sense do you use the term headship?
JT In the sense of direction and supply. Have you any other thought about [p. 261] it?
WK No. He is Head to the whole company; and headship would make for unity. If He is your Head, He is my Head; and so we would all come in on that line.
JT Yes. And I think it is the way in which He has endeared Himself to us in heaven that prepares the way for our acknowledgment of His headship.
WK Yes; and we are glad to have it.
JT Yes. So that when Moses says, “I am not able to bear you alone”, Deuteronomy 1:9 your mind immediately turns to Christ. He supports us all through the wilderness.
PL If He can be that to you where He is rejected, what can He not be where He is loved.
JT One great point in headship is wisdom. That is important; because the more you see it, the more subject you are to the Lord; and He can do far better for you than you can do for yourself.
JB It is not merely as individuals that He is Head to us, but more as a family.
JT He is Head to every family. He says, “I go to prepare a place for you”, John 14:2 and really He prepares us for the place. He has gone before to prepare a place, and then He comes to introduce us into it; so that we are there intelligently.
RL What is the object of Moses in going over the history of the failures, and all that?
JT Well, I think it is to bring in the great interest that had been manifested in the people, both by God, and himself. I suppose in our own experience we are continually reminded of our own path, and what God has been to us. In the book of Deuteronomy you have both the encouraging line and the humiliating line. You are reminded of the past; you have often been on the brink of the precipice, and some unseen hand has protected you from falling over. Then on the other hand, you are reminded of what [p. 262] you are.
RL And you are reminded of the grace of God.
JT Yes. The book of Deuteronomy is very valuable to show what God has been to us all these forty years; and what Christ has been to us because Moses is in this respect Christ typically. You see an allusion to it in Canticles “Who is this coming up out of the wilderness leaning upon her beloved?” Song of Songs 8:5. Moses was typically Christ; and this chapter emphasises the great interest that Moses had in the people, He says, “The Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are”. Deuteronomy 1:11. He was utterly unselfish.
Ques What is in your mind when you speak of wisdom?
JT Wisdom cannot be improved upon. The book of Proverbs would set aside the whole fabric of Christendom; because the whole system of Christendom is marked by innovation and human development, and “improvements”, whereas, the point in wisdom is that you cannot improve it.
EM Would you say the highest point on our side in this respect is that the Wisdom of God is manifested?
JT Yes; and how shall it become manifested unless each one recognises Christ as Head. So you have here God’s testimony in regard to wisdom; that here is something that cannot be added to or improved upon. I think it is very interesting to see, in our humble and obscure way, that when we return to divine principles we find they are perfectly workable. There are no circumstances or difficulties in which saints may find themselves in this world where assembly principles cannot be applied, and made to work. We have seen cases where meetings have been broken up, and the break up has continued for years. It is tantamount to acknowledging that assembly principles are not applicable; whereas they are always applicable. There are no circumstances [p. 263] to which they cannot he applied. Any innovation can only spoil or damage.
JM Yes; and recovery is only brought about when they are recognised and bowed to.
WK The great point with many now is to accumulate knowledge; but if you have not wisdom it will only lead astray.
JT Yes. And then the next thing is, that love is a kind of handmaid to wisdom. Love is the material that wisdom uses in the structure.
JB Would you say that Mary had wisdom in John 20?
JT I think she had affection; she had that which wisdom could use; and the Lord took it up and used it; He sent her to the company with a message. If you have affection for the Lord, wisdom will place your love where it will become useful to the company; because love itself is often quite misguided; whereas wisdom takes it and gives it its place. The presence of the Holy Spirit brings in the material; but the material has to be put in place. It does not say, Love has builded her house; no, “Wisdom has builded her house”. Proverbs 9:1. But how does she build it? She builds it with love. We were saying last night that it is a great thing to have a little bit of means. Really it comes to this, that you live if you have that. The Lord takes account of it, and puts it in its place so that it may be useful, and the whole company gets the benefit of it. Wisdom builds her house.
Directly you recognise the Spirit, you come to the thought that you must have the Head. The Spirit will not take that place. He has come in wondrous humility to be our servant; and God takes special account of that, but He will not take the place of Head.