Recovery of the Lords Name - Part 2 of 6 — T. Austin-Sparks

Recovering the Lord’s Name Through Gideon

We resume our occupation with this matter of the recovery of the honor and glory of the Lord's name in his people. Just a few words to link up with what we were saying earlier. When we were pointing out a certain correspondence between the time of Gideon and our own time.

On the one hand, a state of things amongst the Lord's people which is altogether contrary to the glory and honor of his name. That state being weakness before their enemy so largely at the mercy of their foes.

Defeat and helplessness, poverty, no real enjoyment of the wealth of the land which too was the land of promise and covenant. Glowing with milk and honey but not for them in their seats. Food, days, care and power to be sought.

Confusion, a big question, continually dominating their minds. As to the meaning of it all and as to the way out. Disintegration and confusion, no cohesion, no oneness, no solidity. And without leaders to speak with that finality of authority in the name of the Lord which would put new hope and new confidence into them.

These were the conditions of Gideon's time. And as we have said, there is something like that today. We will not traverse that ground again to emphasize or prove. It is true. But on the other hand, God's moving in a sovereign way for his namesake to recover its glory and its honor by changing those conditions.

Spiritual Prosperity and the Glory of the Lord’s Name

For the honor and glory of the Lord's name is in a people who are strong against their enemies. Strong in the law and in the strength of his might. His glory and honor is to be found in a people who are enjoying their inheritance in Christ of wealth and riches.

Where there is not spiritual poverty all the time. The Lord's people have not got the resources by which they flourish in the land. His glory is found in people who are really, truly enjoying the depth of the riches in Christ.

And in people who have food, who are not starved and miserable because there is no real provision for them to feed upon. Well paid people is what the Lord wants for his glory. A people who are sure, have confidence and certainty.

Not all the time dogged and dominated by Christians which disturb and unsettle and rob them of their sense of security. They've got a great answer in their hearts. That is they know where they stand and why they stand there.

Theirs is an assured and further the Lord's name is certainly glorified in a united people. His honor has been sorely and grievously destroyed by the breakup of the Lord's people. All its scatteredness, their scatteredness.

It seems that the great prayer of our Lord recorded for us in John's Gospel chapter 17 very largely centered in that one thing. That the unity of the Lord's people should be the great contributing factor to the glory of his name.

Lord Jesus in that prayer repeatedly referred to the name. Keep them in thy name. It was for the namesake. Now to have a people like that is not just idealism. A vain hope. But something very near to the Lord's heart.

For as we said Gideon in the very first place takes forth the fact that the Lord wants it otherwise. And moves to have it otherwise. And Gideon brings into view the movement of the Lord to change that state of things for his namesake.

So we went on to see, to look at Gideon as the kind of instrument that the Lord will use for the recovery of the honor of his name by bringing about these name honoring conditions amongst his people. That's why we take things up today.

It is a matter then of the recovery and continuum of the testimony of the name of the Lord. Gideon on one side does set forth the absolute sovereignty of God. As we were saying. On the other side he indicates the ground on which that sovereignty works.

It is not a contradiction to say that while God acts in absolute sovereignty he does look for certain things to bring that sovereignty into action. Even the sovereignty of God where God's people are concerned demands certain conditions.

And those conditions are to be found indicated at least in the case of Gideon this representative instrument of God's honor. Now I'm going to take some space to say some things that I doubt if I've ever said here before but which comes out of a very real exercise of my own heart and which I feel to be of very great importance.

Spiritual Youth and Reproduction

And it centers in the first thing about Gideon. Gideon was a young man. Gideon was a young man. In saying that and what it implies we really do get to the point of God's reaction. God's recovery and continuance of his testimony.

The honor and glory of his name. What is true in nature is true in the realm of things spiritual. The great factor and principle of spiritual youth. The law of nature is ever fresh reproduction. As soon as any organism in nature ceases to reproduce death has commenced.

And death is the law. The law of life is reproduction. God having once created does not create a second time. He proceeds by reproduction not by fresh creation. A new generation is meant by God to be the past values brought into freshness.

No new generation is a new creation. Creation and generation are two different words belonging to entirely two different things. I think some young people think that they are a new beginning. They are not.

They are to be the gathering up and carrying on of what has been. But to gather it up and to carry it on in freshness. They are to be the sum of what has gone before but brought back again to its final freshness.

Which is past. You like old. I repudiate that word. But for the sake of explanation I use it. It's kept fresh by new generations. Now this has two sides. The side of ourselves, we, who are a passing generation.

Equipping the Next Generation

Are a passing generation. If you are included in that, this freshness and life will be just in so far as we equip the next generation. If we hold things to ourselves. And all what tragedies are resultant from servants of God still hanging on, keeping it in their own hands.

If we keep everything to ourselves, things will die. And die with us. And we are bringing things to them. This of course is the spiritual law of the blessing of family. See everything has a spiritual law behind it.

In God's mind. The blessing of family is, on the one side, to keep the old people young. I'm the old people who have no young people around them. And they are old indeed. They are older than they ought to be.

You might sometimes feel that you must qualify this. They have a way of wearing you out. But nevertheless, the principle holds good. It's a divine principle. The blessing of family on the ones to rob old people of their age.

To stop them getting old. That's the divine book. And Mark, not come to an end, is not finishing up. What means to go on is that he brings young people in. My older friends, take note of that. Don't you be jealous of the young people.

Don't feel that they are getting in your place. You are having to hand everything over to them. They are being too much made of. We'll talk to them in a minute. Let me talk to you first. Now, you see, we are getting old.

Some of us. And we are seeing the day of our departure. It's right here. And we can become weak. We can lose our precious. That being can creep on us and over us. And begin to bring us into a severe limitation.

Passing on the Faith Before Departure

We need something to save us. We need to be delivered. Or as I have said, we may cling and cling. And it's so good, bring in death. What is our salvation? What is the renewing of our youth? What is the way out of that sense of an end?

Pending end and growing limitation. What is the way out? It is, it is, to equip and provide for the generation. To do everything in our power. To see that the thing is passed on to them. And that they are ready to take it up.

Not to suspect their youth. Not to criticize them because they are young. Not to do what certain evidently were inclined to do over Timothy. The apostle had to say, let no man despise thy youth. When I first started ministry I was quite a young man.

And I had to assume responsibility for a church. And there were some old men who were saying, but he's so young. But I had a chap here among them who said, but he's getting over that every day. Better attitude, isn't it?

Yes, let me repeat. A mark that God is going on and needs to go on is that he brings on young people. That he brings in young people. Thank God. Thank God. We are not going to die if this gathering is true for them.

But you see, it is not years after all that govern. Years are not the criterion. Spirituality is the criterion. And that need not be a matter of years at all. There are some people older years who are bathed spiritually.

There are bathed spiritually who are far ahead of many of their time elders. It is not that. But let's turn over to the other side. A new generation must succeed in an inward way to that which is possible.

I underline certain words. In an inward way to that which is possible. The young people, the followers on must succeed those who have carried the testimony of the Lord before them. They must succeed not officially.

They must succeed spiritually. Inwardly. Here is the rigid law of the Bible and its principle again. For there is always something deeper than what is on the surface of anything that is in the Bible. That rigid law of the Bible in the penalty of dishonoring and repudiating parents.

Honoring Spiritual Inheritance

There were few if any more rigid laws and penalties in the old dispensation than those connected with children dishonoring or disparaging or repudiating their parents. In those days you had only to do that as a son to your father and stoning was the penalty.

Your life is forfeit. I say behind that there is a divine principle. The divine principle is this. That a father, a mother, a parent from the divine standpoint is supposed to have a knowledge of the Lord.

Which is indisputable to their children. And let the children despise or set aside the parents. And they despise the very things that they need for their own life. And their life is forfeit if they despise.

That's strong but it's true. See the Lord does not just take account of any rebellion against parents or disobedience to parents as in itself. He looks at the principle behind it. For when things are on the divine pattern and level it is like this.

That the children cannot live without the parents. They die without the parents. In this sense that they are absolutely dependent upon what the Lord has already developed and stored up for them in a previous generation.

Yes it's a very very strong law there in the Bible. You see as I said before young people are not a new created humanity. But they are generated a fresh expression of humanity with the good that has been before.

It's significant isn't it in this connection. That when Gideon became an old man and the men of the country came to him and said be our king and rule over us. Gideon would have nothing on it. But his seventh son was the ruler.

Instead of the father should be the children. It's the principle again. Age giving place to youth. But not you in terms of sonship. That means spirituality. Now young people got that. You've grasped that and all others.

We are on the way to the recovery of something. The recovery of the Lord's name. You don't need that I stay to discuss with you how on the one hand that which is spiritually owned and worn out and finished with takes from the glory and honour of the Lord.

Let me put that another way. The Lord's glory and honour is expressed in perennial youth. You do not need me on the other hand to argue that if young people just as young people repudiate the older and take hold and put themselves in.

And begin to govern and rule and arrange the things of God's house as though everything began with them and ended with them. How much dishonour has been brought to the Lord by that. Now these are spiritual things to be taken note of.

And perhaps they will be helped out by what I have yet to say this evening. Let us look at some of the qualities in Gideon upon which the divine sovereignty operated. Some of the qualities which marked Gideon are young men.

Gideon’s Humility as the Hallmark of Spiritual Maturity

And here we find a tremendous amount of spiritual maturity. And what were the marks of spirituality and spiritual maturity in this young man. And the first, and it shall take you everywhere, was his humility.

His humility. And humility is the primary mark, the hallmark of spirituality. And the spiritual maturity. We know what a lot of history is so often required before the Lord gets that in his people and in his servants.

Humility. Look at him. No pride of person. Far from thinking anything of himself. He thought very little of himself. Read the story again. No pride of family. My family is the least in Manasseh and I am least in my father's house.

Now, he could take ten servants all the same out of his father's house. Seems to me that altar to Baal. It was Joash who had that asherah. It was to Joash's asherah and altar that all the men of the city came to worship in the early morning.

Yet, Gideon, no pride of family, whatever there was there. The point, of course, is this. If you hadn't ten servants, you hadn't won. You hadn't anything at all of place, prestige, recognition, influence.

You might say, well, of course, it's only becoming under such circumstances to be humble. But no, it was there that I'm least. I'm least. No pride of achievement. He could point to no accomplishments, no degrees, no success in the military, the academic, scientific, or any other realm.

No pride of achievement. No pride of ambitiousness. No trace of any of these things. And certainly no spiritual superiority. He did not point the finger at the other people and say, see, see, look at them.

Look at the mess they're in. Look at their condition. Look for himself amongst them all. He was one with them in their faith. He was involved in their condition. There was no spiritual superiority. Young men, young women.

Rejecting Spiritual Superiority and Criticism

Not because you are young are you going to succeed to the responsibility of the Lord's testament. Not because you've got life before you are you going by the law to be pushed in, given recognition and place.

No. It'll be like this. Because we've often heard people say, well perhaps we've expected something more from the young than we should. We mustn't put old heads on young shoulders. But the Lord does. And requires.

You have got to take up that which has gone before. And what the Lord has been doing in a spiritual way has been to bring about this state of things. This humility. And you've got to begin there. And go on there.

If there is any mark about any of us of pride, of person, of achievement, of position, any spiritual superiority in looking down at others and criticizing and judging and condemning, the Lord will not do as he did with Gideon when he said the Lord looked on him.

The Lord will not look on him. It is like that. It will not come into his view. That can never bring glory to his name. Or may I appeal to you to guard against criticism which comes from a spiritual superiority.

Guard against it as you would guard against a plague. It's not our business. To let it be known that we disapprove of people. It's our business to find the basis in which we can help them. Help them. We may in our own heart of hearts feel bad about certain things.

But that's to stay there. Not to come out in our influence and our attitude and our looks and our words and our arguments and our attempts to tell them where they're wrong and wrong and wrong. In their associations and connections and all the other things.

That's not our business. Humility is to find a point of spiritual hope and work on that. If you will take that to heart. You may be found within the view of that divine sovereign action to bring glory to the Lord's name.

Gideon’s Industry in an Impossible Situation

To recover his destiny. The next thing we find about Gideon was his industry or his industriousness. Gideon was pushing out corn in the wine press to hide it from the Midianites. Most people had fled to caves and to home.

Very little seemed possible. Looking out on the situation, question might have been asked. Oh what can be done? We can't do anything. And because of the situation, just join them and say well it's no use.

Looking out on the situation, question might have been asked. Oh what can be done? We can't do anything. And because of the situation, just join them and say well it's no use. No use trying to touch this.

The enemy has got so strongly entrenched, so widely spread over. There is so little for the Lord and so little that can be done. Paralyzed and impotent because of the apparent impossibility of doing anything.

But Gideon was not. Not much could be done. But Gideon set himself to do even the least that could be done. He did not give up. He did not abandon it all. He gave himself to doing what could be done. He looked out on the situation so difficult, hard.

He said well at least, at least I can beat out some corn here up in this corner. I can do something a little over against this. The Lord took note of that. You see it was right there, over against the winepress where Gideon was doing that, that the Lord came and looked on.

I wonder if it was because of that that the Lord said the Lord is with me. Thou mighty man of God. I am certain the Lord is with no sleuthful person. Diligence is a very great thing with the Lord. Not sleuthful in business says the Apostle.

Concern for Others and the Needs of the Body

Fervent in spirit serving the Lord. Though that may be in a very limited and cramped capacity. It is the spirit that the Lord looks upon. And it was the spirit of Gideon which was doing all that could be done.

However little that might be. The Lord takes note of that my dear friend. See a gesture is enough with the Lord. A gesture. Whether you make for the armchair directly you enter the room. That's enough.

The Lord doesn't look in that way. See what I mean. I don't mean that literally. It's a gesture. Whether you are inclined to be a shepherd. To evade. To get out of. To skirt round. Some responsibility.

Or when you are alive and alert for anything. As Martin says the Lord turned towards him. Further Gideon's concern for others. Of course it's a part of what we just said. Concern for others. He looked and he said my people are starving.

The enemy is taking away their bread. Their food. The enemy is doing all he can. To see that these people are undernourished. Underfed and so weakened. That they'll never be able to lift a hand. For their own salvation, deliverance.

And Gideon had a real concern about the starved fate of other people. Their needy condition. You know how much Paul has to say about that. Look not every man on his own things. But on the things of others.

The outward. Look, Gideon was not one of those introverts. Always occupied with himself and his poor, poor situation. A young man, a young man. Think of a young man and his prospects. In a situation like this.

What kind of a life lies before Gideon? A young man. But he doesn't sit down and nurse the adversities of coming to his life as a young man. Then he's sorry for himself. Smothering himself with self-pity.

Drawing attention to himself and his own unfortunate loss. He was not that kind of man. And the Lord does not look toward that kind of person. You can go on like that and you'll not find the Lord turning toward you if you're like that.

The Lord will turn toward those who... It's quite true their lot is a difficult one. No doubt about that. And God knows that better than anyone else. But nevertheless, the Lord turned out for the sake of others.

Soul Exercise and Perplexity Over Spiritual Conditions

Really concerned for others. See his secret activity and exercise to defeat the enemy. For the sake of the name of the Lord. Secret activity. In his heart, Gideon seems to me to have been saying, I'll beat them if I can.

I'll outwit the enemy if I can. But they have as little success as you neither. Further betrays a real soul perplexity and suffering. Which it seems to me is the outcome of real heart exercise. When the Lord comes and says, the Lord is with thee, Thou mighty man of valor.

He instantly answers, if the Lord be with us. Why does all this come upon us? All that which our fathers told us of. The formal activities and wonders of God. Why is none of that today? There was a big cry in his heart about the situation.

He was exercised about this. He was concerned about this. He was trying to find some explanation. He was reaching out to get the key to this thing. The situation was creating real pain. I'm supposed to say real bitterness.

And you know there's a kind of bitterness of the spirit that is permissible, that is not wrong. If we become bitter and sour against the Lord in rebellion, that's a wrong kind of bitterness. A bitterness in the heart of Anna.

Do you remember when she prayed at the temple and Eli misunderstood the moving of her lips in prayer and charged her with drunkenness. And she said, no, no, my Lord, thy handmaid is a woman of a sorrowful spirit.

A bitterness because of the situation in Israel. Have you got anything that corresponds to that? It's so different from a theoretical position, isn't it? We've got all the doctrine and all the teaching and we know how, what people ought to be like and what they ought to do and what they ought to know.

We've got the answer to it all. And I said, oh no, if it does not come out of the winepress, it's a no-go. It's got to come out of the winepress. It's got to come out of the soul traveling where we've had deep exercise in this.

To such the Lord will look, do believe me, whether you may be old or young, it's got to be like this. Don't you go out and think that you are going to save the Lord's name and honor and deliver his people by doctrines, by theories, by wonderful interpretations of truth, wonderful vistas of spiritual things.

Not at all, not at all. The Lord is looking for hearts that are brittle over spiritual conditions. Irian was sorely suffering inwardly and his crying was not the crying of a recalcitrant. I have a man in trouble.

Dealing with the Inner Alliance with Satan

Why? My last word for this evening is, dear, Irian destroying the enemy in his father's house will never destroy Satan and his kingdom, will never destroy the Midianites, if privately, behind the scenes, in the background, there's some complicity with Satan's kingdom.

And sometimes, I may always, always, the father's house is inside him. Adam has his residence here. And Adam brought about complicity with Satan. And that's inside our own soul. You and I know it. How easy it is, how easy it is to listen to Satan, to agree with Satan, to be carried away by his arguments.

There's something inside of us which seems to be in alliance with the very devil himself. The father's house is here. And until, until that is dealt with and overthrown and in the place of Baal's altar, the Lord's altar is erected.

And more than that, the very thing that belongs to Baal is brought and made the thing for the glory of God. That's been more than conquerors, not only conquerors. Taking the enemy's strength, well, if you don't understand that, don't worry.

But here it is. Before Gideon could go to Savishrile and recover the honor of the Lord's name, something had to be done in the background of his life. He did it. He did it fearfully. He did it in no strong, high-handed way of self-confidence and self-assertiveness.

No. In the same meekness which characterized him all along, he takes ten men, ten servants, and under cover of the night does it. It may want something, be wanting in something. You may say it's wanting in courage.

Well, let it be what you like, but it was done. That's the thing. Day or night it was done. The thing is, it's got to be done. But when we have said all, what is the motive? The motive of all this? The motive of all this?

Jealousy for the Lord’s Name

Because these are not just things in themselves. They are all motivated, done, by a tremendous dynamic. What is it? Jealousy for the name of the Lord. Jealousy for the name of the Lord. It's the Lord's name.

This state of things is dishonoring to the Lord. This, whatever it is, however little that can be done, must be done for the sake of the name of the Lord. It is not honoring to the Lord for me to accept this situation and sit down and be passive and flaccid about it.

The name of the Lord requires that I do something. It's governed by the honor of the Lord's name. Oh, have a heart for that name. We must see the Lord's people saved. We must see them enjoying the wealth of their inheritance.

We must see them on their feet standing up. We must see them brought together. We must see them in a state that glorifies His name. Not because we want to be in Christian work in a great enterprise and undertaking.

Not because we want to see something flourishing in which we have a part. Oh, the Lord give us a heart for His name. Looking on everything through His name. Does this honor the Lord's name? Is this glorifying the Lord's name?

Is this worthy of the Lord's name? My relationships with others. Everything, everything. Is this glorifying the name of the Lord? If not, then what? If we want the Lord to be with us and the Lord to make use of us individually and together with others of His people as a vessel.

We must be after this kind. A vessel after the order of Gideon. Gideon. And looking at Gideon. You might, if you took his estimate of himself, feel that he is rather a poor thing. But remember there were those things which the Lord regarded as of tremendous importance upon which His sovereignty could encamp.

These were the things.