EDINBURGH

(ii) David C.Brown

2 Corinthians 12: 9; 1 Corinthians 1: 25,27; Revelation 2: 9 - "rich"

For many years the Lord has worked in our beloved sister, whom He has now taken, in weakness. He would impress us with these years of weakness naturally, weakness in body and in mind; yet we can think of the divine operations, the divine care and the divine concern throughout it all. Paul here in Corinthians speaks about his weakness, and he receives a word, and it is a word that would come to each one of us now as feeling weakness - how weak we feel in the presence of death - "My grace suffices thee". How much sorrow and suffering there is in this world. Men are unable to restrain evil. Think of death - men unable to restrain that power. Where is there going to be comfort? Where is there going to be any answer to it? "My grace suffices thee". There is a Man who is in glory now. He has known weakness. (What weakness He has known!) But he is able to supply you and supply every one. He has supplied our sister in her weakness, "My grace suffices thee". Think of these years of silence; yet the Lord's grace was sufficient, sustaining, blessing, working out what was for His will. I remember a reference at an earlier burial to the Lord: "His winnowing-fan is in His hand." There is treatment that each one of us needs, the threshing process. Our sister went through that in severity: processes in her life through which what is of God should come to light, that what is of the flesh should be put to death. But then we think of the gentleness of the Lord; His winnowing-fan refers to a gentle process that has proceeded with our beloved sister, and now the Lord takes to Himself what is perfect, what is good, the good grain. The chaff is removed, anything that would not be according to Him is removed, and what will stand up, what will be received to Himself when He comes will be in its perfection. "My power is perfected..." There is what is perfected in the saint, in the believer. We think of the touch, the gentleness, the wisdom of the divine touch that He should have what is perfect, that the Lord should receive to Himself in due time the perfect fruit.

In the beginning of 1 Corinthians we see the wonder of God's operations, the wonder of God's ways: "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men". If we look at the way in which the testimony of the Lord is in this scene, if we look at the way in which the Lord takes His people, if we look at the sufferings and the sorrow and the pressure, we might say naturally, 'Could God not have taken an easier way, a better way, a stronger way'. And then we learn as we go on that what seems foolish to us - ''the foolishness of God - is wiser than men"; ''the weakness of God" - amazing expression that is - ''the weakness of God is stronger than men". Of course this scripture is bringing before us especially the cross of Jesus. Where was weakness seen like at the cross of Jesus? God coming in, God coming in nearness to man, rejected by men, rejected by His own people, hung upon a cross - humiliation, shame, weak ness, God's wisdom; God's wisdom, beloved, God's power coming in in that way,

"Through weakness and defeat

He won the meed and crown" (hymn 24)

Through weakness and defeat He secured my blessing. Through weakness and defeat He defeated the power of Satan, the power of death. He rose, raised by God's power; the wonder of it all! Beloved, do you thrill as you think of the weakness of God and the foolishness of God? It is not the way you would have taken, it is not the way I would have taken, but it is the way that God has chosen to take. And it continues, it continues in the testimony. We see how the Lord spoke to His own, those who were His at that time, as a "little flock" (Luke 12: 32). The testimony continues still, small, weak, not prominent in this world, in weakness, in foolishness. Those who do not know God may think things said today are foolish, they may think that there is weakness in it, but it is the divine side, it is God's side, God's power and God's wisdom; they shine through in all the pressure and the weakness.

I was affected in looking at Revelation. It was not what I started to look for when I looked in Revelation. There are other references in these letters to the churches. He says to one, "strengthen the things that remain” (Rev 3: 2). That is very important, "strengthen the things that remain". If there is weakness, then it is for us as in God's power to bring in strength. He says to another assembly, “thou hast a little power" (chap 3: 8). Wonderful that God would link on with the little power that they had, but here He looks to a suffering assembly and says, "I know". To most of the other assemblies He says, "I know thy works ". But to Pergamos He says here, "I know thy tribulation..." They are going through sorrow, they are going through suffering, they are going through difficulty; He says "I know". "I know thy tribulation and thy poverty"; what poverty we feel in the face of death. What can we bring in? There is nothing we can do to answer to it. Do you feel weakness, sorrow, tribulation? He says, "but thou art rich". If you know Jesus, if you have trusted in Him, if you have the word from Him, if you have a link with the power that is in Him, “thou art rich". Are you rich, rich towards God? Are you rich in riches from God, something that is going to last eternally, something that is never going to be taken? How wonderful it is that in spite of weakness, poverty, tribulation, He would say, “thou art rich ". May we know what it is! All these things are to be practical in our lives, and we can find comfort in them at such a time as this. For His Name's sake.

Burial of Mrs Hannah Brown