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Scripture Reading: 2 Cor. 4:7-11, 16; 1 Cor. 4:11-13; 2 Cor. 6:3-10
Generally speaking, people think that a person who is in God’s hand, who lives in fellowship with God, and who is acceptable to the Lord will prosper in everything and lead a tranquil life. In other words, such a person will be filled with blessing and happiness. This is a common human concept. Consequently, when we see brothers and sisters suffering afflictions and hardships, we think that they are being disciplined by God because they have committed a big mistake before God. This concept is deeply implanted in us, and it is difficult to uproot.
In 1943, after I was released from imprisonment by the Japanese, I contracted a serious case of tuberculosis, and I had to rest in Tsingtao. My illness continued for many days to the point that I was weak both emotionally and mentally. At that time one of the sisters who served the Lord with us said, “Perhaps Brother Lee has made a huge mistake before the Lord. Maybe the Lord is not going to raise him up.” She thought that the Lord would no longer use me because I must have committed a huge mistake; otherwise, I should not have been so weak for such a long period of time. This is a common concept.
Sometimes brothers and sisters who serve the Lord are so much in lack that they seem to be in poverty. After eating lunch, they do not know if they will have something to eat for dinner. When we see this kind of situation, we may think that God is disciplining them. This is our concept. We always think that if a person has no problems before the Lord, he will have a peaceful and happy life. Based on Psalm 1:1 we probably think that a person will be prosperous if he “does not walk / In the counsel of the wicked,” “stand on the path of sinners,” or “sit in the seat of mockers” (v. 1). The psalmist even wrote that such a one “will be like a tree / Transplanted beside streams of water, / Which yields its fruit in its season, / And whose foliage does not wither; / And everything he does prospers” (v. 3). Thus, it even seems that this concept is biblical.
On the surface this concept seems to be right, but actually it is not. There are instances in the Old Testament and in the New Testament that illustrate this concept. For example, in the Old Testament there is a person who suffered very much. Outwardly speaking, it seems that no person suffered greater affliction and hardship than Job. However, the Bible does not speak of any sin he committed or any problem he had before God. On the contrary, Job feared God and did not depart from Him. In Job 1:8 Jehovah declares concerning him, “There is none like him on the earth, a perfect and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil.” This declaration does not speak of Job not fearing God and therefore being in need of some discipline from God. Instead, this declaration indicates that there was none like Job on the earth, a perfect and upright man, to the point that God even asked His enemy, Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job?” Satan was speechless before God; he was unable to accuse Job of anything. However, God still allowed calamities to come upon Job, one after another. When they came, even Job was puzzled because he had the same concept that most people have.
The book of Job presents the human concept. Job’s three friends thought that Job was being disciplined for his sins. They thought that Jehovah was absolutely right and that God would not harm Job if he was not sinful. However, Job refuted his three friends. The first friend said that Job was sinful, but Job said that he was not sinful; the second friend said that Job had erred, but Job said that he had not erred; and the third friend said that Job had iniquities and faults, but Job said, “I desire to argue with God” (13:3). Job wanted to ask God, “Where am I wrong?”
Then the three friends of Job began a second round of debate with him. The first friend thought that Job had erred because God would never discipline a faultless person, but Job said that he had not erred. The second friend came and said the same thing, but Job insisted that he had not erred. Then the third friend came and said the same thing, but Job repeated that he had not erred. All these friends were debating the matter of right and wrong. The concept of Job’s friends reflects our concept. However, Job was not any better than his friends in regard to his concept. His friends said that Job was afflicted because he had erred, but Job said that he had not erred. On the negative side, Job’s friends said that he had erred, whereas on the positive side, Job said that he had not erred. Job’s friends were not delivered from the concept that suffering means there must be mistakes, and Job said, “Cause me to understand how I have erred” (6:24). Both parties had a concept that a person is stricken only when he errs.
After they finished their debates, exhausted their words, and stopped their speaking, God appeared to Job to make him clear that his sufferings were not calamities or a response to wrongdoings. These sufferings came to Job in order to tear down a person who was godly and blameless and who gave no ground for Satan’s accusations. The calamities that came upon Job were not for dealing with his errors or sins but for dealing with Job himself. When he finally met God, he did not abhor his acts but himself, that is, his self that he justified and could boast of, that even God could not find fault with, and that Satan could not accuse. Job said, “I abhor myself, and I repent / In dust and ashes” (42:6). It was only at this point that Job knew that God struck and afflicted him because He wanted to tear down the natural wholeness of his being.
A person who is in God’s hand often suffers much affliction and trouble. We should never think that we will have peace and blessings if we fear God. This is a religious thought, not the truth according to the Bible. A person who is in God’s hand often suffers much affliction and hardship. Whether he is right or wrong, there is always breaking, smiting, and suffering. If only those who are wrong were smitten, what wrong did Job commit? The Bible said that Job was perfect and upright.
Not only is there the example of Job in the Old Testament but also the example of Paul in the New Testament. I used to have the concept that a servant of God will not have any trials or lack if he subjects himself to God and is in fellowship with God. Consequently, I felt that he must have done something wrong if he was destitute or in lack. As I considered this concept, I could not understand. The apostle Paul’s word in 1 Corinthians 4:11, however, helped me to understand. He says, “Until the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and are naked and buffeted and wander without a home.” At that time I began to ponder the experience of Paul, the top and most faithful apostle. According to my concept, since he was so faithful and perfect, he should not have had a need for food, clothing, and peace. At the most, I thought he would be suffering some persecution for the sake of the Lord’s word. However, this was not Paul’s reality.
According to the record of the Bible, Paul not only suffered for the Lord inwardly but also was in want outwardly. Many people spoke of him dishonorably and gave evil reports about him (2 Cor. 6:8). Even some from the church in Corinth, which he had established personally, said that Paul was crafty and that he took them by guile (12:16). Why did this kind of shame befall Paul, who was the most faithful servant of God? According to our concept, he should not have had any lack because he was God’s servant. Many brothers and sisters have this kind of faith when they are called to serve the Lord. When a brother who served the Lord was asked about his living, he said, “When I serve a man, he takes care of my living. If I serve God, do you think that God will not take care of my living?” At some point, however, God truly will not take care of our living. We may ask God, “Why do You not take care of me even though I am serving You?” However, He will remain silent and supply us only after we have calmed down. Some may not accept this word, but this was Paul’s actual experience.
None of us can be more faithful or have more faith than Paul, but even such a faithful one as Paul was always in lack. However, his feeling toward poverty was different from ours. He said that his lack was a proof that he was a servant of God. Some asked him for proof of his apostleship, and he replied that his poverty was his proof (6:3-10). According to our natural thought, the proof of apostleship should be a fullness of faith and an abundance of material things, but this is not the case. When a servant of God hears someone say, “God has truly caused you to abound,” he will secretly say, “You do not know the hunger I have known.” Our concept is altogether natural; it is the concept of fallen man, not the concept of the Bible.
The most godly and irreproachable man in the Old Testament was Job; the most faithful man in the New Testament was Paul. Job did not have either a supply or peace in his sufferings, and Paul was even put in prison. At the end of 2 Timothy Paul wrote that his co-workers had left him, that those who had received help from him had forsaken him, and that no one was with him to support him at his defense — all had abandoned him (4:10, 16). His condition was desolate to the uttermost. Some surely must have said that Paul had done something wrong and was therefore being forsaken by God. Saying this is due to blindness. The stories of Job and Paul reveal that God is doing a continual breaking work in those who pursue Him and serve Him. Regardless of whether they are right or wrong, God must tear down their person. Only by being broken can Christ’s life have a channel to be released; only by being broken can Christ’s life swallow up all our death.
On the surface, it seems that David suffered while Saul was at ease and in peace. Saul was the prosperous one, and David was the suffering one. But was Saul right before God, and was David wrong? In reality, even when David was being chased by Saul, no fault was found in him. From the examples of David and Saul, we should realize that a person who is in God will be under His pressure and that a person who is apart from God will not experience much difficulty. Because Saul was outside of God’s hand, his steps were smooth, and he was prosperous in his ways.
When we preach the gospel, we usually tell people that there is no rest and happiness in human life without the Lord, and we encourage them to receive the Lord in order to find rest and happiness. While many people believe in the Lord, they come to realize that even though they suffered before believing in the Lord, they are suffering even more after believing. However, after believing in the Lord, the feeling that we have in our sufferings is different from the feeling we had before we believed in the Lord. Sometimes we may not be happy with God because it seems that we have been deceived; nevertheless, even this feeling is good. Every believer can testify that it is truly joyful and satisfying to follow the Lord, even with all the difficulties and pressures. Many examples in the Bible show that those who are truly in God’s hand will suffer affliction and be troubled; only those who are not in God’s hand are at ease and in comfort.
Let us consider another illustration. In the Old Testament there was a set of twins; one was named Esau, and the other was named Jacob. In the Bible there is no record of Esau suffering anything; on the contrary, he married whom he liked and obtained what he wanted. Everything in his life was easy and smooth. However, Jacob was different. He made mistakes on the one hand and received dealings from God on the other. Nothing in his life turned out as he wished. Every step was difficult, and every circumstance was against him. When he saw Pharaoh in his old age, he said, “Few and evil have been the years of my life” (Gen. 47:9). Jacob’s life on the earth can be described with one word — suffering.
Some may say that Jacob’s suffering was a result of his craftiness. However, even if Jacob had not made any mistakes and had not been crafty, he would have suffered, because in the Bible Jacob signifies breaking for transformation. Jacob’s father, Isaac, did not suffer much, but neither was his name changed. A person’s name represents his person. A change in one’s name implies that the person has been changed. Isaac’s name was not changed because he was never broken. In the Bible Isaac does not represent breaking; he represents inheriting. In the Bible Isaac signifies that man can inherit God’s blessing by faith.
Jacob’s life shows that a natural person must pass through breaking in order to become Israel, that is, a prince of God. For a person to be filled with God’s element, he must pass through the process of breaking. This is what Jacob represents in the Bible. He was crafty, supplanting, and full of schemes. His name Jacob means “heel holder, supplanter” (25:26). He was a person full of schemes and plots, but he was broken, torn down, and dealt with by God again and again to the point that God changed his name and called him Israel (32:28), meaning “prince of God.” Jacob became a prince of God. This means that after passing through God’s breaking, Jacob was filled with the element of God.
According to the record of the Bible, we can see a wonderful thing about Jacob in his old age; he was entirely different from what he was as a young man. In his youth Jacob had plans, views, ideas, and tricks. He was full of schemes; he knew how to deal with his mother, father, uncle, wives, children, and God; he even wrestled with God. This speaks of Jacob’s natural capabilities. When he wrestled with God, it was not God who would not let him go but Jacob who would not let go of God. Consequently, God had to touch the socket of his hip, which caused Jacob to limp (vv. 22-32). Jacob knew how to deal with people, but in his old age, his entire being was changed; he became a man without any plans. In his old age Jacob did not have any tricks, plans, or schemes, but he was filled with God. There were no schemes or craftiness in him; there was only God. There were no opinions or views; there was only God. He was truly Israel.
In his youth and middle age he was a typical Jacob with tricks, capabilities, ways, and rules. But in his old age he was an Israel with no methods, views, or opinions. His every step was God. Although Jacob seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary person, he was not under Pharaoh when he came before him; he even stretched forth his hand to bless Pharaoh (47:1-10). This shows that he had a position before God and that he was great.
If a beggar comes before us, we may not be able to stretch forth our hands to bless him because God does not have much ground in us nor is there a sufficient element of God in us. If this is our case, when we stand before a beggar, we will not think that we are greater than he is or have more than he has. Consequently, we will not stretch forth our hands to bless him. When Jacob stood before Pharaoh, however, he stretched forth his hands to bless Pharaoh. This indicates that he had weight and position, that he was great, and that he was Israel, the prince of God, because he had been broken. We need to see that what we call blessings, happiness, and peace were but refuse in Paul’s eyes (Phil. 3:8). Often blessings, happiness, and peace hinder us from gaining God. Hence, in order for us to gain Him, God must strip us of all blessings, happiness, and peace.
God needs to break us because what hinders God from being constituted into us is our person. This tearing down in the negative sense is really a building up — whatever is related to our tearing down is also related to God’s being built into us. The more we are torn down, the more God will be built into us. We will gain God not only objectively but also subjectively. The result of God’s being built into us is that we become Israel, the prince of God.
God’s breaking is not a matter of being cruel to us but of being gracious to us. What God takes away is but refuse; it is something physical. What He tears down is our worthless self. However, what God builds into us is Himself, the peerless and infinite One. The end of the Bible shows the New Jerusalem with the tree of life. However, the tree of life is shown not only at the end of the Bible but also at the very beginning of the Bible. The New Jerusalem at the end of the Bible is not a structure built with refuse, clay, wood, and brick. No! The New Jerusalem is a structure built with pure gold, pearl, and precious stones, all of which refer to God Himself. The New Jerusalem is just God Himself in essence, appearance, nature, and glory.
God’s work throughout the generations is to eliminate all the refuse, clay, wood, grass, and stubble in order to bring in the pure gold, pearl, and precious stones needed for His building. What kind of persons are we? Are we men of gold? Or are we men of clay, men of wood, and men of stubble? It is correct to say that we are men of clay because man was made with clay. However, we are not merely men of clay but also men of grass, for all flesh is like grass (1 Pet. 1:24). Hence, we are men of grass, men of the flesh. In terms of being created, we are men of clay; in terms of being fallen, we are men of grass and wood; that is, we are men of the flesh. First Corinthians 3:12 says that those who work for God should not build with wood, grass, and stubble but with gold, silver, and precious stones. God’s breaking work in us is not His evil treatment of us but rather His kind treatment and special care for us. He wants to remove the clay and tear down the wood, grass, and stubble in us, and then build Himself into us. If we consider this carefully before the Lord, we will be joyful even when facing great afflictions, because our sufferings will bring us pure gold, pearl, and precious stones.
Everyone who is led by God must experience the Lord’s breaking work in him continuously. Problems will occur in our homes, in our careers, in our service in the church life, or even in our work for the Lord so that God can build more of Himself into us. Hence, we should not have the mistaken concept that by fearing God and living before Him, we will have a smooth way in everything we do and obtain people’s praise, glory, and respect. The one who respects us today may deride and trample us under his feet tomorrow. When someone admires us, we should put his admiration under our feet, because he may admire us for half a year or a year, but he may also look down on us and slander us one day.
God will not allow someone in His hand to be the object of constant attention and flattery like a pretty flower in a vase. Sooner or later, God will destroy the vase and remove our beauty so that people will look down on us. We should not think that all the saints will admire and respect us because we have been sent by God, called by God, and entrusted with His work. This is not the case. One day all the brothers and sisters may reject and despise us. Even though they may not oppose us or say anything against us outwardly, they will despise and criticize us inwardly.
The leading brothers in the churches have all drunk from this cup of suffering. Please remember that the ultimate benefit that the Lord of resurrection wants us to gain comes from the judgment and criticism of men. Those who have been instructed, taught, helped, and supplied by us for many years eventually may reward us with nothing but judgment and criticism. This is the way of one who serves the Lord; no other way is better or higher than this.
Those who agree with us and admire us today may be those who fiercely persecute us in the future. God will never allow any of His servants to be praised or exalted by man. Sooner or later, God will tear down what is praiseworthy in us and cause us to be base and reproachable in man’s eyes. This is God’s breaking. The genuine work of God’s hand is to break us. The anointing and the discipline of the Holy Spirit are good works of God, but the harshest work of God is the breaking. May the Lord have mercy on us, and may we, who are learning to serve Him, hear this word so that we will not be shaken when we encounter these things in the future. Instead, may we know God’s breaking work deep within.
Moreover, we must bear in mind that when we encounter God’s breaking, we should not respond magnanimously. When we encounter God’s breaking and it is difficult to accept, we should accept it rather than bear it. What does this mean? Chinese philosophers teach people to be magnanimous. However, magnanimity is incompatible with the teaching in the Bible. The teaching in the Bible requires that we be broken. To be magnanimous means that we have the ability to swallow difficulties. However, the more we swallow difficulties, the more we are full of the self without any of God’s element. This is not the teaching in the Bible. The teaching in the Bible requires that we be broken and torn down so that God may enter into us.
Suppose the Lord allows a certain brother who is serving the Lord in the church to be opposed by another brother. At such a time he should not take the Chinese way of being magnanimous, which means that he should try to enlarge his capacity and deepen his sense of tolerance. Instead, the Bible says that our outer man needs to be consumed and that our inner man needs to be renewed. The opposition of a brother comes from God’s breaking hand. Therefore, we need to ask God to shine on us and show us what He wants to break in us. This is not a matter of being magnanimous and forbearing; this is a matter of being broken. The greater our magnanimity, the stronger our self will be. The most magnanimous person has the strongest self.
The way of a Christian is not the way of being magnanimous but the way of being full of wounds and scars. Someone may say, “No matter how people treat me, I do not care. I can take it.” This person may be magnanimous, but he is full of the self. Although he has a large capacity, there is no wound or opening in him, so life cannot flow out from within him. When a person who is according to the principle of magnanimity encounters circumstances, he will pray, “O Lord, enlarge my capacity.” This is not the truth or teaching of the Bible. The Bible teaches that we need to be consumed, not enlarged. Our outer man needs to be consumed day by day instead of being enlarged. God causes us to be cast down in order to consume us. All the problems in our daily living are for consuming us. This is why Paul says, “Though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16).
To be magnanimous is not the teaching in the Bible; to be consumed is the teaching in the Bible. Hence, we must remember that every time we encounter a difficult situation, we should not take the way of being magnanimous but the way of being broken. Our wife may trouble us, but we should not respond with magnanimity or tolerance, because this is not the way of a Christian. The way of a Christian is to prostrate ourselves before God when our wife troubles us and to ask, “O God, what needs to be broken in me?” We should have the light and the teaching of the anointing within; we need revelation within to see the area that God wants to break in us. We need to receive God’s “axes” and “knives,” that is, the troubles from our wife in the areas that God wants to break us. Sometimes even a wife is not enough; we may also need six children and even the saints in the church.
We should prostrate ourselves before God and receive God’s dealings. We should learn to be in the light to receive God’s breaking. We should never pursue magnanimity, which is just a tool to cultivate, build up, and enlarge our self. Rather, we should learn to prostrate ourselves in God’s light and receive His breaking and tearing down without trying to cover ourselves. When everyone praises a forbearing brother whose wife quarrels with him all day, we should not follow them to praise him. We should realize that his magnanimity is only preserving, enlarging, and building him up. We should not try to be magnanimous and forbearing; rather, we should learn to prostrate ourselves in God’s light, receive His breaking, and allow the environment to break us and tear us down.
