HOW THINGS ARE MAINTAINED
Alan D Munro
Genesis 47: 11, 12; 50: 21
2 Samuel 19: 31-33
1 Kings 17: 1-4, 8-16
I would like to speak about how things are maintained: maintained from God’s side, but then maintained on our side. The two things go on together. Obviously, what comes from God’s side far exceeds anything that we do but Zechariah speaks about “the day of small things” (Zech 4: 10), and I think we know something about that.
The settings of these scriptures are completely different. In the first one in Genesis, Joseph is in supreme power in the land of Egypt. He is a type of the Lord Jesus as the glorious Administrator. He is subordinate to Pharaoh, and Pharaoh in a slightly abstract way could be a type of God, but I think the scripture more draws attention to the perfect administration of Joseph. In one sense he was in a foreign land; he was in Egypt. Jacob had to be encouraged to come down, to leave, what you might call the promised land and come into Egypt. It was an interim situation, but it was for the preservation of the people of God and particularly for Jacob’s family.
What impressed me is in what Joseph says, “there will I maintain thee” (Gen 45: 11): although he was in a great position of power and administration, what was closest to his heart was what was in the family, family life, family preservation. It is quite interesting to think about that: the Lord Jesus is really maintaining things with a view to the pleasure of God, the satisfaction of God. He would preserve life. Joseph here was in charge of the food supply, but it was more than just food he provided for them. He provided them with an environment, and he provided them with atmosphere. They were near to him, and I think that the secret of maintenance in our localities, dear brethren, is being near to the Lord and then being near to one another so that there are mutual conditions promoted and maintained.
When we come to chapter 50, Jacob has died and sadly it is almost as though Joseph’s brethren did not trust him. It is actually a very sad picture, but he says again, “Fear not: I will maintain you and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spoke consolingly to them”. I think that is a wonderful thing, to be reminded of the interest the Lord Jesus has in us, every one of us. It is interesting that he refers every time to “little ones”. I think the children are of great value in the sight of the Lord, value in our own sight, especially as we get older. What a thrill it is to see the generations coming along!
Now, there is a different set of circumstances in Samuel: things are improving. David had been in rejection, but the tribes were coming round, and he was going to be reinstated in his place of kingship; but he was not forgetful of what had been done to him in his time of rejection. He wanted to honour Barzillai and to thank him for what he had done. The type obviously falls short because the Lord Jesus is not indebted to anyone, but David here, while he is a type of Christ, shows feelings of respect and reward. He was going to reward Barzillai. But it is not really Barzillai I want to speak of but David, what he had in mind for him. It was really the best of the land: “Pass thou over with me”. He wanted him to leave the wilderness, the area of shortages and difficulties; he wanted him to come to the royal residence. Typically he wanted him to come into the Father’s house, to enjoy life at its highest level but, sadly, it seems that Barzillai’s faculties had deteriorated. I did not read the negative side, but he complained about his age and asked, “can I discern between good and bad can thy servant taste what I eat and what I drink? Can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women?, v 35. If he could not hear “the voice of singing men and singing women” it is unlikely that he would sing either. It is a sad picture. We are not un-christianising such a brother at all; the scripture says, “he was a very great man”, but David had something more in mind, and the Lord has great things in mind for us, but we have to be willing. If we are going to be maintained at His level, we have to come with Him; we have to cross the Jordan; we have to go through these spiritual exercises. The Red Sea speaks about the death of Christ for us, but the Jordan speaks about our death with Him, and we go through that in the power of attraction. There is not the Egyptian army bearing down on us as at the Red Sea. It is a question of leaving one order of things and passing over into another order of things.
But when we come to 1 Kings it is a different picture again; things have deteriorated. David has reigned for forty years, and Solomon has reigned for forty years, but alas! things began to deteriorate, and that is what happens when things get into the hands of man; but there again, the Lord always has the answer. This man Elijah is not given an introduction; there is very little told us about him, just where he stayed, but he came on the scene as a man who had the answer. He had power to bring in what was positive, what related to food. I am impressed that the answer to departure or decay, or a waning in any sense, is to bring in the glories of Jesus. I was impressed with that on Saturday at the address at Glasgow, the way our brother spoke about the Lord Jesus as the Firstborn; and as he went on, his heart seemed to expand. I found it was very infectious. Similarly, our dear brother preaching here on Lord’s day read six scriptures, but his impression was six different characteristics of the Lord Jesus, and it was edifying; it was upbuilding; it was comforting; it was encouraging. That is in principle what comes in here. Elijah comes in with a word, but then God is going to take care of him, going to look after him. The interesting thing is that it does not say that the ravens maintained him. The ravens brought bread and flesh, which is a very unusual thing for a raven to do, because the raven would tend to eat everything in sight and would be selfish, and would not think of anyone else; but the God who made the ravens is the One that can control them; so the ravens were used to bring food to Elijah in the situation in which he was.
What a difference takes place with the widow that she was going to “maintain” him. There is a difference between existing and just getting by and no more, and living, in power and in satisfaction. I think that was a wonderful conclusion to the whole incident. First of all, the meal did not waste and the oil did not waste. These suggest the glories of Jesus and the service of the Spirit. I think the Spirit would help to maintain us in the light and in the power and in the joy of our heavenly calling. It has often been said that in Hebrews 3 you get the Apostle (v 1) - that is the height of the calling - and in chapter 2 you get the “faithful high priest” (v 17) - that is to maintain us at the height of the calling, and we need both. There is a divine system of maintenance. In the world, when certain things have not been used actively you put them on to a care and maintenance arrangement; there is care and maintenance in the divine system, but it is of a far higher level. Things here were in smallness; there was a widow, and she was going to gather these sticks and she was going to die. She had no outlook, and when Elijah comes on the scene, you would almost think he is being selfish. He asked for a cake first. He puts divine claims first, and the widow replies to it. She responds to it. She had the resources, and she did not realise it: “a handful of meal in a barrel”. One impression of Jesus is enough to maintain us forever. And then the “oil in a cruse”, that was again what the Spirit can do. He can take a simple remark or comment in a reading and then open it out and we all get the benefit. The food supply is a wonderful thing. Here it was in a very small measure, but it says, “and she, and he, and her house, ate a whole year. The meal in the barrel did not waste, neither did the oil in the cruse fail”, and it will not. The things of Jesus and the things of the Spirit and the things of God will never waste, but our blessing and prosperity lie in relation to them. I trust the Lord will bless this impression.
Grangemouth
6th March 2024