THE ADMINISTRATION OF CLEANSING

THE ADMINISTRATION OF CLEANSING

2 Corinthians 2: 4 - 11; Leviticus 14: 10 - 20; 1 Kings 7: 23

I want to say a word, dear brethren, on the administration of cleansing. It is something that fills a great place in the working out of things in our local gatherings, and something that in its operation magnifies the spirit and grace of our dispensation. The administration of cleansing involves certain principles, and we must observe principles, otherwise we lose our way. Principles never change; we change - how well we know it! When I allude to the administration of cleansing, I am alluding to the way it works out formally amongst the saints. I need not say perhaps, that there are informal ways in which it works out, for the means of help in the divine realm are abundant, especially when it comes to the adjustment of our relations with God and with one another; the adjustment of our relations with the truth, because the truth must have its place. There is no lack in divine suggestions that are made to us as to the abundance of resource that is available to help in this matter, whether formally or informally in adjusting relations in whatever way it may be. There often is a lack with us, and the Lord would help us to see the importance of this administration.

The word ‘administration’ is a good word in itself. It is a word that the Spirit of God has taken on and made much use of. I know there are times when administration is referred to, that immediately the care meeting comes into some of our minds, and cases of unrighteousness or evil. While administration enters into these matters, divine administration is far more extended than that. But it is all part of the administration.

Paul brings up this matter of the brother that had been withdrawn from; one who had walked with them in fellowship in the local assembly at Corinth; one who had been the subject, as I would take it, in what comes out in this second chapter, of tender solicitude on the part of the apostle at least, although I do not think that Chloe, Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus would be behind. It is important to understand that cases such as are represented here, those who are no longer with us should be the subject of priestly care and solicitation. You will notice how much the priest is mentioned in Leviticus 13 and 14, some seventy to eighty times, all to impress our minds with the priestly outlook on matters. The tent of meeting does not come into our view until well on in chapter 14. The priest is stressed throughout, and I am sure that the brethren will have noticed and been affected as this chapter (2 Corinthians 2) was read, by the heart of the great priest who is writing this letter. He speaks of distress of heart, he speaks of tears, he speaks of the love which he has abundantly toward them. Who but a priest in reflecting on the subject of the writing here, could write in these holy terms! He has a full judgment of the evil involved in the case. He is not palliating the evil, and I am sure that as time went on the evil and the character of it did not become attenuated in his mind, but there is a time for everything; and while in the chapter we have read, reference is made to the judicial infliction on the one who had sinned involving that the saints could no longer walk with him, the time had come for the operation of the administration of cleansing, and we are to see what enters into it. As I have said, Paul fully measured the evil. It was the kind of evil that could not be passed by lightly. Paul refers to it as ‘such fornication’ and ‘this deed,’ the kind of evil that required that the person should be withdrawn from and nothing less, if the holiness of the anointed vessel, the sanctity of the realm and the honour attaching to the Lord’s name were to be maintained.

You will notice in 1 Corinthians 5, that there is no reference to repentance in the whole chapter. There is no suggestion in that chapter of looking for repentance. Instead, there is the emphasis that this realm, where God dwells and where holiness is essential, must be cleared of this kind of evil. So he says in 1 Corinthians 5: 2, “Ye are puffed up, and ye have not rather mourned, in order that he that has done this deed might be taken away out of the midst of you.” There is no thought here of keeping him in. Notice the language employed, “in order that he that has done this deed might be taken away out of the midst of you.” Then later on, in verse 6, he says, “Your boasting is not good. Do ye know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump.” There is necessity for this strong action, purging out the leaven, that which was amongst them. You will notice that the word ‘purging’ is used only twice, here in 1 Corinthians 5 and in 2 Timothy 2. The word ‘purified’ in 2 Timothy 2 is the same as the word here, and it says there, “If therefore one shall have purified himself from these, in separating himself from them.” It might be said, Can it not be purged; can the purification not go on, just in the matter of judging the thing there? In the profession around us they profess to work out 2 Timothy 2: 21 by saying that they have a judgment about conditions, but what can they do? They say they can do nothing, they have to go on with it. But that will never do! The purification in 2 Timothy 2 involves separation from the vessels to dishonour; and the purging, dear brethren, in 1 Corinthians 5 has in mind a thorough dealing with leavening character of evil: “purge out the old leaven that ye may be a new lump, according as ye are unleavened.” What about the one who has sinned? Maybe he is repentant. That is not the point here, dear brethren. It is the gravity of the sin, the holiness of the realm, and the greatness of the saints in the light of what they are in this letter, because the aim of the ministry is to secure a vessel answering in sanctification to the light within it. God is there, His holiness is there, and let none of us think that the magnification of grace minimises holiness, or unrighteousness, or lawlessness. The magnification of grace is to show us how things can be met. In this chapter the character of evil being the kind it is, is met by excision, so the last word is, “remove the wicked person from amongst yourselves.” This particular kind of case has to be dealt with on this line. It necessitates the judicial infliction that Paul alludes to in 2 Corinthians 2.

It may be said that if he was repentant, what more is to be looked for when he is restored? I suggest to the brethren certain features linked with the subject that is before us, the administration of cleansing. We are to understand what the administration of cleansing means. We might say in regard to the leper in the Old Testament, is he not healed, has not repentance taken place? But that is not all. As Mr. Taylor once said, “Healed leprosy is not enough.” More is required, as the administration of cleansing sets out. Normally, in cases amongst us where there is repentance, remission is extended, but the degree of the sin in 1 Corinthians 5 requires this extreme exercise of discipline.

There are added thoughts which come into view, as we shall see, but I want to say a little more about this passage in 2 Corinthians 2. We have to get the balance of the truth, dear brethren, in all these matters. It is not the time in 2 Corinthians 2 for judicial infliction; it is the time for the administration of cleansing; it is the time of restoration; it is the time of setting up again; and Paul says, “Sufficient to such a one is this rebuke which has been inflicted by the many,” 2 Corinthians 2: 6. Apparently, they were not unanimous about it in Corinth; they were not all of one mind about it; but it was inflicted by the many. As we well know, unanimity is not according to God in the assembly. It is not a question of unanimity. It is a question of unity, the unity of the Spirit, and this is bound up with the ‘many’ that are operating in regard of the matter on hand according to divine light afforded. It says, “on the contrary ye should rather shew grace.” We have been speaking about grace, dear brethren, but what Paul is referring to here is not speaking about grace - it is one thing to speak about it from the platform - but it is a great matter to show it. That is what we need, persons who can show grace. We might have wonderful readings about it, but we want to come down to the showing of grace. He says, “ye should rather shew grace and encourage, lest perhaps such a one” - remember that, dear brethren, remember how he said, “such a one” in 1 Corinthians 5: 11. He is now speaking again, using this word, “such a one”. He says, “encourage, lest perhaps such a one.” Who is the “such a one” here? The brother who belongs to the assembly; he belongs to the family of God, he belongs to us. These persons withdrawn from belong to us and we should cry to God for their recovery. If on a priestly basis we can help them, let us help them, but not on a social basis. Let us never have to do with such on a social basis, otherwise we may become defiled and partakers of their sins. The priest can deal with sin authoritatively because he represents God, and if we have to do with sin or with persons who are characterised by sin, let us have to do with them and with it on a priestly basis, guarding ourselves, “girt about in our loins” with the truth. How important these matters are, especially the balance of the truth in connection with priestly activities. He says, “lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with excessive grief.” Oh, the way Paul couches the truth in this chapter, replete with the feelings of a priest who is with God about the matter! He is not speaking arbitrarily here. He speaks with apostolic authority in the first letter bringing in light that must meet the situation that was defiling the saints. It must be dealt with and dealt with authoritatively as in 1 Corinthians 5 by the assembly.

Now the priest is before us dear brethren, none the less the apostle, but the priest operating in regard to helping the brethren as to the administration of cleansing, and he says, “Wherefore I exhort you to assure him of your love.” He is not in fellowship, yet. But he is operating towards the saints in view of his full restoration, and he brings love into the teaching, love into the subject. We might have everything, but if we have not love, we have nothing. Oh, the importance of love! Not only in relation to the truth but in relation to our links with one another. We want to be like God. God is love! His love is a holy love. The lake of fire where evil will be consigned and limited throughout all eternity, is the necessity of His love. We should be like God, and have a judgment about things as God has a judgment about things, and then we will be marked by the features that enter into the administration of cleansing. It says, “Wherefore I exhort you to assure him of your love. For to this end also I have written, that I might know by putting you to the test, if as to everything ye are obedient. But to whom ye forgive anything, I also; for I also, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, it is for your sakes in the person of Christ.” You see how he is in line with the brethren. He is not moving apart from them in the way in which we are now referring to it. He says, “to whom ye forgive anything, I also.” Think of the way he writes here, and he says, “if I have forgiven anything, it is for your sakes in the person of Christ.” It is on the high level on which he is moving as drawing attention to the administration of cleansing in regard to this erring one that had been the subject of judicial infliction, as Paul alludes to it, the rebuke, which involved his being put away. He says, “it is for your sakes in the person of Christ; that we might not have Satan get an advantage against us.” Notice that, “against us.” We are to allow nothing on the part of the enemy to divide the saints and the ministers, to come between the ministers themselves and to come between the saints. Paul says, “ye are in our hearts, to die together, and live together,” 2 Corinthians 7: 3. Oh, dear brethren, what a holy system we are in, where divine affections are radiating and where the radiancy of divine love is being diffused through those that have been the subjects of its operations!

Those of you who read the Synopsis (and I hope that all the young men and young women here read the Synopsis, if they do not, they should), may recall Mr. Darby saying in regard of the conflict in Ephesians 6, “The enemy is subtle, we have to withstand his stratagems even more than his power.”

Read the Scriptures, of course; they must have the first place, for ministry is not the Scriptures. The Scriptures are the divinely inspired Word of God, the ministry is not; nevertheless the ministry is authoritative because it is the Spirit’s voice to the assembly, but it is not inspired, it is not infallible. The Scriptures are inspired; they have their own authority. The Scriptures carry the standard of the truth, and it is well that the brethren should sit in priestly examination of what is being said now and have a judgment about it. That is the priesthood in Numbers, that what is being said is being discerned. Discerned by the standard of truth in the ministry? Not exactly in the ministry, but in the Scriptures. The standard is in the Scriptures, dear brethren; even the ministry must be tested by the standard of truth in the Scriptures. Let us not relegate the holy sacred letters, the Scriptures, the divinely inspired Word of God, in any way to a place of inferiority. Let us keep them in all their dignity as that in which the standard of the truth is presented and by which all things must be regulated; of course in the power of the Spirit; the Spirit is the truth.

Now I come to Leviticus 14. The section that we have read, dear brethren, is a wonderful section. You will read, it is a wonderful section. You will notice how much is devoted to this subject. The brethren are speaking a lot about it these days, and asking many questions. The Spirit of God puts a lot on record in these chapters. Oh, you say, but you are referring to Leviticus; that is not the New Testament! The Scriptures are one, they cannot be broken. We must maintain the unity of the Scriptures in relation to the balance of the truth, but we must never allow the Old exactly to regulate the New. In the working out of our matters, we must let the New regulate the Old, and therefore when we come to Leviticus 13 and 14 it is replete with spiritual instruction in regard to the administration of cleansing. This man that is referred to here is to be presented for cleansing. He is not presented to be healed - notice that. The healing has taken place. One of the great things that come up in the enquiring minds of the brethren is if leprosy is healed, what more is to be looked for in one withdrawn from, but who has expressed repentance and yet his course requires, because of the gravity of the sin, that he should be withdrawn from. What more is to be looked for? Well, Leviticus 14 helps us on that matter. There is a good deal that we have not time to go into, as to the washing of the garments, the shaving of the hair and the bathing in water. It is all part of the administration of cleansing - not to keep the man out; that is not the point here. The whole point is to bring the man in. You are not looking for something else to keep him out, you are looking, as it were, for something to bring him in. Oh, we want to be in line with God, dear brethren, in these matters! If souls are moving our way as affected by the work of recovery, we want to make the most possible of what we find. We do not want to be on the lines of searching out evil. One was referring to it recently, as the beloved and honoured servant in New York said in a remarkable letter (which the brethren will soon see when the published letters come out) in regard to witness, that God never helps us on the lines of seeking out evil. Notice the importance of this. He helps us as evil comes out. He helps us to deal with it, but He does not help us in ferreting out evil. It is a great matter, in the operation of things in the assembly, that we are not to be on the line of ferreting out evil! Evil will come to light, and when it comes to light let us not be slow in dealing with it, because we are to be like God in that respect too.

So in Leviticus 14 this man is coming up for cleansing, not for rebuke, for criticism, or something that will send him back outside the camp. He is coming up for presentation. What a word, dear brethren, in this chapter! It says in verse 11: “And the priest that cleanseth him shall present the man.”

“Oh.” some brother says, “I do not like to link on with that kind of man! He has had such a history!” Not this priest here! It says this priest is to present the man. What a word that is! What dignity enters into this word! It is a word in the divine vocabulary, a word that is used in relation to divine Persons Themselves. You will remember how Paul uses it in relation to Christ as to His presenting the assembly to Himself; how he, Paul, uses it himself in Corinth in relation to the saints being presented as a chaste virgin to Christ. We have to understand this word. We have to understand these great terms of the truth. We do not want to devaluate the currency. We do not want to use spiritual expressions - what I might call divine expressions - loosely. We want to keep on the gold standard. It enters into this great matter of the administration of cleansing. It says, “the priest that cleanseth him shall present the man.” Now it says in the furnishings in verse 10, “on the eighth day he shall take two he-lambs without blemish, and one yearling ewe-lamb” - notice that word “ewe” - “without blemish, and three tenth parts of fine flour mingled with oil, for an oblation, and one log of oil.”

Two things are mentioned here that are not used very often. The ewe-lamb is one. It is mentioned in connection with the fulfilling of the days of the Nazarite in Numbers 6. It comes into his offering. The only other time it comes in in these books is in this relation here where the man is being presented. It is a dignified thought. You understand the dignity that enters, into the fulfilment of the day of Nazariteship. What wealth, what dignity attend the completing of those days! And this is a dignified matter here. The administration of cleansing involves this ewe-lamb, no doubt an allusion to what you would expect in the man that is being presented. The second is, “and one log of oil.” Now this is something new, something different; it had never been seen before. So, dear brethren, when we ask these questions as to what more we would look for in the restoration of a person, this is one of the things that we would expect to find in the working out of the administration of cleansing, the feature of the log of oil coming into view. You will notice that it is the twelfth part of a hin. You will notice in Scripture the much use of the numeral twelve, not that I want to put too much into it. It is here abstrusely in the log of oil. The Spirit is suggested in the log of oil - a special touch as to the Spirit - not in a very extended way. But there is a suggestion here in the log of oil of something that we have to look for. The numeral twelve, as we know, is the love number. It is the great number that enters into the vessel of administrative glory in Revelation 21, and I believe that the one log of oil suggests among other things what we would expect to see in persons that are coming under the administration of cleansing, a link of affinity between them and the system that they are having to do with and of which they are the subject of the operations. The Spirit is here in the assembly; He is not in the world, He is in the assembly. In the man that is being cleared - he is being cleared, he is being cleansed - you would look for this kind of affinity, not exactly a great extended matter - a twelfth part of a hin - but you would see love there, not in a fully developed way but in an abstruse way. In Galatians the first feature of the fruit of the Spirit is love. Paul stresses, in 2 Corinthians 2, the element of love, and I might say the element of love is in the one log of oil. It is a great thing to notice how that enters into this matter.

“And the priest that cleanseth him shall present the man that is to be cleansed and those things before Jehovah, at the entrance of the tent of meeting.” Oh, the glory and dignity of the assembly! It is coming into our view here. It is coming to the man’s view. It is well that the man should see in being presented, the dignity of this position, the entrance of the tent of meeting, the dignity of God’s assembly, the greatness of it, the vessel of grace, the anointed vessel! What a vessel it is! And this man draws near with the priest - with the priest! The right kind of man is presenting him, the right kind of element is presenting him, the priest, who having the Spirit has capacity to think and act for God. You say he is acting for the man. Certainly, but he is acting for God and representing God in what is being done. And so the importance, in the administration of cleansing, of priestly minds and priestly hearts. It is not a matter of anyone taking on the matter; it is the priest that enters into the matter. Of course, we do not have special priests in Christianity; all the saints are priests as having the Holy Spirit, but there are those who have developed capacity in the priesthood as making room for the Holy Spirit. And so Galatians says, “ye who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, considering thyself lest thou also be tempted,” showing how the priest is regulated. The “spiritual” represents the priesthood from the side I am speaking of it, and they are regulated in dealing with sin; they have to beware, and girt lest they also be tempted. So it says here that “the priest shall take one he-lamb, and present it for a trespass-offering, and the log of oil, and wave them as a wave-offering before Jehovah “

Now I want in passing to refer to this horizontal action. You will notice it is not a heave-offering here; it is not the vertical action. It is the horizontal action. It says, “the priest shall take one he-lamb, and present it for a trespass-offering, and the log of oil - and wave them as a wave-offering before Jehovah.” The wave offering would take into account all upon the horizontal plane. It is before Jehovah; it is at the entrance of the tent of meeting; all that is linked with the horizontal plane would be taken into account in this great matter. I suppose it would leave such an impression on the man, and on those that were looking on, that they would never forget. How often it does, dear brethren, in the working out of the administration of cleansing. When we see a soul having fully judged himself, healed, cleared, cleansed, we see him set up in relation to God and in relation to the assembly. What a sight! What a sight for heaven, and what a sight for us, the saints! It is a wonderful sight! How we should rejoice in the wonderful work of recovery and the administration of cleansing linked with it! Much is made of the man being covered by the oil, his head, his hands and his feet. Well, these are all added matters that we would look for, in any one who has judged sin. You would look for features of the Spirit’s presence. The natural energy and the energy of the flesh unjudged which caused the leprosy, which has been the means of the lawlessness, is now replaced by the kind of power that this world does not understand, presented in the log of oil. Now, you will notice that there are degrees in leprosy. Have the brethren ever thought of that? We often think of leprosy as all one thing, but there are degrees even in leprosy. There are degrees in sin. There are degrees in leprosy. So that if a man has leprosy in his head, if he is teaching what is evil, teaching what is wrong, he is utterly unclean. That is not said of the others, showing that there are degrees in leprosy.

Now I come to this matter of the sea. How dignified the administration of cleansing is in Solomon’s time, as the light increases from the Mosaic side to the Davidic side and from the Davidic side to the Solomonic side. As the light increases, the requirements become greater, the administration becomes enlarged, so that the abundant provision made for the administration of cleansing in the wonderful system of things under Solomon, who sets out the great feature of sonship, is something to be noticed. The very word “sea” - what a word! It says, “he made the sea,” it is not a bottle of water or a little vessel, it is a sea! It is intended to convey large thoughts, inculcate large thoughts into our minds, in regard to the administration of cleansing, and the interesting thing about it is that it had much greater capacity than what was actually held in it. Generally it carried two thousand baths, but its capacity was three thousand baths, meaning, I take it, that the principle in Christianity is ‘more and more’; if there is need for more it can be brought in, its capacity is there, two thousand baths, but it can be extended to three thousand baths according to Chronicles. It is a very interesting thing because Chronicles deals with the earthly side. On the earthly side in Numbers in the millennium, there is constant decline in the number of bullocks, but in Christianity we have perfection. We begin with perfection in Christ. 1 Kings suggests Christianity and so we have only got two thousand baths in the sea. It says, “it held two thousand baths.” Notice the recurrence of the word “twelve”. The great numeral of love, the divisible number, twelve. How it colours the scene! The first numerals are the responsible numerals, as you will notice - five, ten and thirty - but then when we come to what supports the sea, the number twelve comes into our view, the twelve oxen, meaning the patience that is required in the administration of cleansing. It is for the priests to wash in, and the oxen look on all the points of the compass. What an outlook from this system of glory, with all the light that enters into it! What an outlook on every position! It is as if the divine suggestion would be that whatever way persons come (they are coming, as Isaiah says, coming from all points) and the administration of cleansing will meet them as coming.

You will remember Ahaz, that ungodly king to whom God gave great opportunity. He tried to encourage him, He tried to help him but he would not be helped. God said to Ahaz, “Ask a sign!” He wanted to help Ahaz, and Ahaz piously says, “I will not tempt Jehovah.” How God was wearied with this as He Himself says there! It says of Ahaz in 2 Kings 16, that he “took down the sea from off the brazen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a stone pavement,” verse 17. You can understand, that that man did not understand the administration of cleansing. “A stone pavement.” He refused the idea of the oxen. He separated it from the idea of the oxen, the patient pursuit of the brethren in help, in the administration of cleansing. He removed it from there and put it on a stone pavement. Think of how crystallised a stone pavement is, nothing yielding there, no suggestion of love there, whereas the twelve oxen suggest divine love among the saints in this wonderful system of glory that is operating in support of this great administration of cleansing.

Well, may the Lord help us as to this important matter, dear brethren, in all our gatherings in relation to the administration of cleansing.