Some Principles of the House of God # 3

Fellowship with God in His Sacrificial Love

Alongside of that there is that factor of perfect fellowship with God in His sacrificial love. We have often made that point when speaking of Abraham's great step into the heart of the One Who withheld not His Son, His well-beloved, but freely gave Him up for us all. It was indeed a movement right into fellowship with the sacrificial nature, the giving unto cost, of the love of God. That is the only way in which the house of God is established. There has to be a giving unto cost because of love. It is quite evident that Abraham loved God more than he loved Isaac, dear and important thought Isaac was. Abraham saw that to obey was of greater importance than even to keep this tremendous treasure; and that is love. That is what the Bible calls the fear of the Lord - that element of fear in love.

I am sure you know what that means. If there is someone of great account to you, and whose love you esteem very highly, you are always very sensitive about causing that one disappointment. That is the nature of the fear of the Lord. Abraham feared God. The house of God is built upon that kind of fear. It is of very practical and everyday meaning - the love of God in our hearts leading to costliness in our sacrifice, our giving.

The Glory of Man Abased

Then passing from Abraham to David; this threshing floor of Ornan, the site of the temple, represented and stood for the undercutting of satan's man-glorifying work and the deep abasement of man himself. You remember that satan incited David to number Israel - a thing which even a carnal man like Joab could see through, for he said, "The Lord make His people a hundred times as many as they are: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why doth my lord require this thing? Why will he be a cause of guilt unto Israel? (1 Chron. 21:3). "The Lord has done very much, and will do more, but do not begin to count heads, to take account of how big your resource are and to glory in the greatness of your kingdom."

Joab was a carnal man, but it seems that some carnal men sometimes see more than Christians do as to principles. But David set aside Divine wisdom and good human wisdom, and insisted on the numbering of Israel. You know the result. All came from satan's prompting of David to do something which would glorify man and make much of his resources and achievements. The Lord came out and smote it, and that satanic work of glorifying man was undercut and man was deeply abased. David was a sorry picture when he came to the threshing floor of Ornan. Oh, that man is now humbled to the dust!

This has to be done before there can be any building of God's house. satan's work to make much of man has to be completely undercut. The glory of man, and man's desire for any kind of glory for himself, have to be abased. This is a house for the name of the Lord and for no other name in heaven, in earth, or in hell. "My glory", says the Lord, "will I not give to another" (Isaiah 42:8)

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(continued with # 4)