“THAT … WE REPORT TO YOU”

P. van den Berg

Numbers 14: 6–10; 1 John 1: 1–4

Our brother has been speaking about what is precious for God in small circumstances (see p.5 of July issue). What is precious may not be appreciated by the great majority of God’s people but the work of God comes out in persons who appreciate what God has given to us. God had given the land to the people of Israel and the great test was appreciation of the land, the things “which God has prepared for them that love him”. It is a question of appreciating what God has purposed for us. There are persons who not only appreciate it but are ready to fight for it. The spiritual conflict is in view of the inheritance.

In this section of Numbers the people had no faith for the land. We all are tested as to whether we have faith for what God has given to us. There are many who have turned back, but the victory is in those that have faith. John says, “This is the victory which has gotten the victory over the world, our faith” (1 John 5: 4), and we see in Joshua and Caleb men who appreciated the inheritance, who had faith for it. I am thankful for those that we are amongst here who have faith for what God has called us into, and we would desire that there would be more that would not just have an appreciation of the inheritance but would be ready to be committed to it. In the book of Ruth there is definite committal in view of the richness of what God has provided, and that would encourage each one of us, including myself, to ask the Lord to increase our faith. How often we find that we are tested as to whether we have faith for that!

Here we have the good report. We could have no confidence in the ten who gave a different report; here are two men who gave a good report of the land and both of them went into the land. All the rest fell in the wilderness. Beloved brethren, do not let us fall in the wilderness.

What God has in the present time for Himself is related to the land. We have our wilderness responsibilities, but our place is in the land. The assembly is in the land, if I can put it that way; that is where we have collective experience, and we can face the wilderness position from the land. There is the assembly in the wilderness in the epistles to the Corinthians, but the truth works out from the land, so we need to be in the enjoyment of our eternal relations.

The Spirit has united us to the Man in glory; He is the Firstborn amongst many brethren. Our place is in sonship in the presence of the Father. I think our testing in the wilderness are to help us as to what our ways are to be—and what they will be if we are in the greater enjoyment of the land.

Well, do not let us be discouraged because of the fewness of numbers. Here are two men who appreciated the inheritance. They say, “If Jehovah delight in us, he will bring us into this land”. They had the faith for it and said, “Rebel not against Jehovah; and fear not the people of the land; for they shall be our food. Their defence is departed from them”. They saw big walls and they spoke about giants and thought how small they themselves were. If you were with God you would look down on the walls; you would look down on the giants; but if you are like a flea on the ground you look up to them. God would give us a lift in faith so that we more than conquer through Him that has loved us (see Romans 8: 37). The Lord says, “In the world ye have tribulation; but be of good courage—I have overcome the world”, John 16: 33.

The Lord has overcome all these obstacles and has opened up the inheritance through His own death. The greatest power that was in the way was death and He overcame it.

So John gives us a report, a report from the land. You wonder about numbers in the epistle of John because he speaks of “us”, but there were no apostles left so far as we know but John; but that which was from the beginning is still available in the end and I think the Lord is speaking to us in the last days through one He reserved to the end to bring us into that which is from the beginning. John says, “the life has been manifested, and we ... bear witness, and report to you the eternal life”. It is like the report of Joshua and Caleb; John appreciated that “ eternal life, which was with the Father, and has been manifested to us”. That connects us with the land. He says, “that which we have seen and heard we report to you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is indeed with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ”. That would refer to the fellowship of the apostles and probably John was the only one left; he shows that those things still exist, all the breakdown has not changed them, and it is just there for us to come into them. Their fellowship was with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ and he says, “And these things write we to you that your joy may be full”.

Beloved brethren, there is a great joy .connected with the inheritance. There is conflict, there are exercises, there is suffering, and there are many things that we go through in one way or another, but we need to be with God and to be in that sense unaffected by what is connected with the breakdown, to see matters as being with God and thus be in victory. We can be in the full joy of what God has prepared for us, the land flowing with milk and honey; the richness of all that God has is still there and available. May our hearts be drawn into it, and at the same time may we have faith. It is one thing to have one’s affections moved—the bride in the Song of Songs had her affections touched and she saw the hand of her beloved, but she did not move (see Song of Songs 5: 4). She missed an opportunity. May our hearts just have a sense of that which God has prepared for us in His own purpose of love, and may we have faith to overcome all the circumstances to lay hold of eternal life, to be in the joy of the inheritance, to have the sense of abiding in Christ, the true vine, the true source of joy. He says, “Without me ye can do nothing”, John 15: 5. We may have the Father’s discipline in purging, but it is in order that we might bring forth more fruit. May it be so for His name’s sake.

Word in meeting for ministry in Eastern Europe
13 November 1981