Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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I'd like to first of all turn to a verse in Acts chapter 2.
Acts chapter 2, and the 42nd verse. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine, and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
There's a beautiful order in this passage, as you can see, the apostles doctrine and fellowship. That is the true ground on which we can have fellowship. Then the breaking of bread. That was our privilege here this morning. And prayer, the expression of dependence and confidence in God. Well, it wasn't particularly to speak on this verse, but I just read it because that was a subject that was before me.
And to relate it to a picture that we.
In the Old Testament in connection with Caleb.
And I believe these things are very important. Every one of us desire fellowship. We like to be at meetings like this because we meet a lot of other young people whom we love in the Lord. We can have times of fellowship with them, but true fellowship is always founded upon the apostles doctrine. And so we see those two things brought together here and I trust.
Always be so in our lives that we will seek fellowship with those who do walk in the truth of God in the Apostles doctrine.
Well, as I said, what I had particularly before me was a little instance of this in the Old Testament. Yesterday, our brother spoke about Gideon in the Book of Judges, and I'd like to bring up another one that we also read something of in the Book of Judges. But it was particularly in connection with three people that I would like to bring before you this afternoon.
And that is Caleb and Osneal and AXA 2 men and.
One woman we find a great deal of instruction, I think, in these three people. We have brothers and sisters here, we have boys and girls, and perhaps we could think of acts as a girl. I expect she was quite young because we're introduced to her before she was married. And so I take it that she was probably what we would say, a young person, a girl. And Othniel probably very much the same, comparatively young, Caleb much older.
These three people.
Also, there are two places that are quite instructive in connection with their life here, and those two places have two different names.
One is Hebron, which means company. We have read about the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and so Hebron means company. That name was afterwards changed to Kirjatharba, which means the city of giants, giants that opposed the work of God.
Giants who occupied that place that ought to have been a place of company for the people of God. And then the other place is Purchase Sefer, which means the city of Books, and that name was changed to Dbert, which means the Oracle. Well, I believe these things are very instructive for us, and perhaps as we just look at what God has brought before us in His word about these three people.
And about these two places, perhaps we can learn something for our souls as I looked on you, dear young people here. For I can't help but feel what an important place you occupy. It's not long until some of us who are a bit older, if the Lord doesn't come, may be removed from the scene. And what a responsibility. And yet it's very beautiful in the case of Caleb that.
His younger brother, or perhaps his nephew, thought.
Gone and became a rich blessing, a deliverer among the people of God. And so as you come to these meetings and seek to listen to the truth of God, perhaps the Lord is fitting you for a place that you can occupy. Our brother brought before us yesterday about Gideon, the useful place that he occupied in the deliverance of God's people. And so Othniel did this. But there was a background to it all that I think.
Is very instructive for us, very necessary if we're going to go on in the right ways of the Lord.
Well, I won't take time to turn to the first mention of Hebron, it's back in the book of Genesis. But I'll just mention that there came a time when it tells us that Lot chose the well watered plains of Sodom and pitched his tent towards Sodom and went down there to live. And at that very time we find that Abraham on the other hand.
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He went, and he dwelt in heaven.
Perhaps you could just look at it, just take a moment. It's in Genesis, I think it's the 13th chapter.
Yes, Genesis 13. We'll begin at verse 12.
Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly. And the Lord said unto Abram, After that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward, and eastward and westward.
For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it.
And to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it, and in the breadth of it, and I for I will give it unto thee. Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.
Isn't this very lovely? Here there was a separation took place Two believers. One made a wrong choice, one made a right one.
Meetings like this are often place of great choices. We make decisions often in meetings like this that may affect our whole life perhaps decisions about whether we're going to go on for the Lord, decisions about the company that we're going to keep, decisions perhaps about a life partner. There are a great many important decisions that are often made on occasions like this and this was a very important decision in the life Abram we find here that.
Lot made a sad decision. He went down. He didn't at first go to Sodom, you know, He didn't go all the way. He pitched his tent towards Sodom. Dear young people, in what direction are you going? In what direction? This world is really literally becoming a Sodom world. I don't need to tell you that any of you go to school or work in offices. You know, it's a Sodom world. Morality is just going to the winds and everything is going to pieces.
And, you know, we must make a choice. Are we going to choose to have our company with those who seek to walk in the apostles doctrine in the truth, or are we going to just be a little bit loose? You know, Lot was a real believer. He didn't altogether like it in Sodom. He knew it wasn't the right place. It says he vexed his righteous soul from day-to-day.
With their unlawful deeds, he did feel kind of uncomfortable.
But it seemed that it was an easier path and more profitable to him as he thought, and so he pitched his tent toward Sodom. But Abraham he turned and started in the other direction, to dwell in God's land. That was God had promised to his people. Oh dear young people, are you living in the enjoyment of what you have in Christ?
Are you living in the enjoyment of your portion? Oh, how richly we're blessed in Christ. We could not be blessed more richly than we are with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies, having the companionship in God's goodness in this land of so many who love the Lord Jesus, with whom we can seek to go on in fellowship. It isn't so in some lands. We're greatly blessed in this land. We should be so thankful.
Well, Abraham.
Started in the other direction and went toward Hebron, which means company or perhaps fellowship. And isn't it nice what the Lord said? He said, I'm going to give you all this land, Abram, and he said, I want you to go and walk through it. Now this becomes very practical. Are we walking in the truth that we know? Are we walking in it? It's all very well to say I know a great many of these things that you were.
Speaking about in the meeting yesterday, I know these things, but are we walking here as pilgrims and strangers or are we trying to become part of the world system? Another has said the moment we do anything to meet the eye of the world, worldliness begins. It's quite a searching thought, isn't it? I'm going to say it again, the moment we do anything to meet the eye of the world.
Worldliness begins. That is, we have a wrong motive.
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We're not looking to the Lord. We're seeking the approval of the world that crucified our Lord and Savior. Well, Abraham was told to walk through the land and see this good land. And then it tells us he removed his tent and he came. Are you going to remove your tent? And so, so to speak, make a decision perhaps here that you're going to seek the fellowship of those who walk in the truth. Go on in it. Well, Abraham did.
This and he built his altar there. He found in the company of God's people that kind of fellowship. And I love the way it's put in First Epistle of John where we're reading. And in the 1St chapter he said our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And then he said we write these things that you also may have fellowship with us. Isn't it nice to have fellowship with those who are having fellowship with the Lord?
They're in communion with the Lord and we can meet them and talk.
To them and enjoy in company with them that same sweet communion. Well, that's where Abraham lived. That's where he built his altar in Hebron Company.
But now we turn over to where I'd like to start in Numbers chapter 13, verse 22.
And they ascended by the South, and came unto Hebron, where Ahimaam, Sheshei, and Talmay, the children of Anak, were. Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.
And they came unto the brook of Eskal, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bear it between two men upon a staff. And they brought of the pomegranates and the figs.
And the place was called the Brook Eshkol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence. And they returned from searching of the land after 40 days. And they went and came to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, into the wilderness of Paran to Kadesh, and brought back word unto them and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.
And they told him, and said, We came unto the land, whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled and very great. And moreover we saw the children of Anak there.
The Amalites dwell in the land of the South, and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites dwell in the mountains, and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. And Caleb still the people before Moses and said, Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it. But the man that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we, and they.
Brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched under the children of Israel, saying, The land through which we have gone to search. It is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof. And all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants. And we were in their own sight as grasshoppers. And so we were in our own sight as grasshoppers. And.
So we were in their sight.
The reason I read this is because I think most of us are acquainted with this little incident. There were 12 men out of each tribe that were chosen to go in and spy out this good land that they were going to. And they went in and they went all through the land, and they came to this place called Hebron and this one.
Was now. The name had been changed and it was called Kirjath Arba and.
It tells us in another place that we'll read about it a little later, but the name of this place had been changed to Kirjath Arba.
And.
We can look in the next chapter, I think it tells you that.
Now I guess it's in Judges. Will we look at it shortly? But it had been changed and it was the place where the giants lived. And so we find here that the enemy had invaded this place and it was now a city of giants. And when the people came, they said it's no use.
They they looked over this beautiful land. It was a good land, the land flowing with milk and honey. And perhaps I hear some young person here say.
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Well, it is true. It's wonderful to be a Christian, and it's wonderful to know that your sins are forgiven, that heaven is your home, that you're blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ.
You don't know how difficult it is to be a Christian where I am. It's all very well if you're surrounded with those who love the Lord, but it's far too difficult. And here, this city called Hebron had now become the place where the sons of Anak lived, and these Anakins were the giants. And so they just got discouraged.
But here we see Caleb and I think this is where Caleb comes in the 1St.
One that we want to speak of, when he realized that the people were getting discouraged, he said, he said, we're well able to go up there. And he counted upon the Lord who had promised them that land to bring them into that land and to give it to them to possess it. Had God not said, I'll bring them out and I'll bring them in and I'll plant them in the mountain of my inheritance and I'll bless them well, that's what gave.
Confidence to Caleb, he didn't have confidence because he was bigger than the giants. He wasn't. It tells us that these other men measured themselves beside these giants and they said we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. That is, they felt so small in comparison with the mighty enemies that were living.
There in Hebron, now called Kirjath Arba.
Well, perhaps I see a young person saying just that. It's nice to be a Christian, but the path of the Christian is too difficult. Let me quote again the saying of a dear man of God. He said that.
The path of the Christian is worthwhile if it were 1000 times harder than it is, it is, dear young people, it's well worthwhile. Let anyone that's walked in the path that departs from the Lord and goes on with the world tell you the way of the transgressor is hard. It isn't an easy path to go on in the ways of sin. It may start out easily, but I tell you the path of departure from the Lord brings plenty of sorrow and.
Trouble with it. There is no real blessing in that path. The path of the Christian may be hard, but you'll never be out of good company. You'll never be out of good company. As our brother brought before us. The Lord will always be with you. We may not always be conscious of his presence, but before he left his own, he said, Lo, I am with you. Alway, even unto the end of the age, those two on the road to Damas, Atu, Emmaus, they weren't aware of the Lord's company.
But he was there, He listened to all their discouraging story, but he was still there. And when their discouraging story was all done, then he made their hearts burn within them and drew them back to himself and to where he would have his own to be. And so isn't it lovely to see this restoring grace of God? But I beseech you, don't be so discouraged by the difficulties of the way that you give up. I haven't got time in this.
Short little time here together to go back to what happened. But you'll find in the next chapter they tried in their own energy to go back. They said on another occasion, let us make us a captain and return into Egypt. Perhaps you have said, oh, it's too difficult, I just can't go on in that path. Or maybe you say, I think I can do it. I think I have enough oomph behind me that I can do it. Oh dear young people, we don't have.
Enough strength in ourselves. Peter thought he did. Peter said, Lord, I'll never deny thee, but did he? Peter was as weak as anyone else and any one of us today that have been kept by the grace of God will say it was not of ourselves. It was only his goodness and his grace and his strength that has kept us.
We sing aloud to God our strength He has brought us hitherto, but He's a mighty Savior.
Well, the most of them were discouraged, but Caleb and Joshua didn't follow the crowd. Perhaps you say, well in our meeting it's a lot easier to drift along with some who are turning into the world. While only two out of 10 here. Remember the crowd is when you have the company of the Lord Jesus. When there's only two in his company. It's a crowd because of how mighty he is. And so seek the company of the Lord.
Jesus walk in the enjoyment of himself and of his love, and you'll be blessed.
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Well, Caleb still the people, and he didn't look at the giants in comparison to himself. As I've often said, he might have felt like a grasshopper beside the giants, but he measured the giants in comparison with God. And how did the giants compare with God? Well, they were the grasshoppers. In comparison with God, the giants were the grasshoppers. And I want to tell you that in comparison with the one who stands on our behalf, all the giants are just.
Grasshoppers.
Paul said when he was in prison, I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me. He said on another occasion at my first answer, no man stood with me, but all men forsook me. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. The Lord is the one that really counts, and he'll not fail you. He's faithful. He is the one who never, never lets his own down even.
When we failed, we can say, like the psalmist, he restoreth my soul. Let's turn over to the next chapter.
No, it's I'd like to turn to Joshua. Pardon me.
Joshua chapter 14, verse 10.
And this is Caleb speaking here and now. Behold, the Lord hath kept me alive as he said, these 40 and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness. And now, lo, I am this day 4 score and five years old, and yet I am a strong this day, as I was in the day that Moses sent me.
As my strength was then, Even so is my strength now for war.
Most to go out and to come in now therefore give me this mountain whereof the Lord spake in that day. For thou heardest in that day how the Anakins were there, and that the cities were great and fenced. If so be, the Lord will be with me. Then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said. And Joshua blessed him, and said unto Caleb the son of Jethunah Hebrah gave unto.
Caleb, the son of Jephunneh.
For inheritance.
Everyone therefore became the inheritance of Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenozite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the Lord of Israel. And the name of Hebron before was Kirjath Arba. That's what I spoke of, Kirjath Arba, that's the city of the giants, which Arba was a great man among the Anakins, and the land had rest from war.
While many years passed by here, he tells us that he was, he was now 85 years old. It was approximately 40 years before when the Lord had shown that good land to Joshua and Joshua had made his decision. Oh, you say that's a long time to wait. 40-5 years, 45 years. My patience gets sort of down when I have to wait a little while, but.
Away 45 years and Janelle they shall not be ashamed that wait for him. Dear young people, wait the Lord's time. Don't go ahead of them. Run not before him. Whatever be tied. When we run ahead of the Lord, we always get into problems. If we tarry behind too when he leads, then like Peter, we may get into a bad situation like he did and denied his Lord. Keep close to him.
But remember.
Don't go ahead of him, don't tarry a long way behind. Just keep close for 45 years almost. And now they have entered the land. God has fulfilled His promise. He's faithful. The Lord had said that it was to be for him and for his seed. And so Caleb was thinking not only of himself, but he was thinking of those who were near and dear to him. And who can tell the blessing? Some of us who are here, thank God.
For Christian fathers, Christian mothers, what a blessing they are to us. What a blessing to have a brother just said to me yesterday, I don't know of any greater blessing than to have a Christian mother. Well, a Christian father and a Christian mother are a great blessing. Perhaps some of you young people say, oh, but they restrain us so much. Tell us not to do this and that. Thank God for a Christian father and mother. They love you. They seek your blessing. They're.
To do their very best for you. They're not perfect. None of us as parents are. But I'll tell you this, that every Christian parent, the highest desire that he has for his children is that they should know the Lord as their Savior and go on for him. There's no more wonderful desire that we could possibly have because of the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen.
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Are eternal. Well, I say, he waited a long time.
But the Lord strengthened him all through these years, and now he receives here the blessing of Joshua. And what inheritance did he have? Did he give him an easy part of the land? Where out from where the giants lived? No, He had come back and told the people why we've seen this good land. We've been to Hebron.
And he didn't call it Kirjatharba, he called it.
Hebron And so he saw it as God sees it, and he gave it God's name, even though the giants were there. But when they came in, why this was now in the possession of the giants. And you know, there are a lot of giants standing in your way. You know, I don't need to tell you there's a lot of giants standing in your way right now. And right while I'm talking to you, the enemy is saying you see that difficulty.
It's a whole right to listen to that brother telling you this, but you?
It's not as easy as he's saying. You know the problem you're going to have, you know the way it's going to be, and you can see these giants and you feel like a grasshopper in the presence of the giant. Is that the way you feel? Well, God is able. He's able for every situation. There is nothing too hard for the Lord and so.
Joshua, blessed Caleb, I might just mention here rather interesting little feature and that is that the name Caleb, I understand means dog. The name of Joshua means Savior. You say why you bring that in? Well, you know very well that a dog can get into a great many places if it stays close to its master. Why a dog will get into places where you couldn't get in if he's with his master and so.
Who is our Master? Who is our Savior? The word Joshua means Jesus. It's the very same word. And if you keep close to the company of the Lord Jesus, maybe we were just like Gentile dogs who had no blessing, claim upon blessing at all. But all how richly we've been blessed because we've been brought to the Lord Jesus. He's the Savior. His name shall be called Jesus.
For He shall save his people from their sins. I believe that's why it emphasizes the fact about.
But just about Caleb, that he wholly followed the Lord. A dog that runs away from his master will not get the privileges of a dog that stays close to its master. And so here that was the emphatic thing about Caleb, that he wholly followed the Lord. He stayed close. And may the Lord keep us Scripture, a little hymn that we sing says.
O Lamb of God, still keep us close to thy pierced side.
It is only there in safety and peace we can abide.
Well, Joshua blessed Caleb, and he gave him this very, very difficult spot, it tells us in this 13th verse. And Joshua blessed him and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron, not Kerjath Arba Hebron, for an inheritance. Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenozite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel.
And the name of Hebron before was called was Kirjath Arba, while he was blessed with Hebron. And you know, I say again, dear young people, may the Lord keep you in the path. May that be the great desire of your heart to walk through life in the company, in the enjoyed company, perhaps I should say, of the Lord Jesus, and in the company of those who love Him. My Father used to say to us sometimes.
The Lord chooses my friends for me. What did he mean? Well, you know, if you walk in the path of obedience, the Lord brings you into company of people you never expected to meet. And why did you meet them? I often said, I don't suppose I would know hardly one person in this room if the Lord hadn't saved me. And the reason I know you and love you in the Lord is because the Lord saved me.
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Men of the world, they form societies.
In business and in sports and in all kinds of things. And they meet each other in that way. We meet each other because we belong to Christ. And so there's a fellowship that is formed. First of all, I say, seek the company and fellowship, which means common thoughts of the Father and of his son. Walk through this world as our brother brought before us this morning, just able to look up at any moment and say God is my Father and he's up there.
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And he's the one who was looked down upon me in love and sent his son. And then I know his Son and I can have fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And then this introduces us into another company, the company of those who walk in that fellowship who enjoy that company. And so this was the privilege that is brought before us in picture here about Caleb he was given.
And that became his possession. May the Lord grant again, I say, pardon me for repeating, but I hope you young people, that will be your portion. I've lived to see many, many young people start up, brought up in the meeting, formed friendship with those in the meeting, and then they got discouraged. They saw a lot of giants. Hebron became the city of.
Giants to them and they said the past is too difficult and they chose another path.
May the Lord keep you in the company of the Lord Jesus, and in the company of those who desire to walk in his ways. The psalmist could say, I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. Well. When this took place, it says, and the land had rest from war.
The land had rest from war. Isn't it nice? That is, there is a peace, not just the peace of salvation, but it speaks of it in Philippians. It says, and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. We have peace with God through the finished work of the Lord Jesus. But what is the peace of God?
Why? It's the peace in which God himself.
Who else?
I often say was God.
Was the throne of God disturbed by anything that happened in this world yesterday? Oh, you say no, He knew everything. He was in control of everything. You and I are entitled to walk in that peace. We see events happening in the world, events happen in our personal lives that in themselves are very, very upsetting. But isn't it beautiful to be able to enjoy that peace of God? It passes all understanding. The world can understand peace.
When everything.
Is sort of pleasant and agreeable, but they can't understand a piece that is the same whether there's upheaval or otherwise. I've sometimes told a little story about the child who was on board ship.
With her mother.
And there was her father was the captain of the ship, and a great storm came up, and the child was asleep downstairs in the in their room. And when the storm came up, the boat began to toss about and the child awakened and her mother was there. You know all she asked.
She said mother is daddy on deck.
Her mother said yes, she said OK, and she went off to sleep again. Why? She had confidence that her father was in control. Well, that's what that's what it is for us. That's what the peace of God is. The Lamb had rest for more. The Lamb had rest from war, made a peace of God, garrisoned our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Now we come to the next chapter.
The OR rather, let's turn over to judges.
Pardon me.
Now I believe it's here in this.
Next chapter is it?
Yes, it's in the next chapter, the 15th chapter of Joshua.
And the 16th verse.
Perhaps I should read from the 13th. And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh, he gave a part among the children of Israel, according to the commandment of the Lord, to Joshua, even the city of Arba, the father of Anak, which is which city is Hebron. And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshii, Anahiman, and Talmi I, the children of Anak. And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Dieber. And the name of Deber before was Kerjessifer.
And Caleb said, He that smiteth courage has seepher, and taketh it to him, will I give AXA my daughter to wife. And Osneal the son of Kenas, the brother of Caleb, took it, And he gave him AXA his daughter to wife. And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father to field, And she lighted off her ***. And Caleb said unto her, What wouldst thou?
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Who answered?
Give me a blessing, for thou hast given me a Southland. Give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.
Well, here we read again about how the Lord gave this land to Caleb and how he was able to drive out these sons of the giant. And now Caleb turns to.
The people and says.
He that smiteth courage us see for, and taketh it to him. Will I give acts of my daughter to wife?
Well, I mentioned before that.
Encourage us. Cipher means the study of books.
No. Doesn't that seem to speak to you about the world of today? I was in a book room in another city one time and I heard a conversation that was a young girl speaking to another girl in the book room and she said.
The greatest influence on my life has been the books that I've read.
And dear young people, there's all kinds of things flooding off the printing press today. The printing press has been a great blessing, but all it's done a lot of harm.
It's brought into our homes and into our lives and into our schools, all kinds of things. You young people have to read a lot of things as you go to school. You have to read them as you go to business. And, you know, we're living, I'm afraid, in the City of Books. And I find a great many young people whose lives are influenced by the City of Books.
It's all the things that they're reading and they haven't a discernment to discern.
And what is according to God's word and what is not. And we are influenced by these kind of things. And so Caleb said if anyone can overcome this city of books, he said, I'll give him acts of my daughter to wife. Now a lot of you young people, you have to go to school. Some of you have to take a higher education for your job.
But I beg of you to be careful that when you read anything.
That you compare these things with God's Word. God has a standard and you can be greatly influenced, more than you think, by these things. Do you read the word of God? It's the divine standard.
My father used to say to us sometimes he said, every book that I read I judge except one.
And that is God's Word, he said. It judges me, it judges me. And I beg of you, when you read things, test them by God's Word. I'll tell you another little thing that my father used to say to us too, when we went to school. I thought it was good advice. He said when you go to school, the teacher proudly knows a great deal more than I do about science, about mathematics, and about all those kind of subjects.
But the moment your teacher tells you anything about moral and spiritual.
Matters. Remember, unless it is according to God's Word, it will be folly.
Unless it is according to God's Word, it will be folly. All young people set your standards by God's Word. You may have to read these books, you may have to take them in, but you will find that it's a great victory to be able to overcome the city of Books, to be able to take your studies and not allow those things to hinder you in your soul.
And so as you have to read those things, we need the renewing of the mind.
Romans 12 Says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your intelligent service.
And be not conformed to this world that be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. When I was employed, many, many times I had to work overtime, but I was thankful that my time was more free and I could choose when I wished to work overtime. Sometimes I'd go back, work part of the evening and then take off and go to the meeting and then go back and work after the meeting was over in order that I might be at the.
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And I want to tell you this, that renewing of the mind did me an awful lot of good. I found that it sort of took out of my mind things that perhaps would have hindered me. And my mind was renewed in occupation with the things of God, and I could go back to my work refreshed. So don't neglect the privilege that we have to gather together over the Word. Don't neglect the precious living Word of God.
Read it until.
It dwells in you richly with all wisdom and spiritual understanding, until it becomes part of you, and your very thoughts are formed by the Word of God. And then the city of Kirja Seifer will be changed into deber. What is Deber Oracle? If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. Are you? Are you seeking to overcome the city of Books? Because to you the book that really counts is the.
Miracle of God, precious living word of God. Is that what you feed upon? Is that how you test everything? What does God say about him in his word? All people say that that's a good idea. What does God say about it? That's the important thing. We're affected by the world, but what does God say about it is changing courtesy for into deeper and that's what happened. Who was it that overcame?
Well, it tells us that it was a young man whose name was Ostneel. I take it that he was a comparatively young man because he apparently was at the marriageable age. And so he went out against this place. Curtis Seper. And I say again, I speak practically. You young people, many of you are getting your education. You're going to college.
You're learning, and I hope that you will conquer the city of Books. I hope that you will come.
Come out, as someone has said, unscathed by all ideas and thoughts of men, retaining the precious simplicity in the things of God, that you bow to God's word in simplicity and say it settles it. God has said it, and I want to go by his word. But what was the result of this? Well, I know many young people are thinking about this too. You say, Oh, what? I'd love to have a home with a Christian companion. Well.
Tells us here that that's exactly what happened here when Osniel over became this city of books. Then Caleb said I'll give AXA my daughter to that man to be his wife. The Bible says how can two walk together except they be agreed. Dear young people never enter into an unequal yoke.
Don't marry an unbeliever. Just think of what a sad thing it is to try and set out in the most important step in life and have on the other side of the harness with you a person who has altogether different objectives and motives and objects than yourself. How can you go along happily together?
And nor is it enough that just they're in the meeting. If I can use the expression, do they really want to follow the Lord?
Isn't it nice what it says about Acts? As soon as she got married, what did she do? She moved her husband to get more of God's land. And you'll find that, boys, I'll say to you, if you get the right girl, she'll move you in the right direction. She'll help you, She'll be a blessing to you. She'll help you to go along in the path of faith. But you know, it starts in the friendship when you're going together.
That we see, that we have.
Have these same mutual desires that we really together have a purpose in life, and that is that we should give the Lord Jesus his rightful place. Axis saw that here was a young man who went out at the risk of his life and overcame the city of books. And she was happy to become the wife of that young man and on his part, he was happy to have a girl who really.
Those things as he did for you know, when the Bible says be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, it definitely means a believer should not be married to an unbeliever. But there's more than that. How can two walk together except they be agreed?
You know, there are a lot of breakdowns of marriages today and the reason is because they don't have a common purpose in life.
We need to be suited in many other ways, but the most important, I'm not going to speak of that side of things just now, but in the most important thing of all, are you agreed? Do you really together want to go on for the Lord? Here were two people brought together, and as soon as you see them brought together, immediately you see the energy of spiritual life.
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It tells us that she moved her husband to ask a field. In other words, she said, we need to have more of God's land in our possession. And isn't it lovely when the home is set up, when you start to read the word of God together?
I'm sure many of the young marriage can say, oh, it's been a real blessing to me since I've got married. And we sit down, my wife and I, and we seem to get so much more together because we each help one another, getting more of Christ and of Himself, of his mind and of his will and his precious word. Oh, this is lovely to see, isn't it? She moved him to ask afield and she did something on her own too.
It says she went to her father and she said.
You've given us a Southland where you now give us springs of water.
In other words, it's not just getting a cold knowledge of the truth up here. You know, you can get an intellectual knowledge. One brother said. You can be clear as an icicle and just as cold. And it's not my desire that you should just get a knowledge of the word intellectually. But what I desire for you, dear young people, is that along with the knowledge of the truth would come the enjoyment of those spiritual springs.
I've seen Christians who.
Had a great deal of knowledge of the truth, but they weren't happy. They had it intellectually, but they weren't walking in the enjoyment of it. But here we find that AXA.
Goes to her father and she said we need springs of water, we don't just need the land. And he gave her upper springs and nether springs. Perhaps we could think of it as Christ in glory and Christ in his pathway here. Our brother brought that before us yesterday about the fleece. Christ in glory. You know how wonderful we've got one up there in glory.
And we can find springs as we think of him up there and look up and see him crowned in glory. And though we're soon going to be with him. And then we have the example of his pathway down here. So with the knowledge of the truth comes the enjoyment of these precious things in our souls. Here are two young people now setting out in the path together. Caleb has been an influence on his family.
Caleb has been a blessing and this blessing is spreading out. There's a lot of families here.
It's lovely to see the blessings spread out and as the young people grow up, that they value the things that we as older ones have learned to count precious, at least in some measure. May the Lord grant it will be so. And just one more passage before we close, and that's in judges.
Chapter 5.
Three Rather Judges, Chapter 3.
Verse 8.
Begin from verse 7. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God, and served Balaam and the Groves. Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of Chushan, Christian king of Mesopotamia. And the children of Israel served Chuzan.
Eight years. And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel.
Who delivered them, even as Neil, the son of Kennes, Caleb's younger brother? And the spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel and went out to war. And the Lord delivered Jusham, king of Mesopotamia, into his hand, and his hand prevailed against Shusan.
Her rhythm and the land had rest 40 years. And Othniel, the son of Kenaz, died. Isn't this a happy ending to this story? Here's this young man who's married to AXA.
And now coldness and indifference comes in among the people of God. Is he going to throw up his hands and say no use? Was all very well when people of God were with me, but now such coldness has come in, so many have got away, I think I might as well give up now. Here's a young man that's fitted to occupy a very useful sphere. And we see this young man now tells us that he.
He rises up and he delivers Israel out of the hand of this oppressor under whom they had been placed. And so isn't this a happy ending to it? And as I look into the faces of some of you young people here by who can tell what's ahead? As I said, time is going on. The Lord may leave us here a little longer.
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The enemy is at work. The character of the last days is lukewarmness and indifference to Christ. But oh, you can be a blessing among the people of God.
What a young couple who want to go on to the Lord, what a blessing they can be. And here Osmiel, who had overcome the city of Books, who had become married to AXA, and mutually they had sought to go on together for the Lord. Now when this difficulty arises, he rises up in the strength of the Lord, and he defeats the enemy, and the blessing rested all the rest of his life.
It rested upon Israel for 40 years. All the rest of his life he became useful. And so I just commend these few thoughts to you, dear young people. I just mentioned that verse again. They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship. May you value the company of the Lord Jesus, the company of those who seek to walk to please Him.
If difficulties arise, may you seek to meet.
Them in the fear and in the strength of the Lord, may you be a blessing to God's people. And if it's God's plan for you to be married, may He grant that together as you set up your home, you'll seek to give the Lord Jesus his rightful place, and you'll be blessed and made a blessing.