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Scripture Reading: Acts 13:22, 36
In this chapter we will see God’s breaking, that is, God’s breaking of man. Strictly speaking, in order to be useful in the Lord’s hand and according to God’s heart, we must pass through much breaking by God.
Breaking removes what we originally have in our natural being, changing our original appearance and altering our original condition. We may have numerous good and noble things, but God still must tear down and destroy these good and noble things. When a structure is built, it is built according to a logical order; however, when a structure is torn down, there is no logical order, and everything is simply destroyed. Hence, in man’s concept, tearing down or breaking are not positive words. However, everyone who is useful in God’s hand must pass through His breaking.
For a period of time we have been speaking of the exercise of the discipline of the Holy Spirit and the breaking of the cross. Both the discipline of the Holy Spirit and the breaking of the cross are related to God’s work of breaking, but they are not the breaking itself. God’s work of breaking often is deeper and heavier than the discipline of the Holy Spirit and the breaking of the cross. Previously, we spoke of God’s breaking in a fragmentary way; we did not touch it in a thorough way. In this chapter we will touch the matter of God’s breaking in a fuller way. Before seeing God’s breaking, we must clarify several matters.
First, in His redemptive work God needs man’s cooperation. Every matter related to serving God is based upon God gaining man’s cooperation. A person’s usefulness in the service is based upon his cooperation with God. However, a person who has not been broken by God will not be able to cooperate much with Him. Although this is a shallow illustration, if we want to move into a house, it will need some adjustment and tearing down in order to be suitable for dwelling. Being broken is a prerequisite for God to gain our cooperation and to use us. The extent to which we are broken is the extent to which we can cooperate with God.
Sometimes we stay at a certain place temporarily. Since we are there for just a few days, we bear the situation even though the height of a door or the size of a bed does not fit our height. Outwardly bearing something in this way indicates a lack of breaking. If God does not gain our cooperation, He cannot do anything, and if we want to cooperate with God, everything that we have, according to what we are originally and naturally, must be broken. What we are originally, including our original appearance and taste, does not match God and is not compatible with God. Consequently, God must break us.
A chemical compound must be broken down in order to be combined with another compound to form a new compound. In the same way, we must pass through God’s breaking in order for us to match God and to be useful to Him. We can use another example. If we want to mix cement with gravel, a process of breaking down is required. Likewise, if we want to be mingled with God, we need to pass through a process of breaking. We need to be broken in order to be useful in God’s hand, because we will match God only when our natural things have been removed. In order to match God, we must be broken by Him.
Second, all spiritual matters must pass through death and resurrection. Anything that has not passed through death and resurrection is raw and wild. Crude iron must pass through refining and beating in order to become wrought iron and steel. Spiritual matters must pass through death and resurrection in order to be cooked rather than raw or natural. Anything that has not passed through death and resurrection is natural. God’s breaking is the procedure, the process, of death. In terms of experience, it is not sufficient to merely see the death of the cross. Doctrinally, it is sufficient to see the death of the cross, but unless we pass through various breakings from God, we will not know the reality of the death of the cross. Breaking is the process of the death of the cross. One who has not been broken has not passed through death and has not passed through the cross. We may be able to clearly speak of the doctrine of the cross, but unless we are broken, we will not have any trace of the cross in our being.
The first message I spoke in Taiwan in 1949 was on the God who gives life to the dead and who calls the things not being as being (Rom. 4:17). Calls the things not being as being refers to God’s creation, and gives life to the dead refers to God’s resurrection power. Creation does not fulfill God’s purpose; God’s purpose is fulfilled through life being given to the dead. In other words, creation does not fulfill God’s purpose; redemption fulfills God’s purpose. For this reason we need many breakings. Everything that goes against us is in the principle of God’s breaking.
What God builds up, He also tears down. Whatever is broken by God will enter into death in order to pass through death. Once it passes through death, it will enter into resurrection; once it is resurrected, it can attain to God’s goal. In order to attain to God’s goal, everything that is created by God must pass through His breaking and tearing down so that what is broken and torn down can pass through death and enter into resurrection. Without being broken, it cannot pass through death; without entering into death and passing through death, it cannot enter into resurrection.
Third, a person who is not broken can never be trusted. A person who has not been broken by God cannot be entrusted with God’s work; he is untrustworthy. Such a one cannot be trusted by God or even by the elders and co-workers. A person who has not been broken, who has not been torn down by God, is untrustworthy. Such a one is a natural person, and his life is natural and false. Our natural life deceives not only others but also ourselves. If we are still living in our natural being and have not passed through God’s breaking, we cannot be trusted.
I once worked in a certain place where I enjoyed the Lord’s presence and blessing very much. The saints were willing to be helped, and they expressed their appreciation. Among them was an intelligent and capable brother who said to me, “From now on, I give myself completely to you and submit to your leading.” I smiled and did not give him a clear answer. I simply said, “Take your time.” In my assessment of him, I had the sense that he would oppose and rebel against me one day because he did not know himself. A person who is not broken can never submit to others. Usually, we submit to a brother when he fits our taste. When a brother matches our disposition, we submit to him, and when a brother allows us to vent our anger on him, we submit to him. However, when a brother rebukes us and applies some pressure, we are unwilling to submit and even rebel. If we naturally like to eat sweet things, we will not be able to tolerate sour things for even three days. We truly do not know ourselves; only those who have truly submitted to others know the rebelliousness of their natural man. After a couple of years this capable brother completely lost his temper toward me one day. From this we can see that whoever has not been broken cannot be trusted; at a certain time he will rise up to oppose. Consequently, God cannot trust anyone who has not been broken in His hand.
Fourth, a person who has not been broken cannot do God’s will. A person who truly does God’s will is one who has been broken by God. These four matters must be deeply imprinted in us. In order to cooperate with God, we must be broken by Him; in order to have spiritual value, we need to be broken; in order to be entrusted with God’s work, we need to be broken; in order to do God’s will, we need to be broken. We must be those who have been broken by God. Then we will be useful to God. We must grasp these four principles firmly.
Now we will consider some examples in the Bible. The Jews highly regard two of their forefathers, Abraham and David. Although Moses is of great importance to the Jews, he is not called their father; only Abraham and David are called their fathers. In the New Testament the very first sentence of the Gospel of Matthew says, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (1:1). This shows that the Lord Jesus’ coming to the earth was made possible by two lives. In other words, God could become flesh and come among men because He gained the cooperation of two men on earth — Abraham and David. This means that the lives of Abraham and David rendered cooperation to God and brought Him from heaven. Hence, we need to examine the lives of Abraham and David.
The life of Abraham signifies a life of faith. In the Bible Abraham is regarded as the father of faith (Rom. 4:16-17; Gal. 3:7-9, 29). This shows that Abraham was the beginning of faith; the life of faith began with him. The life that can bring Christ to the earth is first a life of faith. Faith enables man to touch God and to deal with God. Hence, Abraham was called God’s friend, for only a man of faith can make friends with God and deal with God (James 2:23; Isa. 41:8).
David’s life signifies a life of brokenness. Although we cannot find the word brokenness in the Bible, we can see from the biblical record that Abraham believed in God and that David was broken by God. David was under God’s pressure throughout his whole life; this made him one who was according to God’s heart (Acts 13:22). Consider the examples of a house and garments. The more we tear down a house, the more we can make it useful according to our heart’s desire. Likewise, if a garment does not fit, we must tear it apart and alter it so that we will feel comfortable and happy when we wear it. Only after a garment has been torn apart and altered can it fit according to our heart’s desire. Because David was broken by God, he was a person according to God’s heart.
From the first day to the last God’s hand on David was never loose. From birth David was under God’s breaking work. Jews pay much attention to the firstborn; hence, the firstborn has a prominent position. David, however, was the youngest and most despised. In God’s arrangement David was born in the least significant position. His birth caused him to be oppressed.
When Samuel went to anoint one of the sons of Jesse, Jesse kept seven sons with him but sent David away to tend the sheep. This shows the low value Jesse placed on David. It did not matter to his father whether David was there or not. On that day there was not only to be an anointing of a king but also good food, yet Jesse still sent his youngest son away. David was not as tall as his brothers in stature, so his father asked him to tend the sheep. This shows Jesse’s low esteem for David.
After the seven sons of Jesse passed before Samuel, the Spirit of Jehovah said to Samuel that He had not chosen any of them. Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the young men you have?” Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest, but he is now tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him, and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” Once David came, Jehovah said to Samuel, “Arise; anoint him, for this is he” (1 Sam. 16:1-12).
When we read this portion of the Word, we need to see the emphasis of the Holy Spirit. From the day David was born, he was despised by men, not just by others but even by his own father. Even when the whole family gathered for a feast to sacrifice to God, his father sent him away. I believe on that day, even though David did not shed tears, he must have swallowed some tears. The entire family knew that a prophet was coming and that there was going to be a feast, yet David was sent to tend the sheep. If we stay in a saint’s house and are put in a situation where we cannot sleep well or we are not included among the elders and deacons, how do we react? If we were David, would we have been able to accept his treatment? We must acknowledge that everything is in God’s hand. It is not up to us whether a certain matter is right or not; it is up to God. All our judgments concerning being right or wrong are expressions of our flesh; all our arguments only manifest our true condition. If David wanted to argue, he surely had the ground, but he did not argue. The Bible shows that he remained silent; he had no personal expectation or desire.
In the Old Testament David was the first man whom God found to be according to His heart. God abhorred Saul as the king of Israel because when God wanted to do one thing, Saul would do another. He did not cooperate with God. But in the house of Jesse, God found David, the youngest and most despised, and anointed him king. Although David was anointed, he did not know when he would be king. Thus, his father and brothers still looked down on him. The Philistines assembled their armies for battle with the Israelites, and Goliath defied the ranks of Israel. Saul and all Israel were greatly afraid when they heard the words of this Philistine. One day Jesse asked David to take some food to the camp and visit his brothers. When David came to the battle line, his oldest brother said to him, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the evil of your heart.” This shows that even after David was anointed, his brothers still despised him (17:1-30).
David learned good lessons in the wilderness; he was tested in God’s hand. When David volunteered to fight with Goliath, Saul told him that he could not go because he was too young. However, David replied, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep; and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I would go out after it and strike it and deliver the lamb from its mouth. And when it rose up against me, I would seize it by its beard and strike it and kill it...Jehovah, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (vv. 34-37). David did not lie. He had learned deep lessons, and he had deep roots. After David killed Goliath, Saul kept David and would not let him return to his father’s house. After more battles, women came out of the towns of Israel singing and dancing with tambourines and joyful songs and stringed instruments (18:6). They sang to one another as they played, and they said, “Saul has struck down his thousands; / But David, his ten thousands” (v. 7). This praise did not affect David, but it affected Saul. Solomon said, “A man is tried by the praise given him” (Prov. 27:21).
From that day on, Saul decided to kill David, and David had no place to hide. When we read in 1 and 2 Samuel and the Psalms of his being cast out, we can see his inward condition and the wonderful lessons he learned before God. Once when Saul was chasing him, David had no place to hide but in a cave. By the arrangement of the Holy Spirit, Saul also went into the cave. If David had wanted to eliminate the cause of his trouble, he could have killed Saul with a sword. David was not afraid of Saul, but he feared God, so he only cut off a corner of Saul’s cloak as a proof to Saul. David could have killed Saul, but because Saul was God’s anointed, David did not kill him (1 Sam. 24:1-15). Even with doing just this, however, David’s heart smote him because he had done something out of his flesh to vindicate and glorify himself. This feeling in David’s conscience showed that he had learned a good lesson.
Even after David had learned so many lessons, God still had to do a further breaking work in him. God did not raise him to the throne to be king until he was almost completely broken, because only this kind of person can reign and be God’s deputy authority among His children. However, more breaking was still needed because David was still intact in his natural godliness. David’s natural godliness was irreproachable. Hence, one day God arranged a situation in which David fell, causing him to usurp the wife of Uriah and to plot to kill her husband (2 Sam. 11:2-17). Without God’s permission, David would not have sinned. If David’s natural godliness had not been broken because of this fall, his perfection according to the old creation would have remained. However, God wanted to break his natural perfection. The tragedy that was brought in due to his fall resulted in a further breaking. God could not allow a person who was naturally godly to live in hypocrisy before Him; thus, He had to deal with the situation. This was God’s breaking.
When David was escaping from his son Absalom, Shimei cursed him with words that were harsh and ruthless. The mighty men of David could not tolerate it and wanted to kill Shimei (16:5-9), but David said, “If he curses, and if Jehovah has told him to curse David, who then can say, Why have you done so?...My son, who came forth from my body, seeks my life; how much more then this Benjaminite will do so. Leave him alone and let him curse, for Jehovah has told him to do so. It may be that Jehovah will look on the wrong done to me and that Jehovah will repay me with good for his cursing on this day” (vv. 10-12). As David and his men went on their way, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went; he threw stones at him and cast dust upon him (v. 13). David, however, accepted God’s breaking; the cursing from Shimei turned out to be for David’s perfection. David felt that Jehovah had told Shimei to curse him, and the cursing was God’s speaking to him.
Here we see a person who was completely torn down by God. Although he was born afflicted and oppressed, his nature by birth, his naturalness, was still not broken. At this point his spiritual character was absolutely bankrupt. In David’s household there were incidents of incest, of a son rebelling against the father, and of servants rebuking the master, all of which caused David’s natural being to be terminated. In regard to being godly, David was the most godly; in regard to his status, David was a king. However, his own son and servants rebelled against him. In this situation, what did he have? He was totally bankrupt and torn down by God. He was nothing.
Some saints cannot fall unless they sin; this is God’s mercy. Even though the spiritual character of some is bankrupt, they still resist in their natural man. They need a great fall so that their self-praise can be thoroughly torn down. Anyone who is boastful has not been broken, anyone who blames others has not been broken, and anyone who competes with the brothers and sisters has not been broken. An unbroken person always disputes and contends with others in the church and in the work. He thinks that he can do everything and do it better than others. Those who are young and even some of the older ones are like this. When such a one hears a negative remark, he reacts immediately. This kind of person has never been broken.
Our genuine usefulness in God’s hand does not depend on our capability, our eloquence, or our intelligence but on how much we have been broken and torn down by God. A useful person is one who can be broken by God. Someone who has never been pressed, mistreated, broken, depreciated, or wronged by people is raw, wild, and useless to God. Even if we have received some discipline of the Holy Spirit, we can still be useless. We may accept discipline from the environment, but if we are unable to receive an offending word from the brothers and sisters, we are still useless. We must examine ourselves in this way.
For example, when we come to the meeting, our clothes may be torn by a hook on the door. Thinking that this is the discipline of the Holy Spirit, we gladly accept it. When we enter into the elders’ room or the business office, however, and encounter several unpleasant matters and hear some annoying words, we may refuse to pray and say Amen. We accept the discipline of the Holy Spirit when we are happy and pleased, but when we are upset and discontented, we become negative and cannot accept the Lord’s dealing. This proves that we have not been broken by God. It shows that we have no light, have not been broken, and are still intact.
Because we have not been cracked, and the sunlight is unable to shine into us, we have no inward light. We may have heard many messages and may be familiar with the Scriptures, yet we will not have any light if we have not been cracked, and there is no opening in us. A person who has not been broken or torn down by God is most pitiful. When we are treated well, appreciated, praised, and exalted by others, we gladly receive the discipline of the Holy Spirit. However, when our being is touched and we lose our face and feel that we have been hurt, we are not so willing to receive the discipline of the Holy Spirit.
If we possess a good attribute, we want to make it known and testify to others so that everyone in the world will know about it. Furthermore, as soon as we are wronged, we want to spread it everywhere in order to gain sympathy for ourselves. In contrast to us, David was despised in his family, but he did not utter a sound or rise up to resist. Rather, he lived before God, hid in God, and learned many lessons in secret — lessons that were hidden from his father and his brothers. Here is a question: Are the lessons we learn superficial or hidden? When we give a testimony, do we disclose everything or only what is allowed by the Holy Spirit? God needs people who are broken. Only those who are broken can be according to God’s heart and serve Him, serve people, and minister to people according to God’s heart. Only those who are broken can administrate the church and serve the saints. Only those who are broken can be workers of the Lord, elders, and deacons. Only those who are broken can minister God’s life to people in this age. May the Lord have mercy on us so that we willingly receive His breaking from within.
If we have truly seen what it means to be broken, we will realize that everything that comes upon us can cause us to worship God. We can let go of and accept others’ despising, disagreements, and ill-treatment; we can even let go of their high regard and welcome. We must determine once and for all that we will receive God’s breaking throughout our entire life. The story of David that is recorded in the Bible is not without meaning. The New Testament begins by saying, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” This shows that only faith and breaking can bring in Christ and transmit Christ to others. Only such a person can be according to God’s heart; only such a person can minister God’s life to people.
