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Scripture Reading: Psa. 119:125
We often talk about the testimony of God. What actually is the testimony of God, and what does it refer to? The word testimony is used in the Old Testament more often than it is used in the New Testament. We would like to point out two places in the Old Testament. In the Pentateuch, especially in Exodus, the word testimony is used quite frequently. (The word covenant in the phrases the ark of the covenant and the tablets of covenant is testimony in the original language.) The other place is in Psalm 119. The uses of the word testimony in Psalm 119 and in the Pentateuch open our eyes to see its meaning. Psalm 119 often speaks of the word of God, His laws, statutes, ordinances, and commandments. At the same time, it also frequently speaks of God's testimony, which is placed side by side with His word, ordinances, statutes, and commandments. We should keep God's word. We should keep His laws, ordinances, statutes, and commandments. Psalm 119 also shows that we should keep God's testimony. This expression sounds unfamiliar, and it is difficult to understand. But in God's Word and in His mind, His testimony is the same as His word; it is the same as His ordinances, laws, statutes, and commandments. A testimony is the same in nature as an ordinance, etc.
Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers not only show that God's testimony is equal to His word and ordinances, but that the two tablets of stone, upon which the laws were inscribed, were called the tablets of testimony. The two tablets were placed in the ark, and it was called the ark of the testimony. God inscribed the law on two tablets of stone and called them the tablets of testimony. He also called the ark the ark of the testimony.
This shows us what a testimony is. A testimony is a law. It is God's heart, demand, or standard. The two tablets of testimony in Exodus are a good picture; they were set before men to show them God's standard. What is God's standard? God's standard expresses God Himself; it shows the kind of God that He is. God's testimony is made for Himself; it manifests God's absolute standard.
When this testimony is manifested among men, it becomes the law. With God it is a testimony, and among men it is the law. It testifies to God's demand on His side, and it dictates to man what he should keep on his side. In God's hand it is the testimony, and in man's hand it is the law. In God's hand it is His demand, and in man's hand it is his duty. When it is put before man, it tells him what he ought to do; it also testifies of what man has done wrong and what the nature of God is. When this testimony is placed in man's hand, it testifies of his wrongdoings, showing how much he has come short of God's standard. When this testimony is in God's hand, it testifies of the kind of God that He is. A testimony is God opening His mouth to declare what He is in Himself.
In the New Testament, this thought is more obvious. The Lord Jesus came as a testimony to the Father, while the Holy Spirit came as a testimony to Christ. The church maintains the testimony of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. To testify Christ means to tell others about who He is and what He is. This is a testimony. On God's side, the testimony is God Himself, and on man's side, the testimony is a tremendous matter — it is the law within man. We should not offend this testimony, and God will not lightly regard any offense to this testimony.
A testimony is a tremendous matter. We must realize that the central meaning of testimony is God's declaration of Himself; it declares that God is a God of life. In order to testify of Himself, He came among men and declared what He is. This testimony is a spiritual fact; it is the ultimate reality. If anyone has not touched this ultimate reality, he has not touched the testimony. Strictly speaking, no one can testify of God, because from eternity to eternity, only God can testify of Himself; God Himself declares who He is. (The testifying that we are speaking of here is different from the testifying that we understand in ordinary terms.)
There is much that we can say about God; we can testify for God and speak of the kind of God that He is, but our words are useless. We can recite one, ten, or a hundred speeches concerning God, but we must realize that the testimony is not given by man; the testimony is what God tells us about Himself. Therefore, if God does not speak, there will be no testimony. Do you see the significance of this? If God does not speak, there will be no testimony. If God does not tell men about Himself, no one can testify for Him. We can talk and speak, but talking and speaking are useless because only we are talking and speaking. If God does not speak, everything is vain. For example, I may try to defend someone in court by witnessing for him, and I may be very eloquent. If the defendant, however, will not testify or say anything, what are my words worth? God's testimony is His declaration about Himself. If God does not speak, there is no testimony.
Therefore, anyone who testifies for God must touch God and speak what God wants to speak. A man will not have anything to speak for God until he has known God, seen God, and received revelation from God. When he touches the ultimate reality, he will have something to say, and he will be able to testify for God. If we have not touched this reality, we will have nothing to say, and we will have no testimony. We can convey God's commandments, statutes, and ordinances to others, and we can preach the word of the Bible. But these are not the testimony. The testimony is something else. Even though man can receive ordinances, statutes, and commandments, the testimony remains with God. These are outward things, but the testimony, the ultimate reality, remains with God. Consequently, Christ needed to come from God to testify for God. Similarly, only the Spirit which proceeds from Christ can testify for Christ, and only those who know this Christ and this Spirit can testify for God and Christ. This has nothing to do with what man can say; it is not a matter of his doctrines or his teachings. It is a matter of Christ being released. The testimony can become a doctrine, but a doctrine can never be the testimony. The testimony can make demands on man, but a demand can never be the testimony. The testimony is something entirely different; it is something absolutely different from what we ordinarily think of as a testimony. We often say that we cannot testify because we do not have the experience. But even if we have experiences and personal encounters, these things are small in the context of the testimony; they do not fit into the testimony. The testimony is not a matter of experiences and personal encounters, but a matter of touching the Lord. From man's point of view, a testimony is an experience, but terms such as experience and personal encounters are too small; they are not great enough and cannot be compared with the testimony. The testimony is man touching the Lord. Only God can testify for Himself, because no one is greater than God. Only God can testify for God.
The greatest problem in the church is that there are too many doctrines from man. Man comes up with many doctrines and biblical teachings; he tells others what they should do, what is scriptural, and what is unscriptural. Man pays attention to all these matters, but a genuine testimony touches the ultimate reality. Only that which touches God constitutes a testimony. I do not wish to say too much concerning this point, yet I would like all of us to ponder this matter before the Lord. Brothers and sisters, if we read the Pentateuch and Psalm 119 again, we will realize that God uses the term testimony differently than we do. A testimony is too great a thing; it is something that our mind cannot fathom. The testimony is the speaking of God concerning Himself and His demands. Those who have touched God's testimony surely have touched God Himself.
What does it mean to offend the testimony? To offend the testimony is to offend God Himself. Anything that touches God's attributes and ways touches God's testimony. God intends to express His absolute attributes. Anything that improperly expresses them or improperly represents them is an offense to God's testimony. God is very unforgiving about some things, because they touch His testimony. Whenever something touches His testimony, He will not bear with it lightly. He is very uncompromising with anything that improperly expresses Him or that affects His attributes, position, or person.
There are a few sobering cases in the Old Testament. In Numbers 13 and 14, God did not allow the Israelites to enter Canaan. Before Kadesh-barnea, the Israelites committed many sins. They often tempted God and often offended Him, but God forgave them. However, after the incident at Kadesh-barnea, God decided that they could not enter Canaan. His decision was firm. Why? When they reached Kadesh-barnea, the Israelites had experienced many miracles already, and they had witnessed that Canaan was a land flowing with milk and honey. However, they believed that the people in the land were too strong and the cities too big. They thought that the sons of Anak were giants and that they themselves were but grasshoppers. They were afraid and wept, and they would not enter the land. Their fear and tears were an insult to God; it affected God Himself. When the Israelites cried and murmured for food and drink, it did not seem that serious. Some sins are caused by human weaknesses, and God is quite forbearing with them. For example, the Israelites craved their favorite food and spoke against God, saying, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?" (Psa. 78:19). This did not affect God's attributes, because He knew that they were lustful. He punished them a little and then let them go. However, the incident at Kadesh-barnea did not reflect upon human weaknesses but upon God's power. Being fearful, weeping, and refusing to enter the land were the same as saying that God had brought them to a place of death; it put a question mark on God Himself. When this happened, God could no longer be forbearing. In relation to His government, He could not forgive them. Those who arrived at Kadesh-barnea and refused to go in were not allowed to enter. This was the end; there was no further possibility of repentance. They asked to enter a second time, but God would not relent; He could not relent when His government was concerned. Once His decision was made, it was final. When He said that they could no longer enter, He was firm in the matter because they had offended God Himself. This is the meaning of offending God's testimony.
In Numbers 16 and 17 we see the judgment on the company of Korah. They reviled Moses and Aaron, saying that they had gone too far and had exalted themselves above the congregation of Jehovah. God punished the company of Korah; the ground opened its mouth and swallowed them. The next day the congregation of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying that they had killed the people of God, and God's wrath fell upon them also. Later God told Moses to call the leaders of the twelve tribes together and put twelve rods in the tabernacle before the testimony (17:4). The one whose rod budded was the one chosen by God. We can see a great principle in this severe judgment. If men are just arguing about who is the greatest, God will still let them go. John and James argued about who was the greatest, but the ground did not open its mouth to swallow them up. Even at the last supper of the Lord, the disciples were still arguing about who was the greatest, and the ground did not open its mouth to swallow them up then. The consequence was much more serious in Numbers because they had offended God's testimony. The testimony says that only those in resurrection can serve God; dead ones cannot serve God. A man can only serve the Lord in resurrection. Today outside of resurrection, there is no life. In the garden of Eden, we see the tree of life. But today life is in resurrection because death came in. Today life is represented by resurrection. If a man has not entered resurrection, he cannot come before God. Today this life has passed through death. This is why it is called resurrection. Revelation 1:18 is excellent; it says, "And the living One; and I became dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever." Today it is not just a matter of living but a matter of becoming dead and living again. Today our Lord is standing on the ground of resurrection. We also have to stand on the ground of resurrection. Anything that is not standing on the ground of resurrection cannot come before God. Only that which has passed through death and resurrection can stand before God. Many people have not brought their eloquence, thought, ability, power, and wisdom through death; these things are not on the ground of resurrection, and they cannot come before God. In Aaron we see a great testimony — only one who is in resurrection is qualified to serve God. The budding rod tells us that the only one who has a ministry is the one who is in resurrection. Without resurrection, no one can serve God. This is the testimony! This incident speaks of a principle — man can only come before God through resurrection. When man was first created, he could come before God freely. But since man fell, he can only come before God through resurrection, because all sinners are dead before God, and no one can come before Him without first going through resurrection. Resurrection is the unique requirement for service today. Of course, this resurrection does not mean the resurrection life that we have received. It refers to the work of the cross in us. The cross was a "taking away" for the Lord Jesus, and it is also a "taking away" for us. When men crucified the Lord Jesus, they cried, "Take Him away! Take Him away!" (John 19:15). Everyone cried to remove Him. The cross is a great removal; all the old creation has to go. If the old creation does not go and the rod does not bud, God's testimony cannot be maintained. In other words, God has only opened one door. Those who do not enter through this unique door are dead. The company of Korah suffered severe judgment because they offended God's testimony. God will allow you to get by with some matters, but He will not allow you to get by with matters that offend His testimony. We must realize that the fundamental reason that God disciplines is to maintain His own testimony. In other words, God does not want to be misunderstood by men. When many people sin, others will only say that the sinners are poor, but not that God is poor. But when a man does certain things, others will say that God is poor; these things affect God Himself. God will not allow you to get by with things that affect God Himself, because these things offend the testimony; they offend God Himself.
In Numbers 20, Moses smote the rock at Meribah, and God forbade him from entering Canaan. Although Moses later pleaded, "Let me please cross over" (Deut. 3:25), God would not answer his pleading. When God said that he could not enter Canaan, it meant that he could not enter it. We know it was wrong for Moses to lose his temper and smite the rock with his rod. But we do not realize the gravity of the mistake he committed. We think that Moses was a meek person and that he unfortunately lost his temper. We may have seen many gentle persons lose their temper, yet God did not deal with them severely. Why was God so severe toward Moses? Let us see what God said. He said to Moses and Aaron, "You did not...sanctify Me in the eyes of the sons of Israel" (Num. 20:12). What does it mean to not sanctify the Lord? It means that we have implicated the Lord. To sanctify God is to set Him apart, to express His distinctive character. This is to sanctify the Lord. Even if Moses lost his temper ten times, others would only say that Moses had a quick temper, and the consequence would not be great. But when Moses lost his temper this time, it affected God Himself. God said that by losing his temper this way, Moses had involved God. He did not sanctify God; he did not put God in His rightful place. The problem with Moses' temper was that he lost his temper on the one hand, and water came out of the smitten rock on the other hand. God's work was evident. This made it difficult to distinguish who was involved. Moses involved God, because the Israelites might have thought in their hearts, "Now we know that God is this kind of God. He is a God who loses His temper and reviles." God was implicated through Moses. If Moses lost his temper and men only saw his bad temper, the consequence would have been small, and God would not have needed to seriously deal with him. God paid attention to this incident because Moses performed a miracle on the one hand — water came out and God's power was manifested — and lost his temper on the other hand. The Israelites could not distinguish the difference. They might have said that God caused the water to flow out for their drink and that God also lost His temper and reviled them. Moses dragged God into this confusing picture and did not make a clear distinction. This offended the testimony. The consequence was serious; God could not let him off easily; He had to disqualify Moses from entering the land.
In considering the matter of offending the testimony, we cannot help but recall the hand of Uzzah. Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God to take hold of it, and he was smitten by God and died by the ark (2 Sam. 6:1-7). God did this to vindicate Himself. We have said in the past that Uzzah tried to take hold of the ark with hands of flesh, but this is still not clear enough; it does not convey the seriousness of the matter. We must see that the ark is the ark of testimony. Before David became king, the ark was captured. At that time there was no Uzzah to protect the ark, yet the ark was able to protect itself. The ark was among the heathens, and it was moved from one place to another. There was no Uzzah or even a single Israelite to protect the ark, yet the ark did not fall. It had never fallen, and man could do nothing about it. When David moved it back, it was among God's people. Did it need someone to take hold of it? Here we see the sin of Uzzah. When the ark was among enemies, it protected itself. When it was among God's people, did it need someone to protect it? God wanted the Levites to lift the ark, yet they put it on a cart drawn by oxen. If the ark fell, that would be God's concern. But the use of man's hand to aid His will damaged His testimony. This is why God would not let this matter go.
We have to learn the lesson of allowing God to do many things. Those who do not know God's will try to help God. But if we spend some time before the Lord to consider the end of many men in the past, we can identify a principle: no one is allowed to offend God's testimony. Whenever anything offends God's attributes, His authority, His way, His plan, or His testimony, His disciplining hand will quickly come. God cannot allow His testimony to be damaged. He will demonstrate that He is a God of holiness, a God of power, and a God of life. Therefore, we must stand before Him in fear and trembling and not be careless or foolish at all.
God often disciplines His children for the purpose of vindicating Himself. God wants to let men, as well as the devil, know that He has no part in a certain matter, that it is something done by man himself. If man cannot maintain God's testimony, He has to step forward to maintain it. God will maintain His testimony, even if man cannot; He will maintain it by Himself. If a man does not maintain God's testimony, he will suffer God's discipline. There are many kinds of sins. Some sins are related to ourselves alone; God pays less attention to them. But if anything that is related to God offends Him, He will step forward and immediately discipline us. He has to immediately declare that He has nothing to do with the matter. Therefore, we have to be very careful before the Lord. It is wrong to commit any sin in general, but in particular, we should not commit the sin of offending the testimony. In general we have to ask God in fear and trembling to keep us from sin. In particular we have to ask Him to keep us from the sin of offending the testimony. We have to learn to know God and learn to not offend Him. Whenever God declares Himself as God, He will not compromise nor implicate Himself with man. Man can fail, but he can never offend God's testimony. We can look at the stories of many men in the Old Testament, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. They were chosen by God, and God delighted in them. Their histories also show failures and shortcomings. Yet God judged them only briefly, and then He dropped the matter. Have you ever wondered why God behaved in this way? This was because the wrong things they committed did not offend God's testimony. Whenever God's testimony is offended, the consequence is grave and terrible. This is not a distinction between the Old Testament and the New Testament. This is a distinction between offending the testimony and honoring the testimony. It is a tremendous thing, a terrible thing, to offend God's testimony; God will not allow us to get by. We must learn to fear God in this matter.
Hebrews 12:10 says, "For they disciplined for a few days as it seemed good to them; but He, for what is profitable that we might partake of His holiness." God disciplines us for our profit, which is our participation in His holiness. God wants us to partake of His holiness. Whenever God disciplines, He disciplines for the purpose of vindicating Himself.
Have you ever realized that Satan's mouth is stopped whenever God disciplines us? Once God disciplines us, Satan has nothing more to say; he cannot accuse us any longer. The discipline from God is for the purpose of maintaining Himself; it maintains His own holiness. As a consequence, the enemy sees that God has no part in a certain matter. When you are under discipline, the first thing you should pray for is God's vindication, not your deliverance from the discipline. Whenever you are disciplined, you have to tell the brothers and sisters that you were disciplined because you offended God in a certain matter. It may be a simple word, but it will testify to the fact that God has no share in the matter. Some brothers and sisters have clearly done something wrong and experienced God's discipline, yet they continue to cry because the discipline is too severe and because they are in trouble. Yet they should not cry about this. God's discipline is for the purpose of absolving Himself in a matter; it is for the purpose of vindicating His name. His name is upon you, and if you are not careful, you will implicate Him. Therefore, He has to vindicate Himself. When you are disciplined, you should bow down and worship the Lord, saying, "I will gladly accept this discipline. I will gladly stand in this position. I will gladly let the devil, the church, and the world know that God has no share in this matter and that the wrong is all on my part." The more you submit to His disciplining hand and the more you vindicate God, the easier it will be for you to go through the discipline. But the more you try to run from the discipline and the more you struggle, the more you will not get away.
This matter has a great deal to do with God's way. We have to learn to know God in this matter. This will deliver us from many cumbersome things. At the same time, we must allow God to be glorified through our failures. If we do well and glorify God, we should thank God's grace for it. If we do not do well, we should still glorify God in the things which He uses to vindicate Himself. May the blood cover us in saying these words and may the blood cover all those who read these words. This is a sober matter, and we should pay much attention to it.
