HOUSEHOLDS

^[p. 61] HOUSEHOLDS

1 Corinthians 1:16,17; 1 Corinthians 16:15,16; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 2:19

In these scriptures, as you will all observe, we have the thought of households; first in Corinthians, the household of the believer; second in Galatians, the household of faith; and third in Ephesians, the household of God. The first leads into the second and the second into the third. They may indeed be collateral one with the other, but the two first empty, as it were, into the household of God; so that the subject, I hope, will become practical in the unfolding of it.

These three features appear in the Old Testament. The first is in Genesis 7:6 - 9, indeed; that is the household of the believer. The second is in Genesis 15 — the household of faith, for Abraham is more in Scripture than Noah, in that he is said to be the father of all believers. By the convenience afforded by the Spirit of God, he is regarded, to make the matter simple, as the progenitor of all believers — the father of all believers — so that he represents the household of faith. In Jacob we have the household of God; Genesis 35. Great as Abraham was, it is not with him that the household of God is commenced, but with Jacob. But the three features are there, firstly in Noah, secondly in Abraham, and thirdly in Jacob.

Now it is worthy of note that Noah is said to be righteous in his generation, and that he had found grace with Jehovah in the midst of a world which had forgotten Him. He towers up like one of the ancient mountains mid the lowlands of corruption, depicted in Genesis 6. He found grace with God. God saw to it that there was a man in those days who stood out. All was not lost, all is never lost; and in this man,

^[p. 62] who in the midst of corruption rises up, as I said, as we look back, like one of the ancient mountains, the blessings come down to the children. He found grace with Jehovah, and that before Jehovah entered into a covenant. That is to say, whoever knew him, whether related in the flesh or otherwise, would know there was one righteous man. One was rarely found, as it is today. In the circumstances a righteous man is one of the rarest of persons, and one of the most valuable in God’s house, in relation to His testimony. There cannot be any testimony apart from righteousness. It is said of him that he walked with God. What dreadful currents were against that man in his day! It is said of him, “By faith Noah ... prepared an ark for the saving of his house”. Hebrews 11:7. The preparation was of long duration; the need for the ark was entirely out of view, except to faith. Possibly he was the only one who had any conception of its need. He was warned of God. The pattern, too, was wholly unique, they had no such pattern as this. It is wholly unlikely that there was — it was a new thing. There was nothing at all in view, there is nothing said about rain until after the flood. Also there was no evidence of any need for such a structure and it therefore taxed his faith to the utmost, day after day, for one hundred and twenty years. You can understand what the walk with God meant for him. What ridicule! How they would aim their gibes at him and ridicule at his folly! It was the foolishness of God, one day proved wiser than man, as the ark rose and rose abreast the flood, as poor, weak man succumbed, engulfed in the ditch. What a triumph for his faith! And then how glorious the testimony is in one man; the thought runs through Scripture, what one man can do, while walking with God. What strength of faith he would need as those boards of gopher-wood were laid out and placed together, with the skill greater than that of any man; and with that pitch, pitched within and ^[p. 63] without, made staunch, made impervious to all the influences without. As we may say, God was with him in every nail he drove, every wood he planed, every storey he finished. It was a three-storied affair; not three decks, but three stories. Every one was a triumph, one after the other. He prepared an ark for the saving of his house. There is not a word as to whether his wife or his sons were to build it, possibly his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth helped. They were all blessed, but their salvation was with their parents. It was his doing, he prepared an ark for the saving of his house and he saved his house and brought them through. That corresponds with what I have read from 1 Corinthians.

The break-up of christendom is in view in this epistle. It was checked. Those same principles were needed in those circumstances, and never was there a time when these principles were more needed than in our own time. The enemy is not only endeavouring to effect a great general apostasy but has long succeeded. The great work of apostasy has been going on, as the apostle has said, but there is that which hinders, and it hindered at Corinth; and not the least through the influence of a household. I am speaking to parents, as also to children, many of whom are here. The checking of apostasy and the maintenance of what is of God until the end is seen in Scripture in certain households. The family thought must stand in the mind of God. It is a primary thought, everyone in a family. At Corinth it was seen in this distinguished brother, Stephanas. The apostle, in speaking about baptising, said he had not baptised generally amongst the Corinthians (although they were all baptised) owing to the state of things that prevailed, in case he would appear to baptise in his own name. He baptised Gaius and another. He says he did that. I am sure he said it with zeal — he turned out well. But then it was not that he was speaking about, he was speaking ^[p. 64] about results. He did turn out well, as the last chapter shows that in a divided state of things, such as we have to do with today, how one man can stem the tide. His house can become a rendezvous for the faithful. The household of a godly, spiritual man is sure to stand against all partisan workings. There is another household, the household of Chloe. She was a person in her day who would abhor such wickedness as was in Corinth. The doors are not guarded and the enemy gets in and he did get in in a terrible way at Corinth, so that there was seething evil in the assembly at Corinth; chapter 5. The household is honoured, is brought forward as a bulwark ... so that he says that there are those of the house of Chloe who told me that there are divisions among you. But Chloe was concerned about the divided state among the saints, and Stephanas acquired a moral influence. I apprehend the house of Chloe had little power in itself, but it was of sufficient use to convey the sad tidings to the apostle. Moral power is what is needed today, it is not simply what one says, it is what one is. And so the apostle says, “the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power”. 1 Corinthians 4:20. He appeals to the Corinthians. He says, “ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the first-fruits of Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the saints for service”. What a service for the household, Stephanas and his house! Those who have acquired moral weight among us in the household, become of immense value in stemming the tide and the saints are gradually led to recognise what is of God. It is a saving element. As soon as I discern what is of God, it is to be respected; it is a moral quality; it is representative of God. Hence you will find, for instance in 2 Kings, how great a stress is laid on the “man of God”. He embodies the qualities of God. Divine qualities are to be recognised and respected. Submit to it! You will never lose by submitting to what is of God. You will perhaps say, ‘I have got as much ability as So-and-so and as much experience; I am older’. But nevertheless there is something there in that brother that is of God. It is not there for nothing; it is there for a purpose; it is an outstanding thing; it is a moral quality; it is representative of God. If you discern, respect; and if you respect it, submit to it. We are enjoined to be subject one to another; the younger are enjoined to be subject to the elder. That is simple. I can respect what is of God in a younger man than I. He may know better than I do on certain questions. Why should I let my experience stand in the way? He is to be respected. God has set old and young together in this way in the household so that we may submit, that we might live in the atmosphere of submission — be subject to such. I have no doubt that Stephanas would be under the reproach of the great men of Corinth; there were great men there, men who spoke of the apostle with disdain; they were false apostles. I am speaking thus in leading up to the apostasy. As the spirit of subjection discerns what is of God, it stems the tide of apostasy.

Then there is further in the chapter the thought of an assembly in a house. We have difficulty in finding suitable halls for our meetings — the halls of this world were not built for the followers of the Nazaraean. They were not intended for us. But households are different. Within the four walls of the household of a christian, how different! The cherubim of glory are there. Aquila and Priscilla had an assembly in their house. Incidentally it points to the smallness of the christian companies in that day, although there were many saints in these places — at Philippi and at Corinth. Christians were content to meet in believers’ houses. We cannot assume that Aquila and Priscilla had a house of very great dimensions or that it would be finely furnished as men speak. There would be ^[p. 66] nothing there to stumble a young christian. The book of Deuteronomy required that such households of the saints should be carefully guarded against any mishap. Young people coming in and imitating; there was nothing of that kind in the household of Aquila and Priscilla. Aquila and Priscilla are never mentioned except together, sometimes the one first, sometimes the other. They represent an ideal husband and wife, spiritually, and daily together. They earn their living together, and they had the great honour of earning it alongside of Paul; they lodged with him as workmen — the same craft. What a view of the apostle they got! I should have liked a conversation with him as he said to Timothy, “thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life”, 2 Timothy 3:10. It was such a house as the heavenly saints — there were spiritual people in those assemblies — could look upon with complacency. How much might be in one’s house that one would seek to hide from the spiritual eye, but not so with Aquila and Priscilla. They served the saints. So much for the idea of the house, and I wish you to link on the conditions in Corinth along with our own. The apostasy has come, it is full grown.

Assembly conditions have been restored. The most wonderful thing of modern times is the restoration of assembly conditions, and they are meant to last to the end. The Lord would lay it on His people to see to the house. If divided conditions arise, as they do, a spiritual house is a great instrument in the hand of the Lord for the rallying of the saints. It will neutralise; it will promote assembly conditions.

Turning to Galatians, you can readily see how fitting is the expression in this epistle, “the household of faith”. It is in its proper setting, it is set over against loose conditions in christendom. I am turning to speak of legal conditions, and the expression of the household of faith rightly fits in where legal conditions ^[p. 67] have a place. They had a place in the gatherings of Galatia. You will observe, it is the “assemblies of Galatia”. Galatians 1:2. There is no such thing as an assembly in a district. This was part of the apostasy, bringing in legality to replace grace by law, so that believers should fall from grace. If we fall from grace, as in the assemblies in Galatia, we are on the same level as fallen from love — in the assemblies in Asia. Fallen from grace is one thing, fallen from love is another. Both are fallen. Indeed, if I have fallen from grace, you may be sure I have fallen from love. If I love the brethren, I love liberty, and so he brings in the beautiful expression, “specially ... the household of faith”. The type of that is Abraham. You all remember the history. It begins in Genesis 15, where it is said, “And he believed Jehovah; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness”. Genesis 15:6. What he believed God about was his family. He was to have a great household — like the stars of heaven. He believed that. The time for numbers is coming, and that is the connection in which Abraham is said to have believed God, and he became the father of the faithful. So that we all have to range ourselves alongside of Abraham in that sense as the household of faith. And so you go through that chapter. Hagar and Ishmael appear in chapter 16. Hagar comes into that household, and she left it of her own accord; she fled. She really did not belong to it, and that was what the teaching in Galatia was effecting. The apostle would direct our view to genuine believers, and in chapter 17 Abraham has his name changed from Abram to Abraham, the first meaning. ‘high father’, the second ‘father of a multitude’. It is a great thought of God, the family of faith, and God says, ‘You have obtained “a good degree” 1 Timothy 3:13, I will change your name’. We belong to the multitude; chapter 17. God came down and spoke with him, beautiful, and He broke off speaking with ^[p. 68] him and went up to heaven. In chapter 18 He comes back to Abraham. He is creating great atmosphere in the household of faith. There is room for God where there is faith, and so He comes to Abraham. Abraham circumcised all in his house, he carried out the thought fully, and God came back and said, ‘Abraham, you have done well’. Faith takes hold of the commandment of God, the principles of God. God came back to Abraham; he was at his tent-door. He came back in company — companionship in the household of faith. Do not company with anyone who has not faith! He will lead you into the world. There are three men, and one is Jehovah. How beautiful that God should come to us in that way! Three men, and one Jehovah, and Abraham discerns the difference between Jehovah and the other two — the beautiful company. What companionship there is in the household of faith! Marry only in the Lord! It is a question of faith. Bring faith into it and, whatever your aspirations, God will be a Father to you. “I will be to you for a Father, and ye shall be to me for sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty”, 2 Corinthians 6:18. He came in in company, and Abraham discerned Him and ministered to Him. Think of those three men resting themselves under the tree until Abraham brought the calf, milk and so forth. Think of the consideration of God to do that. Need we not look for great things in the household of faith? There is no need to go outside of it. He went after to Sodom. We come in for divine thoughts. We know what is going to happen. We know the end of things. The cleverest statesmen do not know. “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing?” Genesis 18:17. The Lord God is there to do justice, to do righteousness. In the household of faith you get practical righteousness. If we know that He is righteous, we know that everyone practising righteousness is of the household of faith. That is Galatians.

^[p. 69] You can see how the apostle stresses the expression, “the household of faith”. Chapter 19 is the destruction of Sodom. Chapter 21, Isaac is born, and we get the thought fully expressed, not in Abraham himself, but in his house. It is expressed in Sarah. “The son of this handmaid shall not inherit with” Genesis 21:10 the free. That is to say, those of the household of faith are born after the Spirit. Think of the dignity attaching to it. The “bondwoman and her son” Genesis 21:10 must go. Sarah had right instincts; she would not bring up her son with a mocker. We should be careful to select our company, that they do not mock at Christ, that they do not despise Christ. How can you be a companion of one who does not love Jesus?

One word on the household of God. It is the great final company. It is a primary thought of God, and primary thoughts are eternal thoughts. Provisional thoughts will end. Primary thoughts — that is the family. We are told in Ephesians, in its own setting, a jewel in its proper setting, “no longer strangers and foreigners”. Ephesians 2:19. It is not that I am an alien; no, I am there on the ground of sonship. “No longer strangers and foreigners, but ye are fellow-citizens of the saints, and of the household of God, being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the corner-stone”. Ephesians 2:19,20. One beautiful passage in Isaiah 56 greatly amplifies this, where the alien is alluded to, “the eunuchs that keep” God’s “sabbaths”, and “the son of the alien” that take their place in the testimony of God, “unto them will I give in my house ... a place and a name better than of sons and daughters”. Isaiah 56:4,5. Greater than any natural household could be; and the stranger is to be made “joyful” in God’s “house of prayer”. Isaiah 56:7. That is, when we come together, even for prayer, when we are supposed to be burdened with the cares of the testimony, even there we are made glad; such is the joy, such is the atmosphere of the place. As Luke 15 testifies, “music and dancing”. Luke 15:26.

God comes down to such figures to attract the hearts of the young, to show there is joy in His house; and “the singers” and “the dancers”, we learn in Psalm 87, “shall say, All my springs are in thee”. Psalm 87:7. The meaning is that it is in Zion where all the divine thoughts are; where Christ is; where God is. We do not draw from the world; we do not learn to dance in the world; we do not learn to speak in the world. ‘All our springs are in thee’. Everything is learned there; we do not need to go outside at all.