THE POWER OF GOD
[p. 500] THE POWER OF GOD
Two great thoughts stand related to Abraham; the sovereignty of God, and the power of God, and those who followed after acted in the light of the revelation that God made to Abraham, that He was the Almighty God, Genesis 17:1.
The power of God is seen in two connections as regards the faith of the saints. First, in Joseph, who gave commandment concerning his bones. He was in the light of the power of God, and he had faith as to the resurrection of the saints. Then in Moses we see the power of God in its adaptability to the present time; the deliverance of the people of God out of the world system and their maintenance in the presence of it.
God had His glory in view at the outset; the “God of glory” appeared to our father Abraham, Acts 7:2. In order to secure His glory God had to act on the principle of sovereignty, for the testimony committed to Noah had proved a failure in the sense that Noah did not walk in the light of it. The testimony of Scripture is that the posterity of Noah served idols, so that God was forced to exercise His sovereignty; and then, in order to carry out His designs, His power must be brought in. Hence in making Himself known to Abraham as the Almighty He connected with that the principle of circumcision, signifying that the flesh profiteth nothing and that if He was to carry out His designs it must be entirely apart from the flesh. The thought of the sovereignty of God gives God His true place in the soul, and puts the so-called rights of man out of court at once. It is a principle that man after the flesh always rebels against.
[p. 501] The prophet Isaiah develops the truth of sovereignty in a remarkable way. He shows in chapters 13 to 24 how God takes account of all that is objectionable. “The Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth”, Isaiah 24:21. Then, in chapter 25, he brings in the fact that God will do certain things in a certain place, in Mount Zion; signifying that He will act just where He will and how He pleases.
Abraham endeavoured to accomplish his designs through the flesh, but God having presented Himself as the Almighty God, not only was Isaac born of Sarah, but raised from the dead. It is a wonderful thing to be shut up to the power of God. Christians do not make progress till they recognise it. There might be a certain development as in Abraham’s case, and a certain product as Ishmael, but it is not that which God would have. “Cast out the bondwoman and her son” (Galatians 4:30), is the word; we have to come to that. Abraham had the very best desires and intentions when he said, “O that Ishmael might live before thee!”, Genesis 17:18. But Isaac was God’s thought.
The power of God really places you in heaven. First of all God says, “I have borne you on eagles’ wings” (Exodus 19:4); that is, He was true to His word, He was Almighty. The other side is, “they that wait upon the Lord ... shall mount up with wings as eagles”, Isaiah 40:31. There is no limit if you recognise the power of the Spirit. It is a figure of the soul entering consciously into the sphere of divine purpose, and that is reached when you come to Rahab.
“By faith they passed through the Red sea”; that is the Israelites’ faith; it was their doing. Then “by faith the walls of Jericho fell”; that is the overthrow of satanic power in the sphere of divine purpose. The next thing we read is, “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed [p. 502] not, when she had received the spies with peace”, and if you examine what she says in the book of Joshua you will find she recognised two things: firstly, what God did at the Red Sea, and secondly, what the people did to Og, king of Bashan, after they had, in figure, received the Spirit. It speaks of God’s power in the resurrection of Christ, and God’s power in the saints. The power of God is displayed in the resurrection of Christ. The counterpart of that is the establishment of the truth in the world as a testimony; that took place in the ministry of the twelve. The book of Joshua typically sets forth the result of the ministry of the apostles, which was marked by the power of God. It was no mere set of doctrines, but a system established and demonstrated to be in power.
What we are deficient in is the recognition of the Spirit. In christianity the Spirit is the answer to what God said to Abraham. If the flesh is disallowed there must be another power, and that other power must be the Holy Spirit. Hence, “we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and boast in Christ Jesus, and do not trust in flesh”, Philippians 3:3.
The apostle’s desire for the saints was that their faith “should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God”, 1 Corinthians 2:5. The ministry of the apostles was so marked by outward human weakness, that if souls believed their testimony they would be resting in the power of God.
It is a very great question to ask oneself, What does one really believe? God has acted not in a limited way, but in the exercise of His almighty power. He has come out in the exceeding greatness of His power and raised Christ from the dead, and I believe that all that power is for me. As a consequence I would desire to prove its reality, and if [p. 503] I do so, I would have no confidence in the flesh. The power is to lead us into correspondence with the light that we have. It is the apostle’s desire that we should know that power. He prays for it; that we might know the hope of God’s calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and “what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead”, Ephesians 1:19,20. It is a great object, and the legitimate result is that the soul is placed in correspondence with Christ where He is. That is the thought of God. I do not say, that any one of us is fully equal to the light he has, but if he is honest he desires to be so, and God will support him. If we are content to go on out of correspondence with the light our consciences cannot be good, and there cannot be any great happiness.
Joshua did not come to the front to take the lead until Moses was dead. You do not get the good of the leading of the Spirit until you are past the brazen serpent and are no longer under law. At that juncture Joshua took the lead and he led them straight into the purpose of God.
We observed at the beginning that Joseph’s faith has reference to the power of God raising the saints. That is to say, he was in the light of what had been communicated to Abraham, that God was the Almighty God, and he was in the light of the fact that Isaac had been raised from the dead in figure. Now he spoke when he was dying of the departing of the children of Israel out of Egypt. He gave no commandment in regard of the people, but he did give commandment concerning his bones. That is the best evidence we can have as to the light of the resurrection of the saints, that when the saints should go forth his bones should go. He made mention of the departing of the children of Israel, but [p. 504] he had nothing to do with giving command. That was connected with Moses’ ministry. Hence Joseph only alluded to it. He had light that God would bring it about and he gave commandment concerning his bones. “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, (that is what Joseph believed in principle in connection with Isaac) even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him”, 1 Thessalonians 4:14. It is a very great thing to have faith of that kind. We all say, When the Lord comes. It has become public property in Christendom, but on what is your faith based? The apostle puts it: “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him”. Now look at Joseph. It says, he was put in a coffin. Egypt was a remarkable country for burials, and yet you do not get a record of the burial of Joseph; he did not have a grave. The actual word is that he was put into an “ark” in Egypt, all indicating that it was to be moveable. The faith of the soul is that what has taken place in Christ will also take place in the saints. And Joseph saw that he was not going to be left out; he was going to be with them when the time came. We do not prevent the dead ones, the saints all go together. The faith of Joseph ought to be the faith of every believer.
When you come to Moses you have the present time; the soul is delivered from evil and maintained in power in the presence of it. God begins, and He says to Moses, “What is that in thine hand?”, Exodus 4:2. He had a rod in his hand. That was of God, it was divine authority, but that rod became a serpent; that is to say, authority became allied with evil; but God’s thought is that it should be allied with good. Moses fled from before the serpent. That is what has happened in the government of God with man in connection with the principle of authority. God says, “Take it by the tail”, Exodus 4:4. Moses did so, and [p. 505] it became a rod in his hand again. Authority is restored in the hands of a Man, in the hands of Christ. Hence we have the kingdom of God. The Lord said, “If I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then indeed the kingdom of God is come upon you”, Matthew 12:28. Authority is allied with good, and it results in the deliverance of man, and his protection in the presence of evil. Moses represents the kingdom in the sense that it delivers from the world and maintains us free and in power in the presence of it.
There is no need for any kind of discouragement, because the power of God goes on. It is the same as it ever was. God loves to be as good as His word. He has great pleasure in that. In speaking to Moses that was His point; He was as good as His word spoken to Abraham. God will show at the end a testimony to His power to maintain His people for Christ in spite of the failure. The power comes in in support of the light. If you get a bit of light you are to move, and the next move that you make proves whether you are acting up to it or not.
These evidences of faith are to show that these men acted up to the light that was given to them. If you act upon the light you have, you may not realise the power when you are about to act, but the point is to act, and then you will find the power supporting you. You will also get more light.
There is another thing; these men included in their faith all that preceded in the way of light; it was a kind of accumulative faith. For instance, Joseph in his faith assumed the light that was communicated when he spoke concerning his bones. Rahab also acted upon the light that preceded. It would even go back to Abel’s faith.
If you wait till you have the power to act you will not act at all. Act, and you will get the power.
[p. 506] If the light that is in your soul indicates or requires a movement, if you are to keep a good conscience, you must move. Cease to do evil, act on the faith you have, and then you will learn to do well. A person in system who has the light of separation, must move (cease to do evil), and act up to the light he has; then he will get support and learn to do well.