Day: October 24, 2021

THE TRIUNE GOD’S PREPARATION 
FOR THE CARRYING OUT OF HIS ETERNAL ECONOMY

The entire Old Testament was the Triune God’s preparation for the carrying out of His eternal economy. We may wonder why there are so many stories and events recorded in the Old Testament. The events in the life of Jacob are very peculiar. He and his twin brother Esau were struggling with each other even within their mother’s womb (25:22-23). Then Jacob struggled with his brother to come out of the womb as the first, and he was holding his brother’s heel at birth (vv. 24-26). Later, he bought the birthright from his brother for a bowl of soup (vv. 27-34). Then he cheated his father to obtain the blessing of the firstborn son (ch. 27). Because of the threatening of Esau, he was forced to leave his father, his loving mother, his home, and his country. Then as he traveled to his uncle Laban’s house, he was forced to sleep in the open air.

When he arrived at his uncle Laban’s home, his cousin Rachel met him and he wept due to his long, lonely journey (29:1-14). He had to serve under an uncle who was always trying to deceive him. Laban promised Jacob that if he would serve him for seven years, he would give him his daughter Rachel. But when his seven years were completed, he gave Jacob his daughter Leah. He made Jacob agree to serve another seven years so that he could marry Rachel. Eventually, Jacob took the handmaids of Leah and Rachel as his wives. He married four wives and begot eleven sons by fourteen years of hard labor and much grinding under his wives (29:15—30:24). Laban was subtle, but Jacob was even more subtle. Jacob eventually became rich by deceiving his uncle Laban with his subtle skill (30:25-43). Later, Jacob wrestled with God (32:24-32).

Many things related to the life of Jacob are very strange. When we read the strange occurrences in the life of Jacob, we may wonder why they are recorded in the holy Word. We need to realize that the life of Jacob was part of the Triune God’s preparation for the carrying out of His eternal economy. Without all these things that happened in the Old Testament, Christ could never have been born; God could never have become flesh to be a man through His incarnation. The history in the entire Old Testament is God’s preparation for the carrying out of His eternal economy.

Initiating It in a Man

This preparation for the carrying out of God’s eternal economy was initiated in a man (Adam) (1:1—11:26).

Issuing in Three Persons

This initiation eventually issued in three persons—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (v. 27—50:26).

In the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as a corporate person, we can see someone who was loved, chosen, called, and justified by God and made to enjoy all the riches of Christ. Also, this one was destined to live a struggling life, a suffering life. Last, through all these sufferings this one was transformed by the Spirit and matured in the divine life. When he was old, he knew only to bless people, to reign for God, and to distribute God as the life supply.

Every day we are suffering ones and enjoying ones. On the one hand, we are enjoying Christ. On the other hand, we are experiencing sufferings. Christ is ministering all His riches to us, whereas the Spirit is always working in all things to discipline us. If we do not behave in the Spirit, the things we have can become instruments used by the Spirit to deal with us. If a brother has many suits and loves these suits more than he loves God, these suits can be used by the Spirit to trouble him. In a physical sense, it is more convenient for a brother to have a number of suits so that he can dress appropriately. But if he does not behave in the Spirit, these suits can become more instruments used by the Spirit to deal with him. Whatever we have can be used by the Spirit to trouble us. This works together for our good, the good of being conformed to the image of the firstborn Son of God.

The many things that Jacob had were used to trouble him. Jacob had four wives, and these wives became a suffering to him. The married brothers know that even to have one wife is sufficient for being troubled by the Spirit. The Spirit uses the wives to trouble the brothers for their transformation. All persons, all matters, and all things related to us are the means of the Holy Spirit to work good for us so that we can be loaded with good (Psa. 68:19a), with the Triune God Himself. This is the way the Holy Spirit transforms us, and this is the way we can become mature in the divine life. Eventually, through the transforming work of the Spirit to make us mature, we will be those who bless others. Today God uses all persons, things, and matters to trouble us so that we can become mature in the divine life to bless all the people.

Eventually, we will not be those who are complaining and condemning others. We will know only how to stretch out our hands to bless others as Jacob did in his old age (Gen. 47:7, 10; ch. 48; 49:1-28). When Jacob became old, his unique job was to bless people. Blessing people was his profession. When you can bless people, surely you have the scepter, the authority, to rule. Then when you can rule, you will be able to distribute all the riches of God as the food supply to others. In Jacob’s old age we see the maturity of one of God’s elect. The book of Genesis selected three persons to be one complete person with three sections to reveal the complete Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

God the Spirit Working in All Things 
for the Good of His Lovers, Transforming Man, 
and Making Man Mature in the Divine Life
So That Man May Be Able to Bless All the People, 
to Rule over All the Earth, and to Satisfy All the People 
with God the Son as the Life Supply, 
in the Section of Jacob with Joseph

In the section of the life of Jacob with Joseph, we see God the Spirit who works in all things for the good of His lovers. This is based upon Romans 8:28, which says, “All things work together for good to those who love God.” According to the context of this verse, the good here is not related to physical persons, matters, or things. It refers to our gaining more of Christ, to our having Him wrought into our being so that we may be transformed metabolically and may eventually be conformed to His image, the image of the firstborn Son of God (v. 29), that is, that we may be brought into the full sonship.

Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for our good, but we need to see that it is actually the Spirit who works in all things. In the church in Shanghai many years ago, I gave an illustration of how the Spirit works in all things for our good. This illustration was concerning a sister who loved her long gowns much more than she loved God. One day she dressed herself with the best long gown, but right after she went out the door, a dog came by, splattered mud on her gown, and the gown was spoiled. The dog surely did not know the time that she was coming out with the best long gown, but the Spirit knew. The Spirit can direct anything in our environment and work in all persons, all matters, and all things to cause them to work together for good to us so that we may be transformed and conformed to the image of the firstborn Son of God.

Brother Watchman Nee called this the discipline of the Spirit (see chapter 15 of Watchman Nee—a Seer of the Divine Revelation in the Present Age). We are daily passing through the discipline of the Spirit. All persons and situations related to us are being arranged by the Spirit of God to match His work within us so that we may be conformed to the image of the firstborn Son of God. The Spirit as the third of the Divine Trinity works in all things for the good of His lovers. The sister with the long gown loved God, but she loved her long gowns more than God. Thus, the Spirit worked in her environment to discipline her so that she might be transformed and matured.

In the life of Jacob with Joseph, we see that the Spirit transforms man and makes man mature in the divine life so that man may be able to bless all the people, to rule over all the earth, and to satisfy all the people with God the Son as the life supply (Gen. 27:41; 28:1—35:10; chs. 37, 39—49; Rom. 8:28-29). Without Joseph the life of Jacob could have never been completed. The life of Joseph was the completion of the life of his father. It was in his old age that Jacob blessed all the people, and his old age was at the time when his son Joseph was ruling in power. Jacob lived in such a way in his old age because of his son Joseph. Whatever Jacob did and whatever Jacob was in his old age were fully due to his son Joseph. Jacob with Joseph blessed all the people, ruled over all the earth, and supplied the whole earth with food. This is in typology. In actuality this refers to God in Christ. God in Christ is the food supply to all the earth. Joseph distributed this food supply, but Joseph was the reality of his father. Thus, Jacob did this with Joseph. The end of Jacob’s life with Joseph shows us the maturity in the divine life through the working of God the Spirit.

The Complete Triune God of the Three Sections 
of the Life of a Corporate Person

The book of Genesis reveals the complete Triune God of the three sections of the life of a corporate person. Genesis does not consider Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as three separate persons but as one complete corporate person with three sections.

Our God is the God of three particular persons—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. In the final chapters of Genesis another person is mentioned, by the name of Joseph. Among the elect of God, four persons are covered in Genesis—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, but the Bible does not consider Joseph as a separate person. His life was actually the continuation and consummation of Jacob’s life. Jehovah is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Triune God.

God the Father Loving Man and 
Choosing Man, in the Section of Jacob

We see God the Father loving man and choosing man in the section of Jacob (Mal. 1:2; Rom. 9:10-13). Jacob is the last of the three, yet he is used by God to signify the Father in His loving and choosing man. Malachi 1:2 says that God loved Jacob, and Romans 9:10-13 says that God selected Jacob, choosing him even before he was born.

God the Father Calling Man, Justifying Man, 
and Equipping Man to Live by Faith and Live in Fellowship 
with Him, in the Section of Abraham

In the section of Abraham, we see God the Father who calls man, justifies man, and equips man to live by faith and live in fellowship with Him (Gen. 12:1; 15:6; chs. 17—18; 19:29; 21:1-13; 22:1-18). Genesis 12:1 shows us the Father’s calling, and 15:6 reveals His justification. Chapter 17 shows us how God equipped Abraham to live a life by faith. Then chapter 18 reveals how God made Abraham to live a life in fellowship with Him. It is a chapter of fellowship between God and His human friend, Abraham.

God the Son Blessing Man with 
the Inheritance of All His Riches, 
with a Life of the Enjoyment of His Abundance, 
and with a Life in Peace, in the Section of Isaac

The section of Isaac represents God the Son, the second of the Triune God, who blesses man with the inheritance of all His riches, with a life of the enjoyment of His abundance, and with a life in peace (25:5; 26:3-4, 12-33).