The Older to the Younger...with love
Many share a deep concern about the days in which we live, the wickedness abounding and the subtle attacks of Satan, even from within. With this in mind, I would like to bring before you several different occasions where older ones spoke to those younger, both from the Old Testament, from the New and also by a few comments from an older brother to those of you who are growing into responsibilities among believers.
An Older One Speaks to a Younger—Old Testament
Please turn to 2 Kings 6:1-71And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. 2Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. 3And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. 4So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. 5But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. 6And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. 7Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it. (2 Kings 6:1‑7). "And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. But as one was felling a beam, the ax head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.”
In earlier chapters these younger ones, the sons of the prophets, were not in a good state of soul; they missed the mind of the Lord. But it would seem, possibly because of the previous chapter where Elisha had performed that wonderful work for Naaman, that these younger ones were now growing in their souls. They said, "Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us." There appears to be a desire to develop. They consult with an older one. I observe with joy you who have a desire to draw from the older ones, that you are going on with the Lord, and are thus growing in your souls. You will be blessed, and a blessing.
Desiring Fellowship of the Older Man
Then these younger ones said, "Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan." Jordan is the place of death; this was surely progress in their souls. But notice, they consulted with him. They didn't branch out into independency. It is so much the spirit of this day for younger ones to say, "We don't need to be consulting the older ones...they are living in a past day." These younger ones said to Elisha, "Let us go...unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam." Each one was going to take a beam personally; not forming into groups or cliques. "...and let us make us a place there where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye." What happy approval! It has long been noticed that younger ones who act in independency without seeking the fellowship of the brethren, often end in disaster. "And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants." They lovingly said, "We are not going to go without you, Elisha." This is the road to wisdom and blessing. He replied, I will go." (Read Psa. 133:1, 31<<A Song of degrees of David.>> Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)
3As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. (Psalm 133:3).)
“So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood." Wood often in Scripture speaks of humanity. It can apply primarily to Christ. He, the eternal Son of God, became a human being. In Hag. 1:88Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord. (Haggai 1:8) it says, "Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house." May we all desire to be building the testimony of His grace, to the blessed Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here Comes a Test
“...they cut down wood. But as one was felling a beam, the ax head fell into the water." Let us consider the ax head as a picture of the truth. He loses the ax head in the water. He thinks immediately of the older man, the "man of God," and confesses it was borrowed. The truth is not ours; it is committed to us as a trust; we can lose it. May we value it and the One of whom it speaks! This "man of God" could have reached into his pocket, taken out an ax head, and said, "here is another." But instead he asks, "Where fell it?" Where did you lose it? This is very important. If we lose the truth it is not only the immediate loss of it that we need to fear, but it is where the drift started. We don't leave the Lord's Table at right angles; nor is it without going through many "red lights." He had to go back to the place—the place of departure. When we neglect this, we are on the way to the loss of discernment, and of the truth itself.
“And he showed him the place." He took him right to the spot. He didn't blame the quality of the ax, he valued it.
The Shadow of the Cross of Christ
“And he cut down a stick." How touching! Written long, long before the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not that we need to be saved over again, but we need to get back to the cross—the beginning of our blessing—-the foundation. This also is where we find our restoration. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:99If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)). "And the iron did swim." Miracle! Oh, prove the Lord, and find out that He is faithful to His Word. But the ax head did not attach itself to the handle. "Therefore said he (Elisha), Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand and took it." Precious! He had to get down on his hands and knees, reach out and personally take that ax head, and put it back on to the ax handle. The truth was restored to him; but he had to take a humble place. God is faithful to His Word if we obey.
New Testament "Axe Heads”
Study to show (or, strive diligently to present) thyself approved to God, a workman that needeth (has) not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (cutting in a straight line) the word of truth.”
Timothy was to be a workman, as it were, cutting with his ax in a straight line. "The Word of Truth" was to be carefully handled. Timothy was not to lose his "ax head.”
Another "Ax Head”
1 Tim. 4:12-1612Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 13Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 14Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 15Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 16Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. (1 Timothy 4:12‑16). "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity (love), in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both sane thyself, and them that hear thee.”
"Let no man despise thy youth." It was not that the apostle Paul was saying to Timothy, "don't let them push you around because you are a younger brother," but rather Paul was saying to him, "Consistency, Timothy, consistency. If you are living out in your life the truth that you are teaching, they will not despise you." Paul was teaching that younger brother heavenly truth that he, himself, had received from an ascended and glorified Lord in heaven. We have been loaned this truth; here is our "ax head." May we be wielding that ax head in truth.
Consistency in our life is so important! We all have a tendency to drift from "cutting in a straight line." Fathers and mothers also need this. There is no moral power, fathers, if there is inconsistency in your life.
Paul Continues
“Be thou an example (or, a model) d the believers." Today, are the younger ones saying, "Well those are the old brethren; and when they have passed on, then we will be able to get on to newer ways of dealing with problems and such things?" It is Christ whom we need; consistency to the blessed Word of God! It is the applying of that "ax head" consistently that is going to bring honor to the Lord Jesus Christ in our life. Then there will be blessing. "Inward purity" —we are living in a day when morals are rapidly declining. The world's winds are blowing into our Assemblies; we need to have inward purity in our lives. Then Paul says, "give attendance (or, give thyself) to reading"—the precious Word of God. Reading around the home table is important for us all; but personal reading is essential to our growth, "to exhortation"—to be giving a word to another when we see the need. Do we have a love for each other, and a concern?
Careful Use of "Ax Head" Brings Reward
Then he says (verse 14): "Neglect not the gift that is in thee (be not negligent). Every one of us has received a gift. If we are using that gift, we are going to do it easily. Take on those responsibilities; if the Lord leaves us here much longer, we older ones shall be gone.
“Meditate upon (or, occupy thyself with) these things..." "These things" are heavenly truth; not the problems of this life. We are surely surrounded by problems. But the answer is Christ. He is the answer for every problem! "Give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting (or, progress) may appear to all." How encouraging it is to see the younger ones growing in their souls and assuming responsibility; not leaving all to the older ones. The Lord will bless you.
Mothers: Keep Your Eye on the Ax Head
You mothers—don't give up! We are living in dark days. May you be an example and an encouragement to your daughters, young and old. Keep on! We think of Timothy's mother, and his grandmother.
Paul says, "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine (or, teaching); continue in them..." He warned in the 20th chapter of Acts of the dangers from without, but he also warned of the dangers from within.
“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured (or, fully persuaded) of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them." We cannot learn truth from those who do not walk in it. If we are drawing from those who have bought the truth—paid for it in faithfulness to the Word of God—-and have left us their scripturally-proven writings, then we are going to be established in the truth. We tend to be thinking that there are new ways that we need to be adapting ourselves to. It is the truth we need, and to be living it daily! It is not profitable to be finding fault with those who may be allowing things in their homes that are doing so much harm, but rather to be encouraging others to resist the pressures to give in to those things. Resist the tendency of your peers to be compromising. Stand for the truth and you will experience the Lord's preserving care; you shall know the joy of living in a dark day for the Lord's glory.
Ax Head Care
2 Tim. 3:13, 1413But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 14But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; (2 Timothy 3:13‑14). "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But continue thou..." When the older brother, Paul, was writing to Timothy, in almost the first or second sentence he penned he said (1 Tim. 1:33As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, (1 Timothy 1:3)): "...charge them that they teach no other doctrine." That may sound very narrow. There are no new doctrines—no new approaches. We have the Word of God; we have the Holy Spirit living in our hearts, and He is the teacher; He would occupy us with Christ. "Continue thou." Keep on, beloved ones. May it be Christ alone!
Hold the Ax Handle Tightly
Notice the end of Chapter 4. These are Paul's closing words to the beloved Timothy, and the last the Apostle penned in Scripture, Verse 22: "The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen." He is laying down his pen forever. But he has given us such a heritage! You sisters, who may be married, walk on yourself, consistently; encourage your husband to stand for the Lord against the darkness that is creeping in amongst us, sad to say. Continue thou! The power of Christ shall rest upon you (2 Cor. 12:99And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)). The day of faith will soon be over—all the trials and sorrows—and the fever of life shall be gone forever! The blessed Lord Jesus is coming soon!
To learn, and yet to learn, whilst life goes by, So pass the student days...
Thus to be great, and do great things, and die, And lie embalmed in praise.
My work is but to lose, and to forget; Thus small, despised to be, All to unlearn, this task before me set, Unlearn all else, but Thee.