God’s desire for man to submit to deputy authority
Date: June 26, 1948Place: Kuling Mountain
Rebellion being the greatest sin
Today we will continue with the subject of God’s authority in the Old Testament. Numbers 16 records two instances of rebellion. We have seen the first rebellion, which covers verses 1 through 40. This was the rebellion of the leaders among God’s people. Their end was the way of Sheol; they went straight down to hell. God’s people should overcome the gates of Hades, but these ones were overcome by the gates of Hades instead. From verse 41 to the end of the chapter is the second rebellion. This was the rebellion of the entire congregation of Israel. In verse 41 the congregation murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of Jehovah.” The spirit of rebellion is infectious. Even when a person witnesses judgment on others, he may not stop the rebellion in himself. The people did not take warning from the result of the rebellion of the two hundred fifty leaders. On the contrary, when the rebellious ones were judged and sent to Hades, the whole congregation rose up in rebellion. They forgot that the gates of Hades opened up the first time because of the leaders’ own folly. They forgot that it was not Moses and Aaron who had judged the two hundred fifty leaders, but God who had judged them. Moses and Aaron did not open the gates of Hades; God opened them. The congregation only saw men; they did not realize that authority comes from God, and they attacked boldly. As the entire congregation was attacking Moses and Aaron, God stepped forward and vindicated Himself. He showed that authority comes from Him alone. In reality, the people were not opposing Moses and Aaron; they were opposing God. Moses and Aaron saw the rebellion of the congregation, but they did not open their mouths to argue with them. Instead, God spoke. His glory was manifested in the tabernacle. His glory manifested itself not only in times of deliverance, but in times of judgment as well. God told Moses and Aaron that He would destroy the entire congregation. As soon as a man begins to rebel, he moves his feet towards the gates of Hades.
Before Moses and Aaron spoke, God stepped in to deal with the people. God’s glory was manifested in the execution of His judgment. God could tolerate the ten murmurings of the people in the wilderness. He could tolerate their sin of reminiscing about Egypt or their lack of interest in entering Canaan. These sins prevented them from entering Canaan directly through Kadesh-barnea and caused them to wander in the wilderness for thirty-eight years. However, He could not tolerate their touching His authority. He would not tolerate them for another thirty-eight years but would destroy them in an instant. The sin of rebellion is more serious than any other kind of sin. The Israelites were already at the threshold of Canaan. If God would not let them go in, it would defeat the purpose of their exodus out of Egypt. Yet God was willing to let the entire generation go. He could bear many sins and forgive many trespasses, but rebellion is the pathway to hell; it is in the principle of death and Satan. This sin is more serious than any other sin. As the people were opposing God’s authority, God spoke to Moses and Aaron, and after He spoke, a plague broke out. Within a few minutes 14,700 persons died. What a sobering thing! Fortunately, Moses had keen spiritual discernment; he ordered Aaron to take the censer, put fire in it from off the altar, place incense on it, and carry it to the assembly to make propitiation for them. This stopped the plague. This shows us how serious it is to stand against authority!
Saul’s stumbling in the matter of authority
After the children of Israel entered Canaan, they fell into confusion time after time during the period of the judges. Everyone did according to what was right in his own sight. God was not able to set up His authority among the people. God’s authority was not found among them until the kingdom of Israel was established and the period of the kings began. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the entire race experienced deliverance. By the time of the kings, the authority of the kingdom was established. Saul was the first king of the kingdom of Israel. God chose him and made him the authority, that is, God’s deputy authority. Later, Saul fell in the matter of authority. God commanded him to destroy the Amalekites and everything they possessed, but Saul disobeyed God’s command and had pity on Agag the king of Amalek. He was not willing to destroy the best of the sheep and the oxen of the Amalekites. He did not hearken to God’s word. Therefore, Samuel said to him, “Does Jehovah delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices/As much as in obeying the voice of Jehovah?/Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice,/And to heed, than the fat of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22). He told Saul that God wanted obedience and submission from him, not the best of the sheep, oxen, and sacrifices. Saul was God’s appointed authority, yet he did not keep his place as an authority. Saul was the greatest utilitarian in the Old Testament, and Judas was his counterpart in the New Testament. Saul was the Old Testament pragmatist, and Judas was the New Testament pragmatist. Saul was a little better than Judas; he spared things for the Lord, while Judas tried to save the money spent on the ointment for the poor. Yet the principle of rebellion in both cases is the same.
David honoring the deputy authority
After Saul disobeyed God, he was put aside. Although Saul was still on the throne, in God’s eyes he was over. God’s intention was for David to be the king. Out of jealousy, Saul tried very hard to kill David, but David was unwilling to kill Saul in return. Both were anointed by the divine ointment. However, Saul was acting under God’s past will, while David was acting under God’s present plan and will. Both were kings. David was under God’s anointing as well as God’s plan. God intended for David to be king, and He also anointed David as king. It was wrong for Saul to oppose David. How could anyone oppose David as king? In man’s eyes there was nothing wrong with David moving his hand a little to put himself on the throne. This was in line with God’s will, and God had set Saul aside already. In God’s eyes Saul’s kingship was over. Was it not justifiable for David to help God to remove Saul? Was it not justifiable for him to assume the kingship sooner and to accomplish God’s plan? God’s will was for David to be the king. Was it not right for him to assume the kingship according to God’s will? According to man there is nothing wrong with this, but this was not the way David reasoned. In 1 Samuel 24, while Saul was chasing David in the wilderness of Engedi, Saul entered a cave to relieve himself. David and his men were hiding in the inner part of the cave. The two enemies crossed paths. It would have been easy for David to kill Saul then. He could have thought, “God committed Goliath to my hand at one time. Now He has put Saul in my hand. What is wrong for me to kill him like I killed Goliath?” Had David killed Saul, he would have hastened God’s plan in a sense, but by so doing, he would have rebelled against God’s authority. Although Saul had failed, he still was the king and God’s anointed authority. Although he had failed, David was still under his authority at one time. David’s killing of Saul would have gained him his kingship at the expense of rebellion. This would have put him under a standing of rebellion. The proper way was for David to submit to God’s authority rather than to His plan. Rebellion had disqualified Saul, and it could have disqualified David as well. Killing Saul would have put him in a wrong position. He was willing to take the right position and risk the danger of being killed by Saul rather than to rebel against God’s deputy authority.
David’s relationship with Saul was the same as Michael’s relationship with Satan. David dealt with Saul in the same principle that Michael dealt with Satan. David only said, “May Jehovah judge between me and you” (1 Sam. 24:12). He was truly a person who knew divine authority. He was unlike many men today who behave lawlessly and recklessly in the church, in their family, and in society. If these men were in David’s place, ninety-nine and a half out of a hundred would have killed Saul. We must uphold God’s principle of authority more than our own existence. May the Lord grant us a little light to see the seriousness of God’s authority. His authority is a tremendous thing. God will forever honor His own authority. We have to realize how sensitive and delicate the matter of authority is. It should not be lightly touched. This is the very principle governing the entire universe. A person cannot say that he only needs to submit to God’s direct authority. He must first submit to God’s appointed deputy authority. I wish that heaven would open and light would come to you to show you what God’s authority means. If God has the intention for you to be the king, let Him move His hand and let Him put you on the throne! You must realize how sensitive God’s authority is. You must realize this before you can be a man of light before Him. Once authority is overturned, everything is finished. You may think that there is nothing wrong in your enthusiasm for soul-winning and your zeal for work, but have you touched God’s authority? Saul could have had many reasons for acting as he did. He could have reasoned, “Agag is not bad. Many of the people of Israel are short of meat, and the sheep and oxen of the Amalekites are so excellent. What a waste it would be to kill them all!” He was insensitive to the seriousness of the act of rebellion against authority. This is where he differed from David. David was very sensitive to authority; he upheld authority to the point of almost losing his own life. Saul, however, had his own thoughts. His heart was on the sheep and oxen, and he wanted to offer them as sacrifices to God. Instead, he sacrificed God’s command.
The next incident is recorded in 1 Samuel 26. Saul and his captains with their choice men sought David in the wilderness of Ziph. There they camped and slept. Another temptation was presented before David here. He easily could have killed Saul, for “a deep sleep from Jehovah had fallen upon them” (v. 12). An ignorant Christian would sing “hallelujah” at such a juncture. He would think that the opportunity to remove Saul had come his way again. But David only took away Saul’s spear and water jug; he let Saul go. Unless a man has received a great light from the Lord, he can easily reason within himself, “I let him go the first time; that should have justified my innocence. I was more than fair in letting him go the first time. Now this time I can surely kill him. Saul is still coming after me. Now I can kill him.” David, however, was under a strong light. He dared not rebel against God’s deputy authority. He always upheld God’s authority. An authority is always an authority. Our submission to authority must not be affected by our environment. This is the only way that we can assume deputy authority ourselves.
David’s absolute upholding of God’s authority
Let me quote a third incident. This will show you more clearly the matter of submission to authority. After 1 Samuel, we come to chapter one of 2 Samuel, which details David’s reaction to Saul’s suicide. In man’s eyes, it was good news for David that Saul had died. Second Samuel 1 tells us that a young man came and reported to David how he had killed Saul, based on Saul’s plea as he approached his death (vv. 6-10). The young man thought that he would surely receive a reward from David. Instead, David responded, “How is it that you were not afraid to stretch forth your hand to destroy Jehovah’s anointed?” (v. 14). He then ordered the young messenger to be killed because he had said with his own mouth that he had killed Jehovah’s anointed. This shows us that not only did David himself refrain from rebellion and tearing down God’s deputy authority, but he forbade others from doing the same. Here we find the extent to which David upheld God’s authority. It is wonderful to see David’s maintaining of such a relationship with God’s authority; he was not careless in any way. This is the reason God loved David and established an everlasting kingdom for him. God said that David was “a man after His heart” (1 Sam. 13:14). God allowed his kingdom to continue. Even our Lord was a descendant of David according to the flesh (Rom. 1:3). In order for us to be a king, we must first submit to the King. In order for us to be an authority, we must first submit to authority. In order for us to be anointed, we must first humble ourselves before the Anointed One. God allows only those who submit to the King to be the kings. He only allows those who submit to authority to be the authority. This is a serious matter. We have to eradicate the root of rebellion in us. If we want to be an authority, we must first submit to authority. An authority must never be rash in action or words; he must never act impulsively. Today many workers and conference speakers are satisfied with their good works and fruits. But often I have thought of asking them, “You are boasting about so many things that you have done, but how many times have you submitted in your life? Do you know what submission means?” I am afraid that some people have never learned to submit to anyone in their whole life; they have never submitted to anyone’s authority. Today those who want to be an authority must first learn to submit to authority.
Submission being the unique crucial matter
In order to deal with the brothers and sisters and bring them into submission, we ourselves must first eradicate the spirit of rebellion and the thoughts of rebellion within us. We are not here merely to earn a living or to play games. These are sober days! The most basic issue is the matter of authority. If we do not settle this issue, it is useless for us to talk about other things. If we do not know authority, we will not have a way to go on in our work, our service, or even our personal walk as a Christian. We must remember that the kind of person we are determines the kind of persons we raise up. We must submit to authority. This is the unique crucial matter. If we do not settle this matter in a fundamental way, we cannot go on. The church is the institution of submission. My heart is not on the power or weakness of the brothers and sisters. I am not afraid of foolishness or lowliness in men. The only thing that I am afraid of is rebellion. A nation’s first concern is not the poverty or weakness of its citizens but whether or not there is division and rebellion. Once there is division and rebellion, the nation perishes. In the same way, when division arises in a family, it is finished. Where authority is absent, confusion reigns, and no building can be realized. It is a solemn thing that we are gathered together here. I hope that we will all see the seriousness of the matter of authority. God’s deputy authority can be found in our government, our society, our family, and the church. We have to learn to submit to deputy authority before we can assume deputy authority.
God entrusting Himself to the deputy authority
Some may ask, “What happens if the deputy authority makes a mistake? Should we still submit to him?” We have to see that God has entrusted Himself to the deputy authority. I must shout loudly that God’s deputy authority is God’s revealed authority. God’s deputy authority is in fact God’s very authority. God charges children to submit to their parents, wives to submit to their husbands, employees to submit to their superiors, and citizens to submit to those in authority. Some wonder if these deputy authorities are worthy of submission. They wonder how God could ever have entrusted Himself to such husbands or officers. Brothers and sisters, do you think that God does not know that among government officials, half of them are avaricious? Do you think that God is ignorant to the mistakes of those in authority? We are so worried that those in authority may make mistakes, but we must realize that God’s greatness lies in the very fact that He is able to entrust His authority to man. Man is afraid of entrusting authority to other men. Since God wants man to submit to deputy authority, we can see the great responsibility that a deputy authority bears. It is not an easy thing for God to entrust His authority to man. However, since God is not afraid to hand His authority to man, it means that He can put His trust in the deputy authority. We have to realize that even though it is difficult to submit to deputy authority, it is even more difficult for God to appoint deputy authority. It is not a light matter for God to entrust Himself to His deputy authority.
Being at peace to submit to deputy authority
Since God dares to commit Himself to the deputy authority, we should dare to submit ourselves to the same. God puts His trust in all the masters, parents, husbands, and men in position. He does not say that we should submit only to the half that are good. If that is the case, we may choose to take the other half, to whom we think we owe no submission. Since God was at peace to use a man such as Saul, David was at peace to submit to him. Saul’s behavior before God was God’s business; David’s attitude was simply one of submission. Whether or not Moses and Aaron were wrong in how they behaved is not for me to know; all I need to know is that they were God’s deputy authority. All the Israelites needed to know was that Moses and Aaron were deputy authorities. That should have been enough for them to practice submission. When the Israelites had a complaint, they did not argue with God; they did not say that God was wrong. Rather, they said that Moses and Aaron were wrong. When the Israelites rebelled against Moses and Aaron, however, God said that they were rebelling against Him. Where authority is present, God upholds this authority. Where authority is absent, God appoints authority. First God appoints authority, and then He upholds authority. Whether or not a deputy authority is wrong is nobody else’s business, but if I am wrong in my attitude, I have to bear the responsibility. We have to learn to have the courage to submit to deputy authority. God never argues with us about the rights and wrongs of the deputy authority. He only charges us to take care of ourselves. God took care of Saul’s right and wrong. We have to be responsible for how we behave. If God did not have trust in such a man, He would not have appointed him in the first place. It is a serious thing for God to entrust Himself to man unconditionally. Many people entrust themselves to others conditionally. For example, a man may entrust another person with his money. He may say that the other person can use his money as long as the amount is under a hundred dollars. But if the amount is exceeded by one dollar, he should check before spending it. This is a conditional trust, but God entrusts His authority to man absolutely.
It is a great thing to entrust someone with authority. We have to believe that God has entrusted Himself to His deputy authority. He will surely honor the authority He has appointed. According to our rebellious nature, we are happy only to submit to God’s direct authority; we have no respect for His appointed deputy authority. Many people think that they can submit as long as they can set aside God’s deputy authority. Yet ninety percent of all authorities are deputy authorities. If God has no qualm about entrusting Himself to these deputy authorities, we should have no qualm in submitting to them. Since the Lord is happy to commission men to be His authority, we should be happy to submit to these commissioned authorities.
God honoring the deputy authority
Let us consider again the ordinance regarding the taking of a vow in Numbers 30 and see how God honors deputy authority. In the entire chapter, only verse 2 speaks about man. From verse 3 onward, the subject is the vow of the woman. The woman is under authority. Before she is married, she is her father’s daughter. After she is married, she is her husband’s wife. Prior to her marriage, her father is her authority. After she is married, her husband is her authority. No man or woman can revoke his or her vow before the Lord; a person must carry out his or her vow. This is God’s direct commandment; it relates to God’s direct authority. The woman has an added consideration; she is under an indirect authority — her father or her husband. The father or husband is a woman’s deputy authority. This is an authority appointed by God. When a girl makes a vow at home before she is married, this vow has to be approved by her father before God will recognize it. It seems as if God is saying that in order for a woman to submit to God’s authority, she must first submit to His deputy authority. If the father objects to the vow, God will not acknowledge it. If He acknowledged it, He would be overturning His own authority. God honors His own deputy authority, which He appointed Himself. If the deputy authority approves it, the direct Authority endorses it. If the deputy authority does not approve it, the direct Authority will not endorse it. The whole chapter is on this one matter. After a woman is married, she is under the authority of her husband. As long as her husband does not approve a vow, God will not hold the wife accountable for it. God only requires that the wife submit to the deputy authority. In the New Testament a man cannot say that he has made a gift to God of what is due to his parents and, therefore, has no further obligation to honor his parents (Matt. 15:5-6). God says that we should honor our father and mother (v. 4). A man cannot overturn God’s deputy authority; he cannot make an excuse by saying that he is submitting to God’s direct authority. God says that if a person does not submit to deputy authority, his vows will not be honored by Him. In the same way, after a woman is married, the vow she makes in the presence of and with the consent of her husband is acknowledged. If the husband does not consent to it, God will annul the vow. If the husband dies and the woman remarries, the same submission applies to the second husband; he is the deputy authority, inasmuch as God is the authority. Here we find God establishing His deputy authority.
What should we do when the deputy authority makes a mistake? Numbers 30:15 says that if a husband makes null and void the vows and pledges of his wife after he has heard them, he will have to bear her iniquity. If a deputy authority makes a mistake, we do not have to bear any responsibility for his mistake; he has to bear the responsibility of the iniquity himself. God only requires obedience from the wife. In this chapter of Scripture, God shows us that He will not allow a person to overstep His appointed deputy authority even if it is under the pretense of obeying God directly. We cannot say that since we have received a command from God, we will obey God only and do not need to take heed to the command of the elders or the apostles. If the husband is wrong, he must bear not only his own sin but the sin of his wife as well. Therefore, we have to learn to be a deputy authority ourselves. A deputy authority has to learn to obey God. If we are wrong, we must bear not only our own sin but the sin of misguiding others. The entire New Testament upholds the place of deputy authority. In the Gospels we find Christ exercising submission when He answered the high priest who questioned Him in the name of God. In Acts we find Paul doing the same thing when he faced Ananias the high priest.
The only portion in the New Testament where we find an exception to this rule is when Peter testified concerning the resurrected Christ and the Sanhedrin tried to stop him from preaching in the name of the Lord. Peter and the other apostles answered, “It is necessary to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). The authority of the Sanhedrin was also a deputy authority, and it was right for the Jews to obey it. But in this case, the Sanhedrin was clearly acting contrary to God’s authority by rejecting the Lord’s name and forbidding the apostles from preaching the Lord. The apostles could not go along with this. Only under such circumstances were they allowed to say, “It is necessary to obey God rather than men.” Other than this, a person should not rebel against God’s deputy authority under any circumstance. We cannot be careless in this matter. We cannot practice rebellion under the pretense of obeying God. We cannot rebel against the deputy authority while claiming that we are obeying God. What a solemn matter deputy authority is! God’s authority is established successively step by step through submission in each step. We cannot disobey our parents while claiming that we are obeying God. When a person rebels against deputy authority, he is rebelling against God’s authority. We have to learn to identify God’s deputy authorities, and we have to learn to honor them, uphold them, and build them up. We must obey deputy authority, and we must eradicate the spirit of rebellion in us.