HOW GOD PURSUES AND REACHES HIS END

1 Samuel 1: 9–18; 4: 19–22; 6: 10–16; 7: 5–11

JM What I thought might engage us today is the way that God pursues His end, and reaches it no matter what the conditions or the opposition may be. It is wonderful to think that He will triumph although publicly it may appear that everything is contrary to that. I thought also that we might particularly see the place that suffering has in the way that God secures His end. As we know, Christianity really involves suffering. From one point of view we do not suffer much; from another, suffering in spirit is quite heavy upon the brethren at the present time, and God uses that in securing what He has in His mind. In fact it gives Him a moral basis to come in in His own way in His own operations and triumph over everything that is against Him. Hannah is well known as an outstanding character in that connection. She suffered much, but what marks her is the complete absence of natural considerations and entire consideration for God. That is very exercising, and it comes home to one’s own spirit, as to how much we can put natural considerations aside and consider entirely for God. That would undoubtedly bring out divine pleasure and give God a moral basis for working out what is in His own mind. Then we have the wife of Phinehas who, in a similar way, feels matters keenly, but a measure of power comes in although that power is manifested in extreme weakness. It says, “she bowed herself and travailed”, that brings in moral power among the saints, and it sizes up the situation as it is for God. The counterpart to that is in the milch kine. The first book of Samuel refers to the beginnings of the recovery and reaches on to the very best in David, who represents what is excellent in Christianity. The Lord’s letter to Philadelphia relates to the close of the dispensation. It speaks there of having “the key of David” (Revelation 3: 7), and at the end of the book of Revelation it says, “I am the root and offspring of David”, Revelation 22: 16. So I suggest

that, while David does not come into the passages we have read, we should keep in our affections that what is to mark the close of the dispensation is the finest and very best in Christianity. I read of Samuel because of his influence among the people. In these early chapters God’s end is secured in Samuel, and again you see the beginnings of a work of recovery among the people in the spiritual and moral influence that he exerts and his prophetic influence in view of what is in the mind of God going through. I thought that might just help us a little this afternoon.

JS So Hannah has the exercise for a man child, and it is not simply for herself but she says, “I will give him to Jehovah all the days of his life”. Clearly she was thinking for God and in a way God needed this man more than Hannah did.

JM She saw what the need was and she was prepared to fill the gap; she was concerned that there might be the provision of what was necessary. As you say, what she asks for is not a child but “a man child”. She had no consideration for herself, but she is considering for God and for the house of God, and that involves suffering and intense prayer.

I feel for myself the need of development in this intensity of prayer before God, really agonising before God, that what is so sorely needed might come into practical expression amongst us.

JS Do you think it would show the discernment she had as to the need of the moment in the testimony among the people of God, then her exercises were related to that?

Do you think we should be concerned to discern what is needed at the present time?

JM There is that in both these women, in the wife of Phinehas somewhat negatively, but both of them discerned. They were like those that knew what Israel ought to do, they knew what was the need of the moment. In Hannah you see not only that sacrificial spirit that considers for God, but she was thoroughly intelligent as to what was needed and prayed earnestly for it, and no doubt gave God a moral basis to bring it in.

GBG So is manhood according to God always needed in view of the testimony? The apostle says to the Corinthians, “quit yourselves like men”, 1 Corinthians 16: 13. They were behaving in a childish way but the apostle had manhood in mind for them, do you think?

JM There are certain men mentioned in the early chapters of Samuel who were not men for God. Eli’s sons were wicked men although they had ostensibly a part in what was due to God, but what she had in mind was “a man child”. The history of Hannah and the little coat that she brought every year shows she was really concerned about growth, she had in mind the full-grown man, and I think Samuel in the closing chapter that we read really comes out in that character.

JSp In the breakdown of the priesthood she represents true priestly feelings.

JM As you know, the first book of Samuel has often been referred to as the book of the unofficial priesthood, and it is quite remarkable that, apart from Exodus, the ephod is mentioned there more than anywhere else in Scripture. Samuel as a boy was girded with a linen ephod, and David at one point was wearing the linen ephod. These references show real, true priestly feelings when the official priesthood was so awry, and there is constant need for that. What comes out in these chapters is a holy inward exercise that is priesthood characteristically. Is that what you were thinking?

JSp Yes, we did not read her song, but it goes right through to the king. Is it not very triumphant?

JM That is what I thought. The divine end is in David. Now Hannah goes right on to that in her song, and I have no doubt that her song was really the expression of her deep exercises. God came in and granted her what she requested, and the result is a song for God.

It is quite remarkable that it says she prayed, but it is not really a prayer. Mr. Taylor said it is not really a psalm, it is a song. She brings out there what is in the divine mind and she was in the good of it.

RT Does it all serve to bring up our links with the Spirit in this? There is no real outward guidance or

prescription in any of these scriptures for what the persons do, but there is a hidden line of their link with the Spirit in it all, is there not?

JM Exactly. That is what comes to light, what the Spirit was working secretly behind the scenes. It is wonderful to think that He has vessels in which what He is doing can come into practical expression, and what a result there is for God. That should be with us at the present time that we are making room for the Spirit of God in His movements amongst us.

We often ask in prayer for the Spirit to link on with us, but I think it should be an exercise that we should link on with what the Spirit is doing.

AMcK It says that “she continued praying” and then it says she “spoke in her heart”. It is not an official thing, but we should know what it is to have some inward feeling that we would be running concurrently with what the Lord is doing.

JM That is what comes out in these verses we have read, there is real depth of inward feeling. She had deep inward feeling in regard to the conditions, but she was exercised that God should come in and meet the need. It is a beautiful section and brings out what there is inwardly in these persons. I suppose that is why it is women more than men, is it not?

RG Is it significant, do you think, that in the last five years of Mr. Taylor’s ministry the two things were the place of the sisters and the place of the Spirit? I just wondered, when you were speaking about it, if there was an indication by the Lord that in the last days that we are living in now these are the two features that should probably be paramount in our affections, do you think?

JM I am sure that is right and, as has often been said, it is questionable whether we really got the gain of that. Undoubtedly what is characteristic of the present day is the leadership of the Spirit, and that comes down to you and me as to what room we make for the Spirit in ourselves. We would be preserved from a lot if we were really exercised to make room for the Spirit, and that there might be conditions with each one of us

individually for the Spirit and His operations. As there are conditions with each one of us individually, unquestionably there will be conditions collectively.

JCG She is prepared to be misunderstood. It is quite sad that Eli was not with God in relation to her inward exercises, but she is not put off by that. She says, “I have … poured out my soul before Jehovah”. That indicates the work of the Spirit within, does it not?

JM Yes, Hannah was absolutely alone. She had no support from anyone, not even from her husband who was the nearest to her. There was something in Elkanah, we do not want to run him down too much, there was something there, but even her husband completely misunderstood her. There was a woman who was absolutely alone in her exercises and yet she was not turned aside one whit, she persevered and laboured and suffered in them. It is a tremendous example to us, do you not think?

JCG It comes out in her prayer or song in the next chapter, “Jehovah is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed”, 1 Samuel 2: 3. Her root and anchor were in God and that was the secret of the way in which she moved.

JM I am sure that is right, that is where her root and anchor were. There was nothing that would divert her, even being misunderstood by the high priest. Hannah is really a Nazarite. Scripture says, “If a man or a woman have vowed the special vow of a Nazarite”

(Numbers 6: 2), then it goes on in the chapter to tell you a good deal about the male side.

There is no reference whatsoever to the female side, but in this book there is a beautiful example of a female Nazarite. I think that is what marks her; she is really considering entirely for God.

JAG Spiritually she is the high priest, she is bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and manifesting the features of life that are proper to the ripened almonds of Numbers 17.

JM That is beautiful. There are a few men mentioned in these early chapters and not one of them is mentioned in a very commendatory way, but what was lacking was

there in Hannah. As you say, it is not only that she was a priest, but she was filling out in her inner soul what, under the sight of God, was proper to the high priest. I think that is the present position of the saints. There is nothing official. If ever there was anything official, and it is questionable, it has disappeared entirely, but the Spirit of God is looking for these inward moral and spiritual features that are for God’s pleasure.

JAG Is not that saying in present day language, she has kept His word and not denied His name?

JM Exactly, I think quite clearly if you want to put it into the New Testament, she is a Philadelphian, is she not?

TDB Why do you stress the thought of what is inward?

JM I stress it because it is here. What comes out in her prayer and later on in her song, and certainly in the words of the wife of Phinehas, are deep inward feelings. It is my own exercise, and I feel my own lack of it in myself, but I think the days call for inwardness perhaps more than they have ever done. What do you think yourself?

TDB I was thinking these things would be unseen, “she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to Jehovah, and wept much”. She “vowed a vow”, as you have been referring to but it would be largely unseen.

JM That is right. When she prays it says, “Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved”. There is very little external to take account of. But what there is is really deep inward feeling and deep inward exercise, deep inward relations with God, and, as I say, if the days call for anything they really call for that character of exercise among the saints.

JS It says that she poured out her soul before Jehovah, showing the deep inward feelings that were there, her affections were involved, and deep soul feelings.

JM I think so, and unquestionably that moves God. I say that carefully, but that character of things moves God and it is the beginning of recovery. We know the setting of the first book of Samuel, between the book of

the Judges and the coming in of David, but it gives you the moral basis for God working out His own thoughts. What comes out through this deep inward soul feeling in Hannah and in the wife of Phinehas really gives God the moral basis to do what He has in His mind.

RT Along with that inward feeling, do these persons have an outlook beyond the breakdown? Hannah speaks of Jehovah of hosts and the wife of Phinehas speaks of the ark of God and Israel.

JM They were not overwhelmed by the extraordinary low state, and that was the situation in this part of the scripture; it was an extraordinary low state among the people, even affecting the priesthood, the two sons of Eli were referred to as wicked persons; but in her spirit and in her feelings she was above all that, and that is another side that we need to carry, she had absolute confidence that God was going to work out what He had in His mind. She was not content with the low state of things that was extant at the time. In her heart she was reaching on to the fulness of the divine thought. Would you agree with that?

RT I think myself it is a very exercising thing. It brings up the value of the saints being together and what we have in the meetings, that it helps to lift us, that God is not being thwarted in any of His thoughts.

JM And it is a great thing to live in that atmosphere. I am sure that while Hannah suffered and she was provoked, what provocation there was, a very serious matter, but nevertheless she lived in the glory of divine thoughts, and her whole exercises were in that direction.

DTP So her own barrenness really was what stimulated the exercise within her, was it not? Her husband was good enough to her, but she then begins to see it related to Israel, does she not? That is what has the result for God in it, because she turns to God.

JM I am sure that is so, and you sometimes wonder, why should a person like this be barren, but I have no doubt that God was in it in view of bringing out in her exercises what was of great pleasure to Himself. What it

must have meant to God as He looked down upon the situation generally in Israel, but then He could look upon Hannah and He could see what was of great pleasure. How delightful it was to God.

JS Her immediate concern was for this man child because there was a particular call for this, but God’s full thought would go through to David, a man after His own heart who would do all His will.

JM That is what is in mind—God reaching His end. The end was really in David, and I have no doubt that in her song she brings in the King. She had that in some measure in her mind, and there is one thing, do not let us accept some lower level of things. Let us see what is in the divine mind and hold to that, and then as we take account of the practical working out of it, our exercises will be in relation to that.

JS So is there a need for going through the process, you might say, with God in view of reaching this? We do not just jump into it, but there is a process and exercise involved in reaching it, do you think?

JM I think there is that, not just complaining about the state of things. We might do that, we might discern what is lacking and just complain about the state of things; but then we have an outlet, and the outlet is to God, then to keep in our affections what is the divine standard.

GBG Is it only God that understands and appreciates our inward soul movements? The weeping, it is only really God that understands what lies behind that, is that right?

JM Well scripture tells us that God has a bottle in which the tears of the saints are preserved (Psalm 56: 8), and no doubt there are many tears shed; not in any sentimental way but really tears that are shed before God, and He appreciates all that. There is one thing you can be assured of, and it comes out in Hannah, that if no one understands you, God does.

Now that is a tremendous comfort.

JCG I was going to comment about the vow, “she vowed a vow”. Whether it is right for us in view of the

needs of the testimony and God’s needs to commit ourselves fully and wholeheartedly. The brothers need to commit themselves and the sisters need to make a committal in view of what is for God in the bringing in of Christ in the testimony, do you think?

JM That is a great need, and then of course, as we are told, if you vow a vow “defer not to pay it”, Ecclesiastes 5: 4. Make sure that you carry it through in your exercises and in your actions and your walk. It is the time for vows, I have no doubt, and she committed herself to God and then quite clearly the history shows she followed it through, so that Samuel comes on to view in the closing scripture we read as a man who was there for God.

JAG Say more about Nazariteship. You referred to it earlier, she says, “there shall no razor come upon his head”.

JM That is right, and when Eli accused her of being drunken, she says that there is no wine, there is nothing of that character with her. He says, “How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee”, and she says, “I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit—I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink”. So you can see the Nazarite feature is there, and there is a great need for that.

JSp I wondered if there would be a link with the intercessory service of the Spirit in Romans 8. It is in the setting of very deep feeling, “The Spirit itself makes intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered”. Then it goes on to say, “But he who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for saints according to God”

(Romans 8: 26, 27). I wondered if that would come into this section.

JM That is helpful. Thus there is a crying need to make room for the Spirit within us. Not only the Spirit objectively, but the Spirit subjectively in every one of us is to relate ourselves to what the Spirit is doing. We would be preserved from a lot, and there would be much more for God, if we made more room for the Spirit and what He is doing in us.

JAG We quite often speak about making room for the

Spirit, can you help us as to how we do that? We need help about it because we need to be occupied with what is proper to God and the Lord’s things and so forth, and the Spirit has His own right of way because we can speak about making way for the Spirit and perhaps do not really know how to do it. Can you help us?

JM There is one practical way and I almost hesitate to say it because I feel I am so little in it myself, but there is one practical way and that is prayer to the Spirit. I mean private prayer to the Spirit. I have no doubt that all of us would pray to God, pray to the Father, and pray to the Lord, but I think there is a greater scope for prayer to the Spirit. But what do you think yourself?

JAG He that drinks of this water shall never thirst again (John 4: 14). We drink into what the Spirit has given us through the ministers of the revival over all these years.

JM Well I think so and, though I do not want to reach on, when you come to the milch kine you get spiritual instincts there. There is an exercise amongst us that we should make room for spiritual instincts. I suppose spiritual instincts would link on with the unction in the New Testament, would they?

RG Do you think the fact that the brazen serpent came before the springing well is important in making way for the Spirit?

JM Very important. I felt that we should say that there is a moral road to it. The exercise of the brazen serpent, typifying the matter of dealing with sin at its root; and dealing with it in ourselves, makes room for the Spirit. There is plenty of scope for this kind of exercise.

JS Having an ear for what the Spirit is saying to the assemblies would come into this, what His present voice is. I wonder if His present voice would be related to what He is doing.

JM I am sure it will, and therefore the need of making room for the Spirit not only individually but while we are together, so that the Spirit has scope amongst us to speak to the assemblies; then our responsibility is to have an ear to hear what the Spirit says. Maybe it is

because of one’s own lack in oneself, but I just get the feeling that there is more needed in the making room for the Spirit than what we do.

JAG The Lord says, “shall become in him”, it becomes a way of life, does it not?

JM Yes that is right, it is a way of life, so there is the guidance of the Spirit. That is something that is very needful. Well maybe we should just say a little about the wife of Phinehas. It says she “was with child, near to be delivered; and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her”. Well that is extreme weakness but there is moral power in the weakness, and the result is the child becomes a testimony. She says, “The glory is departed”. It is quite significant that she says it twice. She says, “The glory is departed from Israel; because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband”. Then she says, “The glory is departed from Israel, for the ark of God is taken”. There is no reference to her father-in-law and her husband in the second speaking. It shows that this woman really felt what it was for the glory to be departed. What a thing that was.

JAG Do you think in Laodicea the Lord is outside, “Behold, I stand at the door and am knocking”, Revelation 3: 20?

JM Yes, it is a very interesting expression, “The glory is departed”. Well I suppose she had in mind the ark as setting out the power of God testimonially, and that was gone. We can certainly see it in Thyatira. You could not say the glory was there, could you?

JS The ark of God being taken means it had got into the wrong hands.

JM The wrong hands, and God demonstrates that He is perfectly capable of looking after it even though the people were not. Wherever it was taken it would triumph. That is a lesson that the Philistines had to learn, but what a sorrowful thing. The state in Israel was very low, they had little regard for the ark really. There

is no mention of the ark up till this time. There is very little regard for the ark, but then they were in difficulty with the Philistines and they thought that if they brought the ark down that would change things. But there was not the state there in Israel at that time to make room for the ark; we cannot just count on God coming in for us if there is not a state with us, and He allows the ark to be taken, a very sad thing.

JS So it came to a situation where Eli had been there and his eyes were growing dim, and so on, but it speaks about where the ark of God was, but the state connected with it was very low, it was not really appreciated, was it? Do you think this woman evidently feels that the glory of Jehovah is connected with it?

JM Yes that is right, she had the ark in her affections. They took it down, they appropriated it for themselves, for their own thoughts, the working out of things to their own advantage, and the two sons of Eli were wicked men, the ark was really in totally wrong hands. There were no holy hands there to carry the ark. Now that should be an exercise to us that as we seek in some measure to carry the testimony, there should be holy hands so that the testimony is carried in a way according to God.

RG I was just going to ask you if the ark of God, that title, includes the ark of the testimony and the ark of the covenant, and that both features of the ark had gone at this point, do you think?

JM That is right, both features had gone, and there is little feeling in Israel about it.

It does not appear from the narrative that there was very much feeling. There is this one woman who felt what it was, and it cost her her life. She is prepared to die. The sobering question always arises as you speak about those things. Am I prepared to die for the continuation of the testimony and maintaining it in holy hands? It is quite an exercise really.

TDB Has the matter of suffering been linked at the present time with our spirits?

Could you say more about that?

JM Well I think this woman suffered in her spirit, did she not? It was a deep matter with her, and it should be a deep matter with us. It is difficult to put into expression what is in one’s mind but I do think, dear brethren, that there is a need for us just pausing and considering whether the testimony is being carried in holy hands. It would generate real deep feelings amongst us, and suffering in spirit, that there should be that character of things. I do not know whether that helps in your question.

TDB The Lord said that as to the apostle Paul; “I will shew to him how much he must suffer for my name” (Acts 9: 16), so that marks the present time.

JM I think so. The suffering in spirit is demonstrated in what this woman went through. The ark represents the presence of God testimonially. I wonder, dear brethren, if we really appreciate the presence of God among the saints testimonially and the need to preserve that and preserve it in holy hands. If we allowed it to come home to our spirits, there are a good deal of things that we go on with that would come to a cessation.

WMG The word to Timothy was, “Keep by the Holy Spirit which dwells in us, the good deposit entrusted”, 2 Timothy 1: 14. I was thinking that maintaining things for the Lord and being prayerful would relate to our exercise that things might be preserved.

JM We need to feel matters. If there was more feeling amongst us, maybe a lot of things that we go on with that are not very suitable would disappear.

DTP Does that take us back to what was said earlier as to praying to the Spirit? Is there more need for us to bear assembly sorrows, and would all these matters lead us more to the Spirit for help?

JM I think so, and the reference earlier to bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary. It is a priestly characteristic, and there is no doubt that this woman felt it. She felt it keenly. There is very deep feeling. She says that, “The glory is departed from Israel; because the ark of God was taken”.

RT The footnote says that one meaning of Ichabod is

‘where is the glory?’ I think the comment has been made in ministry that wherever this man went in his life he would raise that challenge. Where is the glory? Some of these things you have spoken about that may be allowed, we can raise that question, Where is the glory?

JM Where is it? He became a testimony. As you say, wherever he went persons would say, that is Ichabod, that is a testimony to the fact that the glory had departed. It does not appear that there was very much feeling in Israel about it, but God would never leave Himself without a testimony; wherever that young lad or man went about there would be that testimony. It should come home to our consciences, dear brethren, and especially, if I might say so, the consciences of our younger brethren, that we are in a situation where the testimony is to be carried in holy hands. Now that really involves everything that we do, not only what we say but it involves everything that we do. I think we can well take matters up and examine them, and say to ourselves. Now is this in keeping with the presence of God amongst us testimonially?

DD One of the things that comes across in the prophet Malachi is that the children of Levi should be purified. It goes on to say, “Then shall the oblation of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto Jehovah, as in the days of old, as in former years”, Malachi 3: 4. Do you think part of the pressures and trials of the present time may be due to the fact that the Lord is calling attention to the purifying of the children of Levi?

JM I am sure that is right. There is one thing, as we said at the beginning, and it comes out clearly in this book, that God will never be diverted from reaching His end. That is what keeps you. You may feel things, like this woman. It really involved her life, but it keeps you that whatever may come in, God is going on. I have heard one or two things said recently which might indicate that it is in the minds of some that the revival is almost fizzling out.

Brethren, it never will, and do not let us give ourselves over to thoughts of that kind. As was

said earlier, let us keep the divine thought before us. No matter how much we may have to agonise before God about the state of things, let us keep the divine thought before us. It will go through.

JS It is very important what you are saying about the ark being in holy hands. The persons who have to deal with the testimony of Christ really need to be consistent with it.

JM That is right. You need to be consistent with it. Therefore I think it is not a bad exercise to examine matters and say to yourself, Is this in keeping with the fact that God is dwelling testimonially among His people? And I am among that people. As we know, in the principles of fellowship, whatever I do affects the whole.

RG Are you suggesting that “we should be holy and blameless before him in love”

(Ephesians 1: 4) is not something in the future, but something that we should be anxious about now?

JM There should be a testimony to that now. The milch kine are the counterpart to that and you are very thankful that there is this suffering character of things that is working in view of the restoration, as it is here, and in view of the maintenance of the presence of God testimonially amongst us.

AMcK It says of the milch kine that they were “lowing as they went”. Their calves were shut up at home.

JM Yes, the whole side of nature is shut up to them but they are not unfeeling about it. You might think if you say something you might be thought hard in saying it, but I think the Spirit of God would exercise us inwardly to be really feeling about matters, and I think as we feel about matters we will make room for God to come in.

AMcK The milch kine were offered up, were they not?

JM That is right, that was the end of their pathway. There is a lovely touch as to that in the ministry, the milch kine had spiritual instincts, but in a certain sense they set out the pathway of the Lord here. What a pathway it was! It ended in giving Himself up in death. But the difference between the Lord and the milch kine

was that He did it in full spiritual intelligence. Something of that character is to come in amongst us that would seek to maintain what is of God in its blessedness among the saints testimonially, even though it comes to the point of costing you your life.

JS Do you think this matter of spiritual instincts is something that is important for us to recognise? We may delay and try to reason things out and calculate, but spiritual instinct is something that can be relied on, is it not?

JM It is. Hence the need, as we said earlier, of giving ourselves over entirely to the Spirit. Somebody might say about spiritual instincts that you might find it is natural instincts and natural thoughts, but as we make room for the Spirit and go through the exercise of the brazen serpent, (we want to go by the teaching of Romans as having a thorough judgment of our own moral inwards in view of there being room made for the Spirit of God), I think spiritual instincts would never lead you wrong. Let us just ask the question, Why is it when matters come up amongst us that we get divided judgments? That is not of the Spirit, it certainly is not. I do not want to get into that today, if the brethren do not mind, but spiritual instincts would give us the sense of what is really according to God.

JAG Their judgment is fairly right.

JM That is just it. Hence, as we have said, the need of making room for the Spirit.

JAG The teaching of the gospel imbued by us leads us to be moved by the compassions of God so we become like these mulch kine.

JM Yes, that is right, the compassions of God. We should just touch on Samuel.

You can see then the product of Hannah’s exercises. It says, “And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray Jehovah for you”. He is beginning to exert a moral and spiritual influence among the saints, and thank God for every person who has moral and spiritual influence among us; and he says, “I will pray Jehovah for you. And they gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water”. Now it

does not say that Samuel drew water, or even that Samuel told them to draw water, it says,

“they … drew water, and poured it out before Jehovah and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against Jehovah”. You can see the effect beginning to work morally among the people. What we have seen in Hannah and in the wife of Phinehas and in the milch kine is now beginning to work among the saints generally. That is a very great triumph.

JCG What do you see in the stress on Mizpah, which means ‘watch tower’ of course?

It must be related to the allowance for the Spirit’s own way, is it?

JM I think it is. It raises the question as to whether my activities and my exercises and what goes through one inwardly is in view of what is right working among the saints of God generally, so that you are carrying them always in your affections. You are not excluding them. There are certain things that you may have to sorrow over, but in all your exercises you are really carrying the saints, and the result here is that the influence of Samuel is beginning to take effect.

JCG In verse 4 they had put away the idols and served Jehovah only. I suppose that makes way for spiritual alertness. We speak about what it is to be alert or not alert naturally, but we need to be spiritually alert by the Holy Spirit, do we not?

JM I think so, and put away the idols. Well that may be a word for us. I think it is beautiful to see that the thing is beginning to work around the brethren generally, and that is what you would love to see. I often think of what Mr. Taylor said about the close of the dispensation, he said, If God has it in one or two, He has it, but you would love to see it working among all the brethren. You would love to get all the saints really exercised about this. That is what they do, they pour out water before Jehovah, “they ... drew water, and poured it out before Jehovah, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against Jehovah”. What a triumph.

JS Is this really an expression of feeling such weakness in the presence of God?

JM That is what it is. The pouring out of the water is that there was no presumption, they owned their weakness, tremendous weakness in the presence of God. It says elsewhere, water which cannot be gathered up again (2 Samuel 14: 14). So there is no presumption with them. They are humbly owning their weakness and they are fasting and they are saying, “We have sinned against Jehovah”. And it says, “Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah”.

You can see the work of God is beginning to assert itself there. God is beginning to achieve His end. What a wonderful thing that would be, would it not?

JMM Hannah had said, for by strength shall no man prevail”, in her song (1 Samuel 2: 9), and I wondered whether the people are coming to that here.

JM That is what it is. The people are coming to that. So that it comes home to every one of us, and I take it home to myself. Are my exercises and all that we do really in relation to the brethren generally, the whole of the brethren? We do not want to miss one out, we do not want to lose one, but it is a wonderful thing that they are coming to this through the influence of Samuel, but they are coming to this themselves.

RT I wanted to ask you about the sucking-lamb in that connection.

JM That is really in keeping with the drawing water and pouring it out; but nevertheless it is a whole burnt-offering. What do you think about it yourself?

RT Yes I thought it was very beautiful that there is a state being produced among the brethren where Christ can come in and all that He is to God is appropriated.

JM It is there, it is the sucking-lamb. It is in keeping with what we have had before us, tremendous tenderness of feeling, spiritual moral feeling among the saints, but then it is working out in the presentation of what Christ is for God.

JMM Does that give opportunity, then, for the power of God to become manifest?

JM That is it and immediately the Philistines attack. Immediately you get a movement among the brethren

which is right the enemy will attack right away, he does not waste a moment. But then, as you say, that gives God the power to come in. It says, “the Philistines advanced to battle against Israel. And Jehovah thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines and discomfited them; and they were routed before Israel”. That is really what God did. He will come in for His people as they seek to be in relation to Himself.

JS That shows the importance of providing a moral basis, and allowing God the opportunity to come in in response to that.

JM That is it, there is a moral basis there. That is what has struck me all through. If you take each of the individuals we have considered, you will find there is a moral basis there that justifies God in doing what He wants to do. Well that is a wonderful thing if we can be really exercised about that. One of the things that we should try and get over, especially to our young people, is the tremendous privilege that is ours in being where we are. That is a tremendous privilege. Then alongside that we seek to be there with moral and spiritual characteristics. Moral and spiritual formation inwardly gives God the justification for being with us, “If God be for us, who against us?”, Romans 8: 31. He is clearly for the people here.

GBG The psalm says, “Then the Lord awoke as one out of sleep, like a mighty man …

And he smote his adversaries” (Psalm 78: 65, 66), then He chose. That is God coming in, is it not?

JM That is right. That is one of the psalms of Asaph. It said in the psalm that He awoke as one out of sleep and smote them in the hinder parts. We need to have eyes to see what God is doing, but it would be a wonderful thing to have a sense that there is a basis for God coming in for His people generally.

JAG We begin to appreciate the glory and beauty of the cross and all that has been set out there.

JM Why do you mention that?

JAG Because I think it is a basis for what you speak of as moral, “For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but to us that are saved it is God’s power (1 Corinthians 1: 18) and God’s wisdom.

JM That is right. Well as God has here what fully represent Him in testimony, that is a wonderful thing, and you and I have our part in that. But we all have our part and we would be exercised that the work of God may proceed in the saints inwardly in view of everybody being thoroughly in that.

Reading at Dundee
23 November 2002

LIST OF INITIALS

T. D. Beveridge

J. C. Gray

D. T. Pye

D. Duthie

W. M. Grosse

J. Spinks

J. A. Gardiner

J. M. Macfarlane

J. Strachan

R. Gardiner

A. McKay

R. Taylor

G. B. Grant

J. Mitchell