DIVINE LOVE FINDS ITS EXPRESSION IN SELF-SURRENDER
[p. 236] DIVINE LOVE FINDS ITS EXPRESSION IN SELF-SURRENDER
I desire to set before you the way in which divine love finds its expression in God’s people here upon earth. It will find different outlets in the future, where there are no needs, but I want to show you how it works out in a scene of need and where there is opposition. Let us see how it found expression in the Lord Himself, and also in the apostle Paul. It works out in the way of self-surrender and for the good of others. We need this, and this involves christianity. Christianity is the simplest of all things, for the essence of it is love, and there is nothing simpler than love. There is nothing simpler in the universe of God than love.
The apostle Paul was concerned lest the Corinthians should be beguiled from simplicity as to Christ, and that simplicity I believe to be love. The Lord set up His disciples here in that way; they were put under obligation to love one another. The service of love found its perfect expression in Christ Himself, and it was expressed in the apostles also in their measure, and in the men of faith in whom God wrought. Love has an object outside of itself. Abel is an example in figure. He was a “keeper of sheep” (Genesis 4:2); he had an object outside of himself. That may seem a commonplace observation, but I believe the Spirit of God in that way sets forth a trait of Christ. Cain disowned moral obligation. He said, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Genesis 4:9.
A christian is one who has a sense of moral obligation to others although he has no claim upon them. The same trait existed in those who followed in the line of faith, although it may not have appeared. Abraham is the first who is spoken of as engaged in [p. 237] conflict, and it was conflict for the recovery of his brother; he had the sense of moral obligation to his brother. Lot had no claim upon Abraham, for he had voluntarily departed from him, but he was one of God’s people and Abraham acted on this fact. I should not enter on any conflict which has not the whole assembly in view. Conflict is not only for the preservation of those with whom we may be walking, but we should be concerned for the whole church. Paul was concerned for the “elect”, that they might “obtain the salvation”, 2 Timothy 2:10. He had the sense of obligation to all the people of God.
Abraham is a wonderful model of the man of faith. He was under the sense of moral obligation, and hence he entered into conflict for the recovery of his brother. Abraham was ready for every emergency. He had trained servants in his house; he was ready for the emergency, and he was successful. He was not only prepared for conflict, he was also prepared for a divine visitation, and one which was wholly unannounced. See Genesis 18. “Jehovah appeared to him ... and he sat at the tent-door”. If you have the sense of the obligation of love you will be prepared both for the conflict and the privilege. Abraham was prepared when the Lord appeared to him at the tent door. Sarah, too, was ready, and the servant was ready. You can never tell when a dark cloud may appear in a clear sky, and you have to be in readiness for it and in readiness too for opportunities for entering into privilege. To be in readiness is to be exercised.
We find the same traits in Jacob and in Joseph. They were marked by the shepherd character, and so much so that they as shepherds were an “abomination to the Egyptians”, Genesis 46:34. The man who lives in the flesh hates a shepherd; he lives for himself, he has no object outside of himself. Joseph had the true spirit of a shepherd; he was the preserver of God’s [p. 238] people, especially of the remnant of Israel. In saying the remnant of Israel I refer to the passage prophetically. You will find the same character in Moses. Directly he is in the wilderness he is engaged in regard to God’s flock, and he was the shepherd to lead the people out of Egypt and through the wilderness.
I now come to David. He was the shepherd king. To be the king he must be the shepherd. If a man is qualified to be a shepherd give him the crown, for he is qualified to rule. David is introduced to Samuel as a keeper of sheep, not as an hireling who fleeth when he sees the wolf coming. He was a keeper, he was faithful when the lion and the bear attacked the flock, and when he left the sheep to go to the camp of Israel he left them in the hands of a keeper. He had the spirit of the shepherd. Well, that man is the man for the throne. He is recognised as king and he is crowned. He goes to Jerusalem. A shepherd must be a warrior, so David went to Jerusalem, where the Jebusite was. In Scripture Jerusalem prefigures the heavens. It was the scene from which government would be administered on earth. There could not be peace on earth till there was peace in heaven; so David went to Jerusalem, dislodged the Jebusite, and took the place of the supreme point of government. He takes the vantage point to administer protection for the sheep of Israel. The Philistine would hold the people of God in bondage, and David smote the Philistines and subdued them. He took Metheg-ha-ammah, the ‘power or bridle of the capital’ out of the hand of the Philistines; 2 Samuel 8:1. If the bridle is in the hands of David, the people will be guided aright. He led them and he fed them; “he fed them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands”, Psalm 78:72.
The Lord Jesus Christ went into death to secure [p. 239] the controlling power here upon earth — the bridle is in His hand. The influence of evil in the heavens is dislodged, and the power of evil is broken; that is the present situation. He went down into death, and from that point He goes up on high, having led captivity captive, and from thence He administers. That sets forth the present situation.
John 18 shows us the Lord Jesus Christ in moral supremacy. The forces of evil are there, but His enemies had no power against Him; see verse 6. John does not record the spiritual powers which the Lord had to face in Gethsemane. In his gospel it is the dignity of the Person which comes into view. We get Gethsemane alluded to in verse 1, but not His agony when Satan brought the power of death to bear upon His spirit. Gethsemane brought out that He was here absolutely for the Father’s will, but He came out victorious. In John’s gospel He stands forth in the dignity of His own Person. The political enemies came forth against Him. The Lord says, “I am he”, and they have to go backward and fall to the ground; but at that moment the Lord says, “If therefore ye seek me, let these go their way”. In a crisis what is wanted is self-surrender. The enemy is set for the captivity of God’s people, but love, divine love, expresses itself in a crisis in self-surrender. “If therefore ye seek me, let these go their way”. Love is the one thing that never fails. It is the great stand-by.
Take the two epistles to the Corinthians. The Corinthians were exposed to spiritual captivity. Paul acted in love; love was his stand-by. He says, “though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved”, 2 Corinthians 12:15. Paul writes as one who has love; he had it in store. He recovered them by love. Divine love is behind conflict, and that is set forth in perfection in the Lord Jesus Christ. With regard [p. 240] to ourselves, if we are to be keepers — shepherds — of one another, it must be by self-surrender.
I pass on now to what we get in Paul. The same trait shines forth in him. He is enduring “all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory”. That is far beyond ourselves, but it indicates the spirit which is to animate the servant. I believe the present moment calls for that service, the service of love. There are different orders of service, but the Lord has left a household here, and the servant who loves Him is exercised that the household should be fed. The Lord commends a servant who is thus exercised; one who can give the household a portion of meat in due season. It is a ministry of food. There are various kinds of food. Before the flood no flesh was eaten, but after it, the requirements were greater, and flesh was eaten. In the wilderness the people of God ate angels’ food, the food of the mighty, heavenly food. In the land they had different food, the old corn of the land. Now the Lord commends the servant who ministers food in due season to His household. Every true servant of Christ thinks of the church; all his concerns and exercises are as to the church. He is concerned to keep in the pathway himself, but he is also exercised as to the church.
I believe at this moment the Spirit of God is on the line of cultivating bridal affections in the saints. The apostle says, “I have espoused you unto one man”, 2 Corinthians 11:2. He had set one object before them, not two. The ministry of Paul was like that of Abraham’s servant when he went to seek a bride for Isaac. Paul was near enough to the Lord to apprehend the Lord’s desire in regard of the bride, and the theme of his ministry was the one Man. He presented that Man in the gospel as Son of God,
[p. 241] and he captured the hearts of the saints for that one Man. The great aim of ministry is to attach us to Christ, and the Spirit of God is working to this end that there may be unity, for that can only be by our having one object. They did all eat “the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink”, 1 Corinthians 10:3,4; if we feed on the same food and drink the same drink there must be similarity, there must be unity.
Then in the second epistle you get them beholding one Object, the same Object; and so they were all being changed into the same image. If we follow along that line we shall be found on the line which makes for peace and we shall find a way whereby we shall help and edify one another. It is my conviction that the Spirit of God is working to this end.