“HIS OWN GENERATION”
A John E Temple
Acts 13: 36
Esther 4: 14 (from “And who knows …”)
Hebrews 13: 8
My impression began with the reading here last Thursday in which we spoke of generations in the fifth chapter of Genesis. We felt that God added something further in each generation; in each, God will work out something. At this time, I would like to continue in that line, not so much the side of addition, although that would be still there - God would still be adding from one generation to another; but the way that there is a working in generations.
This verse, in Acts 13, about David, when Paul was speaking at Antioch of Pisidia, says, “having in his own generation ministered to the will of God, fell asleep”: “having in his own generation”. Well, naturally speaking, he could not minister other than at the time of his own generation. However, the Spirit brings it out; so what we were saying is emphasised. God acts constructively. He had David here and had something to work out through him, and David was a man who was working “in his own generation”. I am not suggesting that David was thinking it would have been better if he had lived in Abraham’s time or the time of Joshua or anyone else, but he was one who was here, serving God, ministering to the will of God, and content to do so where God had put him and when God had put him there. I know there is far more than that to the history of David because David was one of the great men that we read of in the Scriptures. He was one who we may see, especially in his early life, as a type of Christ. He was a man who went through many experiences. However, I think we could put the life of David together in this way, “having in his own generation ministered to the will of God”. I think if David had read this, he would have been thankful to see that his life had been seen in that way; that was what he was doing. He was going on, ministering to what God would have him to do.
Beloved, is that not something that we would all appeal to one another about? That is what is looked for from each one of us, none of us here having a prominent part like David did of old, king for all those years. God places us in our locality and would have us minister in however simple a way to His will. David was ministering to the will of God. Note that: it does not say ‘ministering to God’ although David did that, for you can see from the Psalms and elsewhere that he was a priestly man who could approach God, ministering to God. However, it says, “ministered to the will of God”, a man here who was furthering the will of God in his lifetime, not trying to usurp the place of another to do that, but doing what God had given him to do. I believe there is something for us each to learn from this.
I turn to Esther. I have not chosen these two because one was a king and one was a queen, but to give us an illustration as we have here in this well-known little section when Esther had become doubtful about things and what the reaction would be if she went into the king. But Mordecai sent in this word to Esther, “And who knows whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”. Well, this is simply a time. We have spoken of the generation of David, “in his own generation”, but within a lifetime there may come something which a person is particularly called upon to do, and we should be ready for that. This was a momentous thing she had to do, and, of course, God used it. It may be something much smaller, unknown generally, but God can still act in this way as Mordecai speaks of here, “And who knows whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”. God has someone to do some particular thing, and we can read in Scripture about persons who come in to do something, which would help the testimony on, and then they are not mentioned again in the pages of Scripture. Similarly, there are persons who are not even named. But, beloved, may we be ready for a touch like this! Maybe this occurs to someone more than once. “And who knows whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” We should be alert in this way at any time for what the Lord might indicate for us to do.
I move on to Hebrews 13 where we come to the Lord Himself: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to-day, and to the ages to come”. I am not taking this up to speak of the three things said of Him, of the times, “yesterday, and to-day, and to the ages to come”; but the words I would call attention to are “Jesus Christ is the same”; He is unchanging. I want to relate that to the generations. David was “in his own generation”. While that was before the Lord became Man, it is an illustration of Scripture. Now from the time that the Lord has gone on high, and the Holy Spirit has come, it is that He is the same. He has been the same towards every generation. We might think we are in a fragmented generation because of the public breakdown, not in the pristine days of the church; but in every generation for those who would seek to be on this line of ministering to the will of God, the Lord Jesus is there in support. Do we not get the way He is in support as High Priest earlier in this book? He is in support of those who are here to do the will of God and, of course, whilst the Holy Spirit is not mentioned here, His service, too, has been constant. Think of the glory of His Person, for, although His service may be lowly, He also remains the same.
Well, beloved, if we have any desire, may our desires be increased for what we have spoken of in the first two scriptures. What divine support there is for us, the support of the Lord Jesus and of the Holy Spirit as has been known in every generation; and that remains the same.
I just commit these thoughts to the brethren that the Lord may be able to use them in some little way for His Name’s sake.
Word in a ministry meeting, Sunbury
26th October 2022