OLD MEN AND YOUNG MEN

J.A.Petersen

Joshua 13: 1; 14: 6-15; Zechariah 2: 3-5

Beloved brethren, the thought came to me to suggest something concerning two old men and one young man. It should be very comforting to us all that God is thinking of us individually as well as collectively, and to each of us God has said certain things in our histories, which is all to be held in our hearts. What parents may say to children is often within the hour forgotten, but these two old men, Joshua and Caleb, were not the forgetful type. It says of the cup-bearer who was in prison with Joseph that he did not remember Joseph and forgot him (see Gen 40: 23). The Lord's supper may be held in this city tomorrow and where will you be? Have you forgot ten Him, the Lord Jesus of whom we spoke today? Is He not worthy of your remembrance? There was a woman to whom the prophet came about something and she said, I know what you have come for, to bring to remembrance the sins of thy handmaid (see 1 Kings 17: 18). The Lord Jesus is not speaking today to bring sins to remembrance; it is not that we do not have to be right about our sins and, if forgiven, to know that "their sins and their lawlessnesses I will never remember any more", Heb 10: 17. God says that. The reason we have difficulty about reaching the holy anti blameless condition that is contemplated in Scripture is that we have not realised that God has cast our sins behind His back and the other Christian's sins also who is for given. We may often remember sins, and that may do you good too in the sense in which Peter speaks of them – you are not to forget the former purging of them (see 2 Pet. 1:9). That exercise you would never forget. Thus at the Lord's supper the general position is that God has cast our sins behind His back and we are free.

Now these two old men, Joshua and Caleb, were not carrying a lot of troubles of the wilderness in their mind and into old age. They might tell the younger men to avoid certain things that they had been through in the wilderness, the terrible sins in the wilderness – contention among others. It is bad enough to talk back to your parents, but to talk back to God is what has happened in our histories. We want to know all these places, the places of contentions and all that kind of thing that rise up in the hearts even of Christians, even against God. Peter said to the Lord, Be it far from Thee (see Matt 16: 22); that is, he talked back to the Lord. We can do that because we do not want the suffering way. But as to these old men, Joshua and Caleb, God had said to Joshua, You are old. Thus if God tells you you are old that is what you are. And there are certain things appropriate to old men and old women. Joshua was taken notice of by God when he was old in view of the continuance of the testimony. What God says to Joshua here – "Thou art old" – should be a leading point with the old brethren. "And Joshua was old, advanced in age, and Jehovah said to him, Thou art old, advanced in age, and there remaineth yet very much land to take possession of". It is confirmed in the book of Hebrews that Joshua was not able fully to bring the people into the land. God used him to bring the people in but they did not fully get possession through Joshua; and in Hebrews, therefore, Joshua is contrasted with the Lord Jesus who is able to bring us in. And the Holy Spirit is said to be the earnest of our inheritance (see Eph 1: 14) to make us enjoy it now. Now it is very profitable to consider that we are talking about an old man or it might be an old sister. How are things proceeding? Are you thinking of dying and you have these aches and pains and ·all these things which afflict us all in measure? There is nothing of that with Joshua: You are old, advanced in age, and there remains yet much land to take. There is much to be done in New York; that is what God would say to us. We have not done it all as well as we should. Joshua was not able fully to bring them in, there were many enemies left. And so it is at the present time, the enemy has some scope and there is work to be done and you are old. God did not say, Now I am going to bury you. I think some of us are thinking too much along those lines. Joshua had a time to live yet when he was old and to be effectual, as you should be. There was no answering back with Joshua. He would be humbled that he had been helped but he had not been able to do the whole thing. That is what we have to say in our lifetime, that there remains yet much to be done in the testimony and it has not been done because we did not do it. But it remains to be done and God will have things done in His testimony, meaning that the saints are to come into the joy of sonship and to come into the joy of their relations with God more fully than we have. The Lord may have things to bring out yet in the testimony; we leave that with Him. But I think that the Lord has many things ready for us to understand if we would just see. The Lord was hearing and asking questions (see Luke 2: 46). The questions were to bring out things, whether the bad state of the people or to bring out the glory of God.

When we come to Caleb we come to another old man, but he is not called an old man although he tells us his years. Now I think that both things are true in the history of the believer, that God is saying to us we are old – many of us have been many years in the fellowship and in the testimony, – but Caleb represents that same age, because he was contemporary with Joshua, but he represents at that same age what is still youthful and vigorous. We should not say, beloved, that we are too old to take on any matter in the testimony, especially if God says we are to take it on. God is using old brethren. They had a fellowship meeting in a certain place, both brothers who lived in that place were over eighty years old and moved the chairs around, directed the brethren to the parking place, all these things, as well of course as being able to minister; they had to do these things. David provided for the house of G9d when he was old. He was taking on a great big building matter when he was old, although God had not given it to him to do but to his son Solomon, nevertheless he set the thing on. My son Solomon is young and tender, and he needs help! The young people here need help to come into manhood and take on the responsibilities of the testimony and it is for the older ones to see that we can help them into it. In the beginning of my remarks I mentioned how God has spoken to each of us in our histories, and Caleb and Joshua never forgot what God said to them. God knows that you stood well in a certain crisis in the testimony, it might be, or in your family, or something in your own history. We have seen that with many; they stand well but the next one comes along and we do not do so well. But these men stood well in the very serious crisis in the wilderness and God spoke to them and they never forgot what God said, how pleased He was with them at that time and what He would do for them as to their inheritance. What would He not do for you and me, in us and for us? "Thou knowest the word that Jehovah spoke to Moses the man of God, concerning me and thee"; this is Caleb speaking now. The two oldest brothers in the meeting, and how well they are getting on together! He spoke about you and me, it is the same thing; he is going to bless the people in the inheritance. In God's sovereignty Joshua became the leader of the people but Caleb refers rather to John's ministry, the vibrant life in the Christian. That must go along with leadership and yet there must be leadership, and there must be life with leadership which is what Caleb refers to. So these two brothers got on very well in that locality in this sense because they were governed by what God had said to them, how He spoke to them about these matters of the testimony and about the matter of the inheritance, and how they stood at that time. He says, Forty years old was I. Remember that; you brothers and sisters that are up in your seventies and eighties, what did God say to you at forty years old and why are you giving it up, if you are? Great things have been said in this city we need not say. I heard them; others have heard them in Plainfield too, and I take it to myself, How are we doing with what God spoke to us when we were forty years old, meaning forty-five years back? Forty-five years back would take you to 1940; what was God saying in all those years and is that treasured in my heart as if it were yesterday? The things which have come out about the service of God, not only the outward order among the brethren – that is important – but the life and vitality which is by the Spirit, and the prophetic word by the Spirit among the brethren continuing. Caleb is bringing up history here. Forty-five years would not be ancient history; we used to have that in school, ancient history was one course and modern history was another course, so that we have to distinguish between ancient history and modern history. But history teaches you one thing at least; that is that man fails in every generation; current and ancient history will teach you that. He said: "Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of Jehovah sent me from Kadesh-barnea to search out the land... And my brethren that had gone up with me made the heart of the people melt". That is, there were ten brethren saying wrong things. Caleb stood in that crisis. There are brethren who have left us saying wrong and unfair things it may be. Well, we have to leave that. "The reproaches of them that reproach thee have fallen upon me", Ps 69: 9. Some of it we deserve, but if God is amongst His people it is a serious thing to reproach the saints and I would not like to be among any who criticise them. But there were ten men who came from the land and they made the hearts of the people melt and Caleb never forgot them. It says in the book of Numbers that these two men stilled the people (see chap 13: 30); they did not convert them but stilled them. Sometimes God does that in a crisis, the saints do not see everything but they are stilled, the opposition is quieted. David subjected the Philistines, they were still there but they were subdued, and that saved the day.

Now I do not doubt that everyone here has had a history with God somewhere in assembly matters where God helped you to see things and stand for them, but the great thing is to keep in the secret of your heart what God said to you in that matter, to keep it fresh in your heart so that it is available for the brethren today. Caleb is ministering and he refers to John's ministry, the vibrant lifegiving character of the Spirit of God which is to be among the brethren and which will support the authoritative side amongst us. We must have an ordered state of things, but in it there must be life and vitality, and that is what this man Caleb refers to and how he could bring something forward and make it very fresh to the brethren. Caleb brings out how Moses said certain things to Joshua and himself, meaning that he was a very brotherly man; but he also showed the brethren that he was in the good of what Moses had communicated to him; that is, he was in the enjoyment of the land the whole time although his foot was not yet on it; he was a man of faith. Now he is speaking about the promises that God had made. We want to trust God for His promises. I remember Mr Taylor saying that the epistle to Timothy starts with the promises of God to him, because a young man needs to be encouraged by the promises of God. God has made certain promises to us and we want to trust Him that He will fulfil His promises, such as eternal life. And Caleb is saying, This is the day when these promises are to be fulfilled. You see, when you break bread you will be fulfilling one of the promises of God because the Lord Jesus has promised us the Supper and He comes to us, He has given it to us and it is for us to come into it. It is for us then to come into the land, the service of God; you have to enter in, walk around; it is a good sight. Caleb says: "Now behold, Jehovah has kept me alive": that is John's ministry, you are not looking to die and you are not in a dying company, you are alive, alive to God in Christ Jesus. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and of death", Rom 8: 2. The Christian is set up not only in intelligence but in life and that is by the Spirit. Then Caleb refers to Israel wandering in the desert. I feel sorry for many of our brethren who are wandering at the present time; many do not act on assembly principles. We feel these things! Such belong to God, they may still say a word for Christ, thank God for that. But Caleb is treasuring what Moses said, the law of Jehovah. Dear young person, it is time for you to get your inheritance. And dear old brother, it is time for you to enjoy your inheritance and show the brethren that you enjoy it. 'The sky, not the grave, is our goal' (hymn 238): show that to the brethren. He says: "And now give me this mountain, of which Jehovah spoke in that day; for thou heardest in that day that Anakim are there, and great fortified cities"; these are the big things that we have to over come. A wonderful man is this man Caleb! He got Hebron and the name of the city was changed. The name of the city of New York is changed among the brethren. What is the name of this city? The name of this city New York is Jerusalem; we have a secret name, the assembly. It is Jerusalem and that is what it is going to be eternally. John saw it come down from God having the glory of God (see Rev 21: 10), and to come out in testimony. We are not going by the names that men call them although we have to use them. Paul wrote to the brethren in Corinth, that was their name and was where their postal address was, but I am speaking spiritually. This city was Kirjath-Arba but Caleb is there and it becomes Hebron, it becomes a place in the purpose of God. We are not to take character from the physical city in which we are. The real name of the city in the eye of God is Hebron and it is where David was first crowned; it is the place where most of us first learned to know the Lord Jesus as King. There comes a time when David goes on to Jerusalem but there is a place called Hebron, it is right on the way. These are the names of our cities, Hebron and then Jerusalem.

I just want to refer to the young man. We have had about two old men, and God would love to expand on the older men and the older women and their relations with God and what could be said as to them. But in the prophetic word in chapter 2 of Zechariah (we had this book, by the way, in Toronto and I would like to see more of the brethren at these helpful three-day meetings, to exercise ourselves to be there) God is speaking to a young man as He had formerly spoken to the old men. The Lord does have His way of getting at the middle aged and the old aged, you leave them with the Lord. God is now speaking to the young man and the prophet said: "And behold, the angel that talked with me went forth; and another angel went forth to meet him, and said unto him, Run, speak to this young man". Some of us have been thinking about angels lately and we are going to judge angels, but here is an angel speaking to this young man. I believe, brethren, that the angels are serving us in this dispensation; do not write them off. They not only help us when we drive from here td' Plainfield and help us in material matters but they will help you in certain other things too, help you to get the word of God maybe when all of a sudden you need it. Did you ever pull a book out of the bookcase and it had to be the right book! You read something there and it was just what you needed. The Angel is giving a prophetic word to this young man. And the angels are serving you; they are not going to follow you to places of sin; if you go the wrong way no angel is going to follow you in that direction but they are sent out on account of those who shall inherit salvation (see Heb 1: 14); they are helping persons who are concerned about salvation, eternal and present; the angels will help you in that. If you desire to set yourself for the Lord the angels are right with you in that. God used them in the early part of Luke and He used them in the Acts of the apostles in relation to His greatest servants; both Peter and Paul were served by angels, they both say that, and not only that but angels gave them a word too. They did not only protect them from a storm or in prisons but they actually gave Peter and Paul a word. You study it and you will see. "An angel of the God, whose I am and whom I serve" said certain things to Paul (Acts 27: 23) about the shipwreck. We want to listen that the angels may speak. If the brethren do not speak the angels surely will and they will help us in what is right, they are sent out on account of all those who shall inherit salvation. You and I have a great inheritance. That is what Caleb and Joshua valued. And the angels come in to strengthen that, and I want to be in the way of God's will to get the support of the angels. So it says: "Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein". You say, we are so small, our numbers have gone down. It may be because we have not been faithful enough in the glad tidings, and rather poor at the recovery work; there are plenty to be recovered. "And I saith Jehovah, I will be unto her a wall f fire round about and will be the glory in the midst of her". So what the angel says finally becomes what God says. Notice how the speaker turns; it says: "and I, saith Jehovah, I will be unto her a wall", that is the angel was speaking but now God is speaking, Jehovah Himself is speaking to this young man.

You know, we have to get up and run sometimes, we have to run: "Run, speak to this young man". Young men and young women are hard to catch, that is why you have to run, They are not hobbling along on crutches, they are going along at a great rate in school and business and all these things and maybe with very little regard for the rights of the Lord Jesus and the rights of His people. Do you not think prophets can run? The prophet ran faster than the king of Israel on that day when the rain came down; quite a long distance too! (see 1 Kings 18:46). Read about that, the prophet ran all the way and he reached a certain point ahead of the king who was in a chariot. The prophets can run, they not only serve locally but they get around. The prophets are speaking, the angels are speaking and we want to hear what they are saying. If somebody is running to see me I want to hear what he has to say. Think of some older ones among us, what are they doing? Running and giving the prophetic word to the brethren. What are you doing? Well, I leave it with you.

God spoke to two old men and He spoke to the young man. May there be results for God from that for His service on the morrow. For His Name's sake.

NEW YORK

26 October 1985