Something For Others

by H. Darke, Vancouver, B.C. | Category: General | Dec 1962

"Doth not even nature herself teach you?" was the Scripture which came to mind recently when reading about the habits of the Canadian beaver.

After each meal the beaver quickly replenishes the table of the "feed bed." At no time is the "feed bed "left empty. There is always something left for the busy beavers which follow. How true this should be of God's people in their spiritual care for one another, and in their concern for men and women living without Christ in a cold and hungry world!

At harvest time in Israel God instructed the Israelite to leave something over for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow; and God added His blessing when they did this. Here is the law of the Lord,

"When thou reapest thine harvest ... and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee ... " (Deuteronomy 24.19).

The same thing applied to the olive trees, and to the vines, and Moses concluded:

"And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing" (verse 22).

We should be always remembering the great things the Lord did for us at Calvary that our hearts might be moved towards others.

"For we have known redemption, Lord,

From bondage worse than their's by far.

Sin held us by a stronger cord,

Yet by Thy mercy free we are."

The Blessed One, who has said to us, "This do in remembrance of Me," would have us also to remember others. The question then arises, beloved, do we have anything of a spiritual nature left over for those in need? Speaking in figure, what of our wheat field, our olive trees, our vineyards ? Is it true of us that we are sowing, reaping, fruitful servants of the Lord?

What voice would Israel's experience have for us? The wheat might speak of God's great provision for us in His precious word, as He reveals Christ to our hearts as " the true Bread which came down out of heaven" ; the olive trees, the fruit of which provided the pure olive oil, can be a type of the Holy Spirit, who condescends to dwell in our hearts; and the fruit-bearing vine, with its wineproducing grapes, can tell us of the joy which is the portion of all believers. The Hebrew poet seems to bear out this thought in reverse order in Psalm 104.15.

"And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread that strengtheneth man's heart."

Yet in this busy life of ours, with its many and increasing demands, there is a grave danger that we might not be getting enough spiritual food for ourselves let alone any for others; or we might be grieving or quenching the Holy Spirit so that we have no testimony towards others; and if this is so we will certainly impart no joy from our lives to others.

What a sad state! Oh that there may be harvest time for the spiritual Israel of this dispensation, so that when we meet or visit one another, particularly the widow and the fatherless, we might have something to give that is of value from the word; that there will be a fulness of the Spirit which will be a joy to behold, and a Christian cheerfulness that will uplift the downcast and also add to the happiness of those already rejoicing in the Lord. This must also apply in our attitude to the needy souls of men who know not Christ as Saviour. Men are saved through hearing the life-giving word of God, and we must speak to them about it with conviction, seeking to convey how much it means to us. As God refreshes our souls from His word let us pass it on, making sure that the Holy Spirit has freedom in our lives and is able to work with us and through us to the salvation of souls. Lastly, let us show in our countenances and our actions that the joy of the LORD is our strength (Nehemiah 8.10). Salvation is something to rejoice over; besides God has brought us into His house, and "goodness and mercy" are following us all the days of our lives. These are things to rejoice over, and we must not only show it, but share it, that others might see the great value of accepting Christ and seeking to live for Him. The Queen of Sheba told Solomon:

Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom" (2 Chronicles 9.7).

May this also be true of us who belong to the King of kings. We can be assured that as He promised blessing to Israel for leaving something for others, so also He will bless us.

H. Darke, Vancouver, B.C. | Dec 1962
General