DEUTERONOMY 24
The first section of this chapter contemplates an action which is not according to the heart of God. He says, “I hate putting away” (Malachi 2: 16). And the Lord Himself said, referring to this scripture, “Moses in view of your hard heartedness, allowed you to put away your wives; but from the beginning it was not thus” (Matthew 19: 8). Divine thoughts were disclosed at the beginning, and they will ultimately be established and secured. But God has often to take a course governmentally which is not at all according to His heart. He does it reluctantly, as the glory went away in Ezekiel. In Hezekiah’s day He asked His people, “Where is the bill of your mother’s divorce? ... for your transgressions is your mother put away”. (Isaiah 1: 1 and see also Jeremiah 3: 8). First Israel and then Judah were sent away; their going into captivity was their public divorce from Jehovah; and yet His heart followed them, as we see so touchingly in the prophets, and Jeremiah 3: 1 intimates that there was grace in His heart that would, in case of repentance and returning to Him, rise above all that was governmental and receive them again.
Unseemly things in God’s people may necessitate His publicly disowning them; and the assembly has to act in harmony with God’s government as well as with His grace. There is binding as well as loosing, retaining of [p. 303] sins as well as remitting (Matthew 18: 18; John 20: 23). But it is always after much long-suffering that God disowns what has stood in relation to Him; He lingers over it in the reluctance of love. The secret of all departure is getting away from the consciousness of divine love; then unseemly things come in; leaving first love opens the door for other things to come in. As we read Revelation 2, Revelation 3 we see how one unseemly thing after another came in until in the end the Lord had to say, “I am about to spue thee out of my mouth”. But His appeals to the assemblies shew the reluctance of His love to break off relations; even to Laodicea He says, “Behold I stand at the door and am knocking”. He may be compelled to remove the lamp out of its place, or to spue the assembly out of His mouth as nauseous to Him, but there is no “hard-heartedness” on His part. Persistent evil, unrepented of, eventually necessitates this action of holy and righteous government.
Jehovah called the attention of Jeremiah to the fact that He had given “backsliding Israel” a bill of divorce, and that “treacherous Judah”, had not taken warning from this. I think that Protestantism is very much like “treacherous Judah”, not having taken to heart the Lord’s dealings with that part of the Christian profession which answers to Israel, where the woman Jezebel is permitted, who teaches and leads astray the Lord’s servants to commit fornication and to eat of idol sacrifices (Revelation 2: 20). The fact that the Lord owns a remnant in Thyatira is really a disowning of the public body, and in that sense a removal of the candlestick; this, I believe, has taken place as regards the Papal Church. But Protestantism, though having peculiar privileges, has not answered to the Lord’s mind any more than Popery, and is in imminent danger of being also sent away as divorced. But a door of repentance [p. 304] is still open for all in the Christian profession, if they will avail themselves of it. Judah had a privileged place, and yet turned out to be worse than “backsliding Israel”; the fact that she had more light and privilege than Israel made her more culpable and more distasteful to God. If unseemly things are found in those who have greater privileges than others they are so much the more offensive to God. It therefore becomes us not to be high-minded but to fear; if we continue in the goodness of God we shall not be cut off.
The prophets shew what a great place the thought of recovery has in the heart of God. See Isaiah 54, Jeremiah 3, Hosea 2, etc., etc. Israel and Judah went after “many lovers”, but the faithful love of Jehovah yearned for their return to Him, and He will yet bring it to pass in His mercy. Becoming “another man’s wife”, would, I think, imply the formation of a definite bond like the covenant of Daniel 9: 27, or Isaiah 28: 15. This would indicate a state of complete apostasy, from which there is no return to divine favour. The scriptures in Hebrews 6: 4; 10: 26 refer to definite apostasy. But there may be sad departure, and great unfaithfulness in going after “many lovers”, which has not the character under God’s eye of apostasy, and from this there may be recovery through the faithfulness and mercy of God. It will be so with Israel, and saints of the assembly have proved recovering mercy in a remarkable way, if we consider what Church history has been. In christendom today there is not only gross departure, but the air is full of the spirit of actual apostasy. Let us beware of decline in the appreciation of divine love, and the weakening of affectionate fidelity to Christ, for if we begin to slip away there is no telling how far we may go! On the down grade the tendency is ever for movement to be accelerated rather than arrested.
The man having “newly taken a wife”, or, as it is literally, “having taken a new wife”, in verse 5 has, I believe, specific reference to Christ and the assembly. Verse 1 would have a bearing on the Church, as well as Israel, viewed as in responsibility, and finding no favour because of “some unseemly thing”. But verse 5 views the assembly as the product of the work of God and the subject of the complacent love of Christ — His blest companion, gladdened by Him. It is the assembly viewed as the fruit of divine purpose and spiritual formation; as such she is His own flesh, and there are no unseemly things in that. Think of Christ being entirely for His house and His wife at the present time! This present period answers to the “one year”. He is not going out with the army to subdue His enemies now; He will do that presently when the year has expired. The “one year” is a kind of parenthesis in the ways of God; it is a special period during which the service of Christ towards the assembly is going on. God is at the present time ordering and over-ruling providentially in the world, and keeping doors open for His glad tidings, but Christ is entirely devoted to the assembly; no kind of business otherwise is imposed upon Him. Jehovah has said to Him, “Sit at my right hand until I put thine enemies as footstool of thy feet” (Psalm 110: 1). Christ is exempted from every business; He is in restfulness at God’s right hand to be free for His house, and to gladden the wife whom He has taken. His undivided attention and affection is given to her to gladden her; He is wholly for the assembly. Our response in affection to Him will be commensurate with our apprehension and appreciation of His love and service. That service is very effective, for it eventuates in the assembly being presented glorious, “having no spot, or wrinkle, or any of such things”. The assembly is subjected to the Christ as her Head; she is subjected to His love and to love’s service and gladdening; she appreciates and enjoys it. The world is not getting the attention of Christ today either to judge things or to put things right; He said expressly, “I pray not for the world”; He is not occupied with nations and their ways. The world is going on with what it thinks great, but Christ is occupied with “his own flesh” down here. His “house” is the circle of His interests, but His “wife” is the delight of His heart, His comfort as He is hers.
God’s thoughts were “from the beginning”, and in the end they will be brought to fruition. The assembly will be presented glorious, and Israel will be clothed with the comeliness of Christ, and will be Head of the nations. But between the beginning and the end there come in the divine ways governmentally with reference to what stands responsibly in relation to Christ. In that connection unseemly things may be found, and a letter of divorce may be given.
Faithfulness on the line of responsibility and the working out of things according to divine purpose will ultimately blend. When the assembly is caught up everything that has been the fruit of exercise and faithfulness in the responsible course will be found eternally secured in the condition of purpose. The undivided attention and love of Christ for the assembly could never be without spiritual result. I do not doubt that through the dark ages there have been those whose hearts have been kept in the consciousness of the love of Christ, and who have proved the fidelity of His service.
If we are not gladdened as the result of the activities of the love of Christ towards us it intimates that there may be some unseemly thing with us; it raises a serious exercise.
There is that in the public profession which has been, or will be, sent away as divorced; but there is something [p. 307] which will not be sent away, but which will be cherished and gladdened by the love of Christ through time and to eternity. An individual appreciation of the love of Christ prepares us to appreciate His love for the assembly. We learn to take account of the whole company that stands in relation to Him as Head, and is His counterpart, His own flesh, the subject of His love and service.
Then neither the handmill nor the upper millstone are to be taken in pledge (verse 6). To put our mills into pledge would mean that we should be left without ability to grind our corn. There is plenty of corn today, even the finest of the wheat. Those who minister the word are the oxen who tread out the corn (see chapter 25: 4); they thresh wheat as Gideon did in the wine-press. But before it can become bread it has to be ground in the mill, and this is an individual exercise of vital importance. Probably the small result from much ministry can be accounted for by the mills not having been used. We must do our own grinding; the ministers of the word cannot do that for us. We have to apply our understanding to what we hear, and not be content to hear precious statements without putting them through a process by which we apprehend in detail what they mean. I am afraid that many statements which we are constantly hearing really convey very little meaning to us. We often say that we have had a good word, but do we grind the corn? If we do not it will not become life to us. A statement of Scripture is not food for me until I understand spiritually, at least in measure, what it means, and understanding does not come apart from the exercise of which grinding the corn is a figure. It would appear to have been woman’s work to use the mill, for the Lord speaks of “two women grinding at the mill”, which would suggest typically its subjective character, and it would also intimate that [p. 308] two might co-operate in such exercises with mutual help and benefit. And this is important, not only for our life but for God’s pleasure and service, for if we do not use the mill we shall have no “fine flour” for oblations (Leviticus 2). In result the priests will not be fed and the service of God will go down to a low level.
To steal a brother or to sell him (verse 7) is a very serious matter; it is a capital offence, punishable by death. There is the possibility that it may be done, or there would not be legislation against it. One may use one’s personal influence over a brother in such a way as to get an undue hold upon him, so that he is no longer in spiritual freedom in the inheritance. A brother might be stolen by personal kindness which brought him unduly under influence, like Absalom kissing the people and attaching them to himself; we are told that he “stole the hearts of the men of Israel”. “The thief comes not but that he may steal”; he would have the sheep for himself not for Christ. Paul warned the elders of Ephesus, where there was the greatest light, that “from among your own selves shall rise up men speaking perverted things to draw away the disciples after them”. That would really be stealing the brethren. A heretic is one who attaches people to himself by some particular view, and thus steals them away from the unity of the faith, and sells them into bondage to something that is not of God. Men-stealers had been at work both in Galatia and at Corinth; self was their object, not Christ nor the good of the brethren. How different were the motives of Paul! “We pray to God that ye may do nothing evil; not that we may appear approved, but that ye may do what is right, and we be as reprobates” (2 Corinthians 13: 7). This is the spirit of a true servant; he does not want the brethren for himself, or his own gain, but for Christ and for the pleasure of God. Paul was willing to be [p. 309] regarded as worthless if what was right could be promoted in the saints.
In immediate connection with this is a three-fold “take heed” as to the plague of leprosy (verses 8, 9). Having self as an object is very likely to result in what is leprous. It is a warning against the will of the flesh coming into evidence even in the land. Priestly teaching as to this is to be heeded. Nothing of the will of the flesh is to have place, Miriam is brought in as a warning, as one who had a very distinguished place in the testimony, but in whom the flesh came out in spiritual assumption, and an unwillingness to take a subordinate place when the sovereignty of God had given the chief place to another. It was flesh in a very religious form, able to criticise the conduct even of Moses, and to claim that Jehovah had spoken to them. We may learn in this the danger of the will of the flesh coming out in speaking against servants to whom the Lord has given a special place. In principle this is speaking against Christ. Indeed Christ is in the saints, and if we thought of this we should be very careful how we speak against them. The leprosy of the Jew came out in his reproaching Christ for taking up publicans and sinners, and now the Gentile, and also in claiming to be the one God had spoken to. Miriam had to learn how dependent she was for cleansing on the intercession of the one she had spoken against.
The divine nature would lead us to respect our brother even if he is poor in Israel. If a brother comes under any obligation to us we must take care that it does not become the occasion of any arbitrary exaction. The giving of his “pledge” (verses 10, 11) is to be a perfectly free act on his part; we are only to want from him what he is prepared to render in liberty; there is to be nothing compulsory about brotherly actions in such a case.
[p. 310] Then if he is needy his pledge is to be returned at the going down of the sun. Our brother’s comfort is to be more to us than our own interest; his upper garment would be his comfort by night, and he is not to be deprived of it. It shews the magnanimous spirit which is to govern our brotherly relations. We should not like the help we have given him by our loan to become an occasion of discomfort to him.
But some one will say, What about righteousness? Well, if your brother blesses you that is better than having his pledge or your money! And God says, “It shall be righteousness unto thee before Jehovah thy God”. We are very slow to learn that righteousness is to act like God! Then, on the other hand, as to what is due to a poorer brother we are not to delay to render it (verses 14, 15) “Neither shall the sun go down upon it”. Is any one crying against me to Jehovah because I have not rendered to him what is in any wise due? That will be sin upon me, a very marked contrast to the action of grace in verse 13 being righteousness to the one who performs it.
Consideration for the poor, the widow, and the stranger is a marked characteristic of this book. See verses 17 - 22. The wealth of the land is to be enjoyed in a spirit of consideration for those who are less favoured. We are to remember that we were bondmen in Egypt, and that we have been redeemed in God’s love and pity from thence, and that is to have such an effect upon us that the same spirit in which God has acted towards us becomes active in us towards others.