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In this message we shall see more of the shadow of the church life as typified in Gen. 8 and Gen. 9, this time seeing something on the negative side.
In the midst of all the positive aspects of the church life, something negative occurs — the failure of Noah who was the leader and God's deputy authority on the new earth (Gen. 9:20-27).
Why did Noah have a failure? Because he had been very successful. According to the record of Genesis, Noah had become the leader on the new land and the father of all mankind on the earth. At that time, he, as the father and leader of all mankind, undoubtedly was under God's blessing. Noah began to be a farmer and planted a vineyard (9:20). We know he was successful in this because the vineyards produced grapes from which wine was made (9:21). Then Noah became somewhat loose. The grape wine was nourishing, and Noah drank it in excess. He was wrong in this looseness. He should have exercised self-control, but he did not, and became drunken. Being drunken, he was not only loose, but was careless, becoming naked without realizing it. He was unconsciously naked, and his son, Ham, saw this. This shows us that we all must be careful whenever we experience success under God's blessing, for that success can easily cause us to be loose and careless. We should not be overly joyful with our success. Instead, we should be joyful in our suffering. When we suffer, we must rejoice (Rom. 5:3). But when we are successful, we must be careful. Any kind of success can cause you to be loose in the presence of God. After being loose, you may become careless. Then you may lose your consciousness and even become naked. What does it mean to be naked? It means to lose your covering in the eyes of God.
Here I must speak a strong word. As fallen human beings, we need a covering. We need a covering not only spiritually, but also physically. Spiritually and physically we must be covered in the presence of God. Before the fall of man, man was naked before God. There was nothing wrong with that nakedness because there was no sin. After the fall, because sin has come in, it is sinful to be naked. We are sinful in our nature and need a proper covering in the presence of God.
Physically speaking, the proper covering is our clothing. Immediately after the fall, Adam and Eve discovered that they were naked and tried their best to cover themselves (Gen. 3:7), but they did not do it very well. Then God came in and covered them with the skins of the sacrifice (Gen. 3:21). That covering was also a type of Christ as the covering for fallen people. Physically speaking, fallen man needs a covering, especially before God. The priests were not allowed to be naked; they had to be fully covered when they came into the presence of God (Exo. 20:25-26; 28:40-43).
People today like to be naked, exposing their bodies as much as possible. There is no need to ask what the Bible says about this — just ask yourself. Do you not feel that it is shameful to be naked? Your nature tells you that it is. The situation today is pitiful. People not only go against the Bible, but also against their own nature and consciousness. Both males and females must cover their bodies. Due to this deep conviction, I try to cover myself as much as possible. I do not like to have my body exposed. The more we are covered, the more we hide ourselves under a covering, the more peace we have. When I was young, I saw some people who wore short pants in the summer. If I were to wear short pants when I stand up to minister, I would not be able to speak. Even if I were to stand on the platform with bare feet or wear a short-sleeved shirt, I would find it difficult to speak. The more we expose our physical body, the less peace we have. If you read the Bible, you will find that this conviction regarding nakedness comes from the fall. Regardless of how holy we are, we still need a covering. Our physical body must be covered. If I could have my whole body covered, including my head and my hands, I could speak much better, because I would have the assurance that no one would see me. I could speak in a covered way. We all must cover ourselves as much as possible.
We need a spiritual covering even more than a physical covering. What is our spiritual covering? It is Christ. In typology, all garments and clothing are types of Christ as our covering (Luke 15:22; Psa. 45:13). To be naked spiritually speaking means to lose your covering in the presence of God, that is, to lose Christ as your covering. In fellowship, many times the brothers become overly excited about some success that they have had. When, in that excited talking, they become loose and careless, they lose Christ as their covering. They talk in the presence of God without any covering. I have seen this among the sisters. Some dear sisters prayed very spiritually with a full covering in the church meeting, but when the time came for them to fellowship with one another about certain exciting things, they became loose and careless. They lost Christ as their covering. In a sense, they were drunken and naked. Whenever I saw this situation among the sisters, I did not dare to enter in. From my learning in the past, I have come to realize that it is not good to see the nakedness of any saint. When the sisters engage in that kind of excited, naked fellowship, it is not good for me to see what is there. I like to see a wonderful prayer meeting, a meeting that is so high, with the prayers strong, and all the brothers and sisters fully under the covering of Christ. It is a blessing to see such a meeting. But, when I see a negative situation, I run away, for I do not like to see what is exposed there. We all must be careful not to be excited to the degree that we become loose, careless, drunken, naked, and lose the proper covering. Many times we were like this even while talking about spiritual things or about the church life. Perhaps we were even talking about a high church meeting, but we talked about it in a naked way without the covering of Christ. As fallen human beings, we must keep ourselves covered by Christ in every kind of activity, in everything that we do or say. I would not do anything without Christ covering me. I would not talk to my wife, my children, or to my brothers or sisters without being covered by Christ. If I do anything without the covering of Christ, it means that I am loose, careless, drunken, and naked. It means that I have lost my self-control. That was exactly what happened to Noah.
Young people must learn how to be fully covered in their attitude, talk, and even in their fellowship. This is a real lesson. Whatever you lack now will be fully exposed when you are older. We older ones must realize that our present lack exposes the lack of learning when we were young. It is just the same as in education. If you do not learn sufficiently when you are young, you will feel that you lack certain knowledge when you become old. It is good to be saved as early as possible. The young people must be encouraged to learn the lessons now. Otherwise, when they are older, their shortage then will expose the lack of learning today. Now is the time to learn some of the lessons of the fine details concerning the spiritual life.
Noah made a mistake and had a failure. When Noah woke up, he did not make a confession. He immediately cursed the one that exposed his nakedness (Gen. 9:22, 24-25). When I was young, I was somewhat unhappy with Noah about this. I said, "Noah, don't you realize that you were wrong? You should have confessed to God and then confessed to Ham, the son who saw your nakedness exposed. Instead of confessing, you cursed." I was really bothered. Noah cursed the exposing one and blessed the covering ones. He cursed whomever was not for him and blessed whomever was for him. Probably some of you have also had a problem with this portion of the Word. Maybe you do not understand why this happened.
Spiritually speaking, it was easy for a person like Noah to be humble and to confess. Do you not think that this is easy? But it would be very difficult for one who has failed and has been exposed to curse and to bless. Noah was the father of the family and the leader of mankind. Everyone looked to him. He failed and was exposed. He could have been humble, confessed, and admitted that he had failed. However, since God had established him as the leader, he had to speak, not according to his convictions, but according to God's government. Which is easier to do — to be humble and confess, or to speak according to God's government? It is easy for anyone to be humble, admit the failure, and confess it. But if Noah had been like that, what would have become of God's government on this earth? What about his descendants? What about God's economy, God's administration? It would have been all right for Noah to make such a confession, but it would have meant the ruin of God's government on earth. Besides Noah, who could have represented God to speak in a governmental way? No one but Noah could have done that work. It was difficult for Noah, as one who had failed, to represent God by speaking governmentally. While he was speaking in such a way, his conscience might have troubled him and the Devil might have accused his conscience, saying, "How can you speak this way, since you have had such a failure?" Sometimes when the leaders in the church fell into this kind of situation, they gave up and did not say anything. So, there was no divine government.
Do not judge Noah according to the human concept. In God's government, Noah was a good example. Though he failed, he was still so strong to represent God in speaking governmentally. It was difficult for Noah to do that. Do not look at Noah from his side, from the side of his failure. You must look at the situation from the side of the government of God. Undoubtedly Noah was wrong. He was loose, careless, drunken, and naked. Nevertheless, we must look at Noah from the perspective of God's government.
What should we do when the leader is wrong? This matter affects God's government. There are two things here: the divine government and the human failure. If we are going to understand this portion of the divine Word, we must see what is the divine government. It is not merely a matter of human failure. Whether the leader is right or wrong, God's government has to be taken care of. Ham, who exposed Noah's nakedness, neglected God's government. To expose a leader's failure is to be involved with the divine government. We all must see this. Suppose Noah was not the leader and not God's deputy authority on earth. Then what people did when he failed would not have been so serious. Whatever they did would not have affected God's government or involved them with God's governmental dealing. But Noah was the leader, and God's deputy authority on earth. What should be our attitude towards such a leader's failure? This involves us in God's governmental dealings. Moses was wrong in marrying an Ethiopian woman (Num. 12:1). Miriam spoke against him and suffered the curse of leprosy (Num. 12:10). She was cursed because she neglected God's government and touched God's deputy authority in a negative way.
Why does the Bible say strongly that whoever despises or dishonors his parents shall be cursed? (Deut. 27:16, Heb.). Because this involves God's government. God is a God of order, a God with His government. If you look at God's creation, you will see that everything is in good order. This order is related to God's government. In God's universal government, the parents are God's authority over the children. When children dishonor their parents, they are rebellious against God's government. They dishonor the deputy authority of God on earth. When they do this, they receive a curse. David was seriously wrong in killing Uriah and taking his wife. His son, Absalom, rebelled against him and suffered the curse of death (2 Sam. 15:10; 18:14-15). Today, so many young people despise and dishonor their parents and miss God's blessing as a result. Look at the way they live and act — it is just like the lower animals. They have missed the blessing that God destined for mankind. Why have they missed God's blessing? Because they have been cursed for dishonoring their parents. The Bible says clearly that the one who honors his parents will receive the blessing of long life (Eph. 6:2-3). Young people, if you honor your parents, you will be blessed with a long life, living normally. You will know how to be wise and how to behave. You will know what is the right way to have a normal life. You will not be under the curse, living like the lower animals. To have a wrong way of living is a sign of the curse.
Why was Ham cursed? Because he touched God's authority and became involved with God's government. Noah was wrong. But, as far as Ham was concerned, he should have considered his position and God's government. The failure of the leader always becomes a test to us. Are we truly under God's government? If we are, we shall be blessed. If not, we shall lose the blessing. Noah's failure was a test to his sons. From the same test, one received a curse and two received a blessing. Whether you receive a curse or a blessing from such a test depends on how you involve yourself with God's government. Although Noah's failure was bad, it was a good opportunity for Shem and Japheth to receive the blessing.
When I was young, I felt sorry for the record of the Bible. It seemed that whenever God did something Satan would come in to damage it. At that time I only saw the black side, not the white side. Later the Lord showed me that the white side is greater than the black side. Noah failed — that was the black side. Noah's looseness, carelessness, drunkenness, and nakedness were all due to the work of the Devil through the flesh. But this failure caused by the Devil brought in a great blessing. Without this failure the blessing of God could never have been as practical as it is now. However, do not say, "Let us do evil that good may come." Never say this. The blessing of God always exceeds the damage caused by Satan. Satan is damaging, but God is continually blessing. God seems to say, "Satan, do your damage to what I have done. Once you have done your damage, I shall come in to bless. My blessing will surpass your damage." Who will receive this blessing? Only those who are under God's government. Do not be bothered by the damage that Satan does to God's work. Keep yourself under God's government, and, out of the damage caused by Satan, you will receive a blessing.
Ham missed the golden opportunity to receive the blessing. He missed it by neglecting the divine government. His talk to his brothers was based on fact. He did not spread a rumor or tell a lie. But Shem and Japheth, his two brothers, knew and respected God's government. Have you ever noticed what they did? "And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness" (9:23). They refused even a glimpse at their father's nakedness. What they did was not only right and moral — it was very much under God's government. Never forget that the situation there was not only related to a man's behavior, but also to God's government. Be careful. Whether or not your father is right or wrong is a personal matter. Do not forget that he is in the position of God's deputy authority on earth. If you expose his failure, you will involve yourself with God's government. We all must see this. I speak what I have fully experienced. Shem and Japheth knew God's government. They went in, not to look upon the failure, but to cover it.
It is not a blessing to see the failure of others. When you visit a brother's home, do not travel around his home and learn every detail. That will not be a blessing, but a curse. It would not be a gain to you, but a loss. Whenever you visit a brother's or sister's home, you should go there blindly. This is why I have a good answer when people ask me about others. I say, "I don't know." I tell the truth when I say this, because truly I do not know. I have been invited to a certain brother's home a number of times, but I know nothing about it except for the living room and the dining room. I do not know where the kitchen is. I do not like to know such things. I like to be blind. I like to be ignorant. I only like to know what the Lord burdens me with. Brothers and sisters, learn not to know. Learn not to see. Learn to be blind and deaf. Do you know where gossip comes from? Gossip comes from seeing and hearing. If you were deaf and blind, you would have nothing to gossip about. We all must learn not to see the situations of other people. Do not try to see such things, for that will involve you with God's government. It is not a small thing to be involved with God's government.
Throughout the years, close to fifty years, I saw and heard many dear saints criticizing Watchman Nee. I can strongly testify to you that none of the opposers of Brother Nee, none of those who criticized Brother Nee, saying that he was wrong and that they were right, received the blessing. Many of them suffered a loss spiritually. Some lost their health and others lost their business. There was scarcely one exception. In the early years I did not know the reason for this. Gradually I learned that it was because all the opposers and criticizers had touched God's government.
It is not a matter of whether the leader is right or wrong; it is a matter of whether or not you are under God's government. If the leader is always one hundred percent right, you will never be put to the test. The leader's failure or mistake becomes your test to prove where you are. If you are in the right position under God's government, the leader's failure will become your blessing.
Let me tell you a story concerning my own experience. For a period of six years, from 1942 to 1948, Brother Watchman Nee was out of his ministry. Because of the work of the Devil in China, there was a spiritual storm that kept Watchman from ministering. He and I were separated during the war. After the war, in 1946, I was invited to come from the north to the capital city in the south. When some of the co-workers who were involved in that storm against Brother Nee and who also knew me very well came from afar to meet with me, they said, "Brother Lee, can you say that Brother Nee has ever been wrong?" I replied, "Brothers, whether he is wrong or right is not my business. You must admit one thing — that we all owe very much to Brother Nee. We all must admit that he was just like a father to us all. If he was not a father to you, I must testify strongly that, in the Lord's economy, he certainly was a father to me. Before I met with Brother Nee, I knew nothing of the Lord's economy. He is my spiritual father, and my spiritual being came out of him." Then I told the brothers the story of Noah. I said, "Brothers, look at Noah's case. Was Noah wrong? Certainly he was wrong. But, it is not a matter of whether Noah was right or wrong; it is all a matter of from where we have received our being. Was Noah not our father? If he was your neighbor and not your father, it would be another story. But remember that you derived your being from him. He is your father. Whatever you are and whatever you obtained has come out of him. This involves you with the divine government. Brothers, I didn't see the thing for which people condemn Brother Nee. Even if I did see that he was wrong, I have no position to say anything about his wrongdoing, because he is my spiritual father and my spiritual being came out of him. I could never say anything against him. I am under God's government. Brothers, you must consider that it is not a small thing to be against our spiritual father. When you were not against Brother Nee, what was your inner feeling?" They all admitted that they felt so much life. When I asked, "How about now?" they responded, "We have to admit that we are just dead. We have no anointing or watering within. We are dried up." Then I said, "Brothers, you should listen to this real sensation. Don't care for your mental analysis. According to your mental analysis, Brother Nee is condemned, but as long as you condemn him, you are dead. The more you condemn him, the more dead you are." Immediately, the brothers turned and were saved from their dead situation.
We must all take care of God's government. I believe that among us there is God's government. If this is the Lord's recovery, then the divine government is among us.
Noah's curse and blessing were inspired by God in His governmental dealings. They were not according to Noah's personal feelings, but according to God's government. They were not of Noah himself, but of the very God who exercises His government over mankind. One of Noah's sons was cursed and the other two were blessed. The curse came first and the blessings followed. According to history and geography, Shem, Noah's first son, was the forefather of the Hebrews, the Jews. Ham, his second son, was the forefather of the black people. Ham's son was Cush, the forefather of Ethiopia. Japheth, Noah's third son, was the forefather of the Europeans.
In the prophecy spoken through Noah, it was stated clearly that Japheth would be enlarged by God (Gen. 9:27). This one word needs centuries to fulfill it. History tells us that the Europeans have been enlarged. Consider the history of the last five centuries. What an enlargement, an expansion, has occurred with the Europeans since the time of Columbus. This expansion is continuing. This expansion is mainly due to three factors among the Europeans: governmental power, science, and art, including the skills and the trades. Due to these three things, the Europeans have been constantly expanding. The Americans are the expansion of the Europeans. Eventually the European culture spread throughout the world through America. This was a fulfillment of the blessing spoken prophetically to Japheth. The one word of prophecy, "enlarged," spoken to Japheth has needed centuries to be fulfilled. Many nations follow the European way of government because the Europeans were strong in this matter, learning it from the Romans. Furthermore, the sciences, skills, and arts came out of the Europeans. All of this is the fulfillment of God's prophecy that Japheth would be enlarged.
Now let us come to Shem. "And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem." The expansion is of Japheth, but God is of Shem. Jehovah, the very God, is of Shem. All of the Jews have to boast, saying, "God is ours." Even the Lord Jesus told the Samaritan woman that salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22). Whatever is related to God has come out of the Jews. Who wrote the Old Testament? The Jews. Who wrote the New Testament? Except for one Gentile, Luke, the physician, the New Testament was written by Jews. Even Luke wrote with the knowledge he received from the Jewish believers. All the things concerning God, concerning God's gospel, concerning Christ, and concerning salvation have come out of the Jews. Jehovah Elohim was prophesied to be Shem's. Shem does not have government or science; Shem has God. The prophecy declares that the enlarged Japheth must dwell in the tents of Shem (9:27). The Europeans, including the Americans, are strong, but they need the tents of the Hebrews. If you do not believe what the Jews preach, you have no tent, no rest.
The descendants of Shem did not build Babylon; they built tents like Abraham did and they built the tabernacle for God. The Lord Jesus, one of Shem's descendants, was likened to a tabernacle (a tent, John 1:14). Eventually, the New Jerusalem also will be God's eternal tent (tabernacle, Rev. 21:2-3), which bears the names of the twelve Jewish tribes and the names of the twelve Jewish apostles. The descendants of Japheth, the Europeans, including the Americans, truly have dwelt in Shem's tents of salvation. This prophecy has been and is still being fulfilled.
Japheth has been enlarged and needs to dwell in the tents of Shem. Ham has been cursed because he was involved in God's government. He lost the blessing. Under the curse, he became a slave of slaves. Has this been proved by history or not? It has. But turn to Acts 13:1. "Now there were in Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius the Cyrenian, and Manaen, foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul." In this verse we see that different peoples had become one church. Here we see certain prophets and teachers listed among the prominent, functioning members of the church. Barnabas and Saul were Jews. Simeon was called Niger (which means black). From this designation, he might have been a Negro. Lucius of Cyrene was from Africa. Cyrene was a city in northern Africa, where Libya is today. Manaen was brought up with Herod. Herod, though a descendant of an Idumaean (an Edomite) was governmentally related to the Romans (Europeans). So, though Manaen's origin is unknown, he, as a foster brother of Herod, must have been Europeanized. Thus, we see that the five great functioning members of the church in Antioch were composed of two Jews, descendants of Shem, one from Africa and one who might have been a black person, both of whom might have been descendants of Ham, and one who was at least culturally related to the descendants of Japheth. They all became one church. Regardless of whose descendant you are, do not feel disappointed. Since we have been regenerated, we are all the church people. We were born of different origins, but now we are all in the same church. We all were born in the fulfillment of God's prophecy concerning mankind spoken through Noah. But our natural status has been changed by the salvation of God in Christ.
