Eternal Life (Part 2)

by R.A. Parker, Stoke-on-Trent, England | Category: Eternal Life | Aug 1989

(2) The Life to be Lived

Its Value

By studying the passages in Leviticus (20:24-26; 25:1-15; 25:23-31) it becomes evident that the land given to each Israelite was of value. It was only when the land was sold, however, that the value became known. In applying our illustration, care must be taken in deciding what is meant by the sale of the land when we equate it to eternal life. Strictly, the Israelite's land could never be sold because it belonged to the Lord and was given to him. "The land shall not be sold in perpetuity (for ever); for the land is MINE" (Lev. 25:23). What could be sold then was the RIGHT OF USAGE, TILLAGE, SOWING, REAPING. The land still belonged to the Israelite as we shall see later. We have the right of usage of our eternal life. Have we sold that right? Are we living our spiritual lives as we used to live before we had eternal life, in the vanity of our minds? (Eph. 4:17).

The value of the Israelite's land was measured in two ways:

According to the number of years after the Jubile ... according to the multitude of the years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of the years thou shalt diminish the price of it (Lev. 25:15,16).

According to the number of years of the crops he shall sell (Lev. 25:16).

The year of Jubile was one key measurement. In the Israelite's case it was the 50th year. In our case, measurement began when we first received eternal life, that is, when we first believed. Before then our years were of no value to us by God's reckoning, they were lost years, wasted years like those of the Prodigal Son. Our "Jubile" will occur when the Lord comes to the air with the shout of the archangel and the blowing of the trumpet. Of what value is your life beloved disciple? How many saved years can you count? Are we measuring the days of the years of our lives? (Ps. 90:910). Something to boast about? No! Something to be thankful and grateful about? Yes!

The amount of crops produced each year, or the yield of the land, gave value to it. If we feel ashamed about how many years we have been saved and grown so little spiritually, how much more will the consideration of what we have produced from our spiritual lives cause us deep concern? Value in what we produce is a key measure which is going to have eternal consequences to our praise or loss in the eternal state. Has there been something for God in our lives? What crops have we grown to our eternal blessing and the glory of our Lord and Master. Have we given of our abundance to others? We must ever admit that at best the yield from our lives is of little value.

It is gravely possible for us to become so poor spiritually that we lose the right of usage of our land. Spiritual poverty stems from various things: failure to sow; no exercise in tilling and cultivating our spiritual life because we are dilatory in prayer, careless in reading, neglectful of fellowship, complacent in witness, weary in well-doing, faint in adversity, and we cease to work that which is good. Selling the land is equivalent to ceasing to use our lives to the glory of God and the blessing of others. In God's things, the PERSON and the LIFE go together. "I separated you ... that ye should be MINE." And again, "The land shall not be sold in perpetuity; for the land is MINE". In other words, the Lord says, YOU are Mine and your LIFE is Mine.

It is instructive to consider the plight of the Israelite who, having sold the rights of usage of his land, is unable to get it back by his own endeavours. "If he be unable to get it back for himself, then ... in the Jubile, it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession" (Lev. 25:28). We see from this passage that it was possible for the man of Israel to recover and buy back his rights of usage of his land during his lifetime, remembering that it always belonged to him. So also the disciple, who through loss of interest, or attraction to other things, has been led away from using his life for the Lord, may in due time be awakened to spiritual realities again. At great cost he can return to the Lord and spend the rest of his days to the Jubile (the return of the Lord) sowing and reaping from his life again. But what of the disciple who turns away completely and walks no more with the Lord and with fellow disciples as Demas did? "Demas forsook me, having loved this present world" (2 Tim. 4:10). Thankfully, when the Lord returns, his place is assured because his eternal life remains eternally his. The years he lived in usage of his life for the Lord will be the only means of providing any possible praise in association with the Lord in the eternal state.

3. A Future Inheritance

In our meditations we have seen what may be done with our lives for the Lord now. Peter, writing to the Jews of the Dispersion in his second epistle, takes up the same theme under the example of faith by allotment, writing "to them that have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God..." (1:1). He shows what may be added to our faith by ourselves, saying "adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply virtue; and in your virtue knowledge

and in your love of the brethren, love" (1:5-7), and points forward to its eternal consequences, saying "if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble:

for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (1:10-11). If we take the faith by allotment to be analogous to the land given to the Israelite we see how nearly are the ideas in this portion of Scripture to those we have been seeking to express regarding the land and eternal life. No doubt Peter had in mind the words of our Lord in reply to his remark which we quoted at the beginning of our meditations, "Lo, we have left all and followed Thee". Whatever is our appreciation of Christ and the motives for giving our eternal lives to Him, be it (a) for My Name's sake or (b) for My sake and the gospel's sake or (c) for the kingdom of God's sake, there is assured to us, not only a hundred-fold return on our spiritual lives NOW, but the inheritance associated with our eternal life future. Can we, in the light of such promises, pamper ourselves with the natural things that materialism or the world offers? Should we not seek, after living here on earth the abundant life, a rich entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? May it be so for His Name's sake.

4. Eternal Life for Well-Doing

In the wisdom of an Eternal, Almighty, All-L9ving, Creator there appears to be provision for some to receive eternal life at the great white throne judgement (Rev. 20:11-15). People who have never heard of or read God's Word nor heard of the Saviour by having the gospel proclaimed to them, acknowledged during their lifetime God's creatorial work and power and thereby lived in patient well-doing, seeking for glory, honour and incorruption. In the light of such grace and mercy, we bow in humble adoration and exclaim with the apostle Paul, "0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgements, and His ways past tracing out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord?... for of Him, and through Him, and unto Him, are all things. To Him be the glory for ever. Amen" (Rom. 11:33-36).

R.A. Parker, Stoke-on-Trent, England | Aug 1989
Eternal Life