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Everything number 117.
117.
32333.
I don't know if you're gonna be.
I'm going to.
Send.
I was wondering.
If we might take up the subject of the Hebrew servant in Exodus 21, perhaps just for this meeting. I know it's an unusual subject for a conference, but you know, the affections of our hearts often are not at the level that they should be.
And that is so vitally important for happiness in our lives and for living a life to please the Lord.
So if it's the mind of the brethren, friends, we could do that. Umm.
Anyone else has this stuff?
I'm just thinking of the 1St 6 verses of the chapter, brother. Yeah, pretty much I think, yes.
00:05:06
That'd be nice.
Exodus chapter 21.
Starting with verse one.
Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them, if thou by an Hebrew servant. Six years he shall serve, and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself.
If he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master have given him a wife, and she have borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her masters, and he shall go out by himself.
And if the master shall plainly say, I love my master, excuse me, if the servant shall plainly say, If I I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go out free, then his master shall bring him unto the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awe, and he shall serve him forever.
The.
Such a beautiful picture of our Lord, isn't it?
How he serves the soul for us 1St to buy us, serving us each day, and it brings out the bride and the children and.
How everyone is blessed.
I rather enjoy the setting in which we find that the 21St chapter.
The verses that we just had read to us, if we go back just a couple of verses in the previous chapter, we know in the previous chapter we have those commandments.
That were written on those tables of stone. But then right at the end of it we have the 25th and the 26th verse where we read. And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build an immune stone.
With thou lift up thy true upon thou hast polluted it. So there was an altar to be built, and there was to be nothing there of beauty that was made in connection with that altar. And then in the 26th verse we read, Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar. And so there was to be no convenience, nothing of beauty or anything of convenience in in connection with worship. The only thing that was of value to God was Christ himself. And so that that's the setting into which we find this Hebrew servant.
A picture to us of that one who was the perfect servant.
Israel was called as as uh, Jehovah's servant in the Old Testament. I think of, uh, some verses in Isaiah 41.
And verse 8.
But thou, Israel, art my servant Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend, thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
But Israel failed in that place of the Servant. Those very commandments that they were given as the servant of Jehovah, they broke.
And uh, down the end of Isaiah 41, verse 28. For I beheld, and there was no man even among them, there was no counselor. And when I asked of them could answer a word, behold, they're all vanity. Their works are nothing. They're molten images are wind and confusion.
And then in chapter 42, he introduces that servant that is going to step in where Israel had failed. Behold my servant, whom I whom I uphold, my elect, in whom my soul delighteth, I put my spirit upon him. He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
A bruised Reed. Shall he not break in the smoking flag? Shall he not quench? He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail. And uh, so Israel as Jehovah's servant really is a picture of what we are in the flesh and, and, uh, there's failure in that, but he introduces 1.
00:10:08
And certainly it was in the mind of the Spirit of God when Moses penned the verses in this 21St chapter of that perfect Servant that would come in and glorify Jehovah where that first servant representing the 1St man failed.
You know that line of things continued on in the 49th chapter, don't we, with respect to the Lord Jesus address read from verse three, Isaiah 49. Three.
Said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naughty and in vain. Yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God. And now saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be a servant, to bring Jacob again to him, though Israel be not gathered. Ye shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the preserved of Israel.
I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
The, uh, 42nd, uh, chapter you, you read it continues on to that, uh, the, uh, the fourth verse, the aisles shall wait for his law. There is a day coming. We know that the Gentiles will be blessed.
In the connection with Israel, but even at this present time, we think of the pathway of the Lord Jesus here says in the 43rd chapter, he said that he was made to toil because of their sins and the end of his pathway of laboring for Israel. He says, uh, I have labored in vain. I have spent my strength for not prophetically it says in Daniel that he'll be cut off and have nothing. And we think of the blessed Lord there. It is grave. Who is there at his grave site? One woman.
Mary Magdalene stood aside weeping at the loss of her Messiah. And so we see the, the, uh, the feeling and the personal sorrow of the heart of the Lord Jesus laboring for Israel. Yet they were not gathered, they were not restored, and they are not yet to this day. And he says, I've labored in vain. We know now in this present day of grace, the blessing has come out to us Gentiles, not as of the nations as they will in a coming day, but his blessing and grace has brought us in.
Right when it seemed, when everything was lost, I think of the case of the call of the bride there in Genesis 24, where Abraham sent the servant to bring a bride to Isaac. And immediately following the, uh, the death of Sarah, it says Isaac brought Rebecca into his mother's tent and he loved her, right? You might say Sarah is a type of Israel. Right at that loss, then Rebecca comes in to the affections of Christ, Isaac, a type of Christ. And so why?
This present day, the Lord Jesus, his laborers for Israel, have not yet been brought them into blessing.
The Church has been brought in and his purpose.
This is for Israel yet be realized, but then just this final thought that with respect to the Lord and his feelings and so Israel wasn't gathered. He says I have labored in vain. The word to us is at the end of first Corinthians 15, that chapter of resurrection. He says, therefore, my beloved brother, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Russian and uh, Isaiah 42 Behold my servant could be an introduction to the gospel of Mark with the Lord Jesus is presented as a perfect burden.
The gospel, there is no gene allergies and it's beautiful to see that the Lord is there at that perfect service. Not long discourses, but there's a little word that, uh, comes off and it's a straight away space full service. And the central verse that, uh, book we can say would be in March 1045.
October March 1045 where it would be.
For reason instead of man came not to be administered to.
00:15:08
Continuing on a little in Isaiah to the 50th chapter.
That the subject of of the Lord is Jehovah's Servant.
Verse four of Isaiah 50. The Lord hath given me the tongue of the learned.
Or or of of the instructed or the learner.
That I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. Think of the Lord here as a as a servant, and such a character that that he could take the place as one instructed by God-given his instructions as a servant would be given instructions by his master in order that he might turn around and be a blessing and help to him that is weary. A word in season to him that is weary, he wakeneth.
Morning by morning he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learner, and in the 127th Psalm it says he giveth his beloved sleep. Whether it was to sleep or whether it was to wake, all was at the command of his gone. Every word that he spoke was at the command of his God. He had an ear prepared to hear, and perfection all the instruction that God.
Had given him and what was that instruction? Well, it took him onto the cross. Obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. The Lord God hath opened mine here. I was not rebellious neither turned away back all the way to the cross. And that obedience and.
You know, I just.
Have enjoyed a few.
Scriptures in connection with that, uh, one in the Psalms.
I think it's right at the end.
Psalm 142.
And this is the Lord.
Certainly, primarily verse four, I looked on my right hand and beheld that there was no man that would know me. Refuge failed me. No man cared for my soul. And so here in his sufferings, as he went on to that cross in perfect obedience, all forsook him and fled. He could look on his right hand, on his left. There were none that could enter into and understand what was before His holy soul at that cross.
And so he could say, refuge failed me, but he could look up independence. I cried unto thee, O Lord.
I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. And so he could look up and find, though he had no refuge here, as a perfect dependent man, as Jehovah's servant, he found his refuge from above and looking at the end of Deuteronomy.
Chapter 33.
Verse 27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. That was said to Israel, but who knew that Scripture like the Lord knew it? As a dependent man, he could walk through this world, and he knew perfectly that underneath him were the everlasting arms. The eternal God was his refuge, though all around him would forsake him and flee away in the hour of his greatest need.
And I connected that with another verse in Daniel.
That, uh.
Just kind of touched my heart.
Daniel and uh, the account of his being thrown into the den of lions.
Chapter 6.
And verse 20.
This is coming to the den.
And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel. And the king spake, and said to Daniel, Oh, Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou service continually able to deliver thee from the lions. So he was.
Speaking to Daniel, but I'd just like to apply it to the Lord. Who could it be? More fully said, the servant of the living God who served continually, continually, and his whole pathway through and on the cross, we read.
And the 22nd Psalm save me from the lion's mouth. And so they're God's perfect servant, that one who knew those everlasting arms under him, that one who found the eternal God is refuge, was forsaken on that cross.
00:20:18
And he cried out, and he was not answered on that cross.
And I just think of this little thing is that God whom thou service continually able to deliver thee from the lions. And then the next word he says in the Psalm that was heard me from the horns of the unicorns. Think of what that perfect servant went through, and his obedience, that path that went down, down, down, all the way to the dust of death, and there forsaken of God, whom He had known perfectly independence.
Undertaking form in every step of the path, giving him the tongue of the learner that he might instruct, and sealing those instructions in his ear day by day, that took him on to Calvary's cross.
The Lord and His love has the service.
That he renders to us, we, I just think, I'm sure there's other characters, but just thinking of, of, uh, the Gospel of John, chapter 13 where he gird himself with a towel as a, as a servant and, uh, wash the disciples feet. And so even now he's our example in that for one another. But even now I believe he, uh, he would, uh, take our, our, uh, our feet, as it were, our spiritual feet in his hands.
And he is our exalted head in heaven through those, uh, members of his body. And a service of love to us seeks to meet our needs. And there's a service that he's going to render in a coming day. We read of in Luke chapter 12, when he'll come forth and gird himself and serve those that are watching and waiting to receive him when he comes. And the Lord has a wonderful.
Service for all eternity as He ministers the love and grace of God to us and uh as it were, attends to our blessing and happiness.
But even though he serves us.
He's never spoken of. I don't believe in Scripture, that he's our servant.
He's always the servant of God. He's always the Lord's servant.
Jehovah's servant. He's never our servant otherwise, and and far be the thought he'd be subject to our commands. But he's not. He's not our servant, though he serves us. He's the Servant of God.
The 15th chapter of Deuteronomy and you read a little bit more about the Hebrew servant and, uh, I think it would be nice to look at those verses starting as the 12Th verse, Deuteronomy 15.
As if thy brother and Hebrew man, or in Hebrew woman be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years, then in the seventh year shalt thou let him go free from these things. And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty.
Now they'll furnish him liberally out of by block, and out of by floor and out of by winepress. And that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee, thou shalt give unto him. And thou shalt remember that thou wast the bond man in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee, and therefore I command thee this day. Command thee this thing today. And then there's uh, similar verses to the uh.
Versus we have in Exodus chapter 21 here about the, uh, servant that wanted to continue to be a servant. I was thinking of the, the choice that the servant had to make. Was he going to stay with his master and his wife and his children? Or was he going to be furnished liberally out of the flock and out of the floor and out of the winepress? And so the servant had to make a decision.
He had to decide what was more important to him.
And he had to decide whether he wanted his master and his wife and his children more than starting out on his own and having, uh, perhaps we could say some a farm for his own and starting out himself with, uh, a portion that his master was bound to get him. And so it makes us really appreciate the Lord Jesus more, doesn't it, when we think of how he was willing when he had everything to have us.
00:25:19
To serve.
In the way that we've talked about his father. And so I was thinking as well as this 15th chapter sort of, uh, gives us the, uh, the idea that, uh, God really didn't want his people to be slaves. And so he made provision for them to be able to be given something so that they, if they came upon poverty somehow they would have to be a servant temporarily, but then they could go out free and they could have their own again.
And maybe someone could comment on that?
Proverbs say it says that he that laboreth laboreth for himself.
The Lord never labored for himself. He labored for his God and imperfection He did. But we find a very solemn point here, don't we, that if he came in by himself, he'd go out by himself. If he had taken a wife and born, she had born in children during the time of his his servitude. If he left, he'd have to leave them behind. And we see the power of love that says I won't go out by myself. And so we have here, don't we? A.
Well, here does the awful suffering that the Lord Jesus went through, that in order that the Lord Jesus might have a life, the church with him or his children, the Jewish brethren with him, he had to go into death. My brother quoted that verse earlier in John 12, except where it says Sirs, the Greeks came and said, Sirs, we would see Jesus, and how does the Lord respond? Except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die. It abideth alone, but if it die and bring us forth much fruit.
So the Lord Jesus had to go into death in order that there might be much fruit for him.
And heavenly and unearthly people. So we have in this, this picture of this ear being borne through it, and all that servant forever. He has served here in perfection to the will of God. Israel had not been brought into blessing.
But he must go unto death, and now in resurrection He serves us in that wonderful work of our High Priest and Advocate, and then, as our brother mentioned, to his eternal delight and joy and pleasure will be to serve His people, but apart from His death.
You'll be alone.
I was thinking, Paul, when you, uh, were saying that, uh, this servant had to make a choice.
Between, uh, staying with his master and his wife and his children and going out freeing and getting those things from his master he was entitled to.
That would be a. That would be a picture of us wouldn't wanting to.
Please the Lord Jesus, rather than going out and just pleasing ourselves, wouldn't it?
Thank you, brother Paul, in connection with your question as to the, that practical side of things for Hebrew and being in such circumstances where he had to sell himself into slavery to pay a debt in the uh, in, in Leviticus where he get the, uh, instructions for Israel as to the uh.
The Jubilee and that day when everything would return to its rightful owner. Uh, the slave also returned to his rightful owner.
Couple of verses, Leviticus 25 and uh, I just read verse 23 first.
The land shall not be sold forever, for the land is mine.
It's sold right now and it's in ******* to the Gentiles, and Jerusalem will be trodden under the Gentiles till the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And then the end of chapter 25, verse 55. For unto me, the children of Israel are servants. They are my servants.
Whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. And so just jumping back one verse to fif 54. If he be not redeemed in these years, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, both he and his children with him. Why? Because really in the end they were his.
00:30:04
Though a man might sell himself to his brother to pay a debt, in the end they all belong to the Lord and he will not have.
His land or his people sold forever.
Oh, it's ringing two and verse four that anything the Lord has given us is his as he's already mentioned, Steve disturbs of what we've given. He's been pleased to give us a a wife who can please give us children. Please give us, uh, a place to live and suitable occupation. All those things. Those are things that the.
The Lord is provided for us and and they're all and we are all. We are all His.
Hey, well brother Bill mentioned about the Lord being alone. Had it not been for the cross? Think of what it was for the eternal Son of God to take manhood into union with Himself, to become a man. Angels appeared in the form of men, or even a flame of fire. He maketh his ministers a flame of fire. But when the eternal Son of God became a man, when he.
Became that God, man. It was never to lay that down again.
He did not take that up to rescind it. It was not a temporary condition or anything like that. No, He was God and man and one person for eternity. Once he, uh, vain to take that step, it was never to go back. Never. What was it for the eternal Son of God who always was?
To take a step like that.
To become men, knowing it was for all eternity, never to be rescinded. He always was. It's beyond our thought. And why that he might have a companion.
A bride for himself, for all eternity. The thought of going back without her.
Was not. It just was not in his thought.
Could not be to be a man forever. It's not good for the man to dwell alone. Think of what it would have been to become a man and then to dwell alone.
Fraternity.
God says it wasn't good, and so he went to that cross and his ear was bored through with it all and he came into that place and he's going to have that place for all eternity, never to be rescinded, but to have a companion with him in it forever.
And I enjoy that thought in in Isaiah 53.
Isaiah 53.
In the 10th verse we read.
Yet at least the Lord tobruse him he has put into grief.
And thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied by his knowledge. Shall my righteous servant.
Justify many, for ye shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion of the grager.
Michelle divide the spoil with the strong, because he has poured out his soul unto death.
It was numbered with the transgressors and he barely sit up many and made intercession for the transgressors. I rather enjoy UMM the third verse of this chapter and how Mr. Darby renders it. We read in the third verse he is despised.
And left alone.
Without blessed water, Lord Jesus was left alone. Wasn't it so that He could never be alone again?
Just a practical word, as we think of the Lord Jesus as that perfect servant. Think what it says in numbers 19 with respect to the red heifer. There was 3 characterizations of that red heifer. It was to have no blemish within, without, and upon which had never come a yoke. We know the Lord Jesus when He was here, He was always under the yoke of His Father's will. He always did His will and pleasure. As I come to do Thy will, Thy laws within my heart. That was His delight, and He was never brought under.
00:35:03
The influence or control of men always free to do the will of God and we marvel at the perfection of him and there's a word in that for us isn't there too. I thinking of what it says in first Corinthians Chapter 7 is you're bought with a price be not the servants of men. In chapter 6 it says be your bought with the price therefore glorify God in your body, which is God's because of the price that has been paid for us the even the shed blood of Christ.
Our bodies are to be used for the will of God, not for our pleasure. But then in the 7th chapter he says, Be not the servants of men in view of the price has been paid for you, you are not to be the servants of men. We see in the epistle to Galatians there were those that were seeking to bring the Saints of God into ******* not to the will of God, but to themselves, and they were warned against going back into that place of being a hired servant. As a verse in the second Epistle of Corinthians chapter one that I believe is a.
Beautiful illustration of how Paul labored on behalf of the Saints of God that they would be free from that type of *******.
2nd Corinthians chapter one. And we know in the first epistle Paul was very direct, very faithful in speaking to them about their state and about what was wrong there. And he says, uh, verse 23 of the first chapter. Moreover, I call God for a record upon my soul that to spare you, I came not as yet in the Corinth. He did not want to come with a rod of authority. But then he says in verse 24, not for that we have dominion over your faith.
But our helpers of your joy, for by faith ye stand, we find in that passage that was brought out in Leviticus, that a brother might be waxing poor, and he might even sell himself into servitude to one of his brethren.
We can be under servitude to the world, or perhaps even servitude to our brethren, and not walk in liberty before the Lord. And we find that the apostle made a great effort not to have dominion over their faith. It's one thing to say, well, we don't do this because brother so and so says this, or because so and so says that having dominion over your faith. But we need to be fully persuaded in our own souls as to these things. And Paul realized that in order to be a helper of their joy.
They had to stand by faith. We are thankful for godly influence and for those that have, uh, brought us up in the things of God. And yet we will not stand if we're simply operating and moving onto the influence of others by faith. We stand. And Paul saw that and perhaps he could have used his natural gift and ability to bring the Corinthians back into line. He says, I'm not going to do it. Someone else more gifted or compelling than I will bring them under power to them.
But my faith we stand.
And so how important that is as we walk as servants of the Lord here, to consider the Lord Jesus, who is only and always under the influence of his Father, and that we too, that we're not walking under the fear of man that brings a snare, but the fear of God. And we're servants of God, and it's by faith we stand.
We say #257.
And so he could not.
Say, beyond my cross, my side, all of my sleep. And I left in my life without him because they're brilliant.
No, I'm not surprised that the flowers and the flower crying.