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Recovered

BAKHT SINGH
David Recovered All
Bakht Singh

First Edition - 1967

4th Reprint - 1988
Revised Edition - April 2001
Reprint - Max; 2002

Book-Room,
Hebron
Golconda 'x' Roads
Hyderabad - 500 020
 Contents
1. The Hope of Recovery 1

2. The Lesson of the Axe Head 11

3. David's First Loss 17

4. David's Second Loss 25

5. David's Third Loss 39

6. Loss: Its Cause, Effect and Cure 49

7. Obedience A Secret of Recovery 58

8. Some Reasons for Loss 69

9. David's Fourth Loss 84

10. Secrets of Recovery 90

11. God's Divine Laws 106

12. The Secret of Power with God 116

 Chapter 1

THE HOPE OF RECOVERY

(1 Samuel 30)

DAVID and his men had suffered a great and heav)

loss. All their houses had been burnt down and their
women and children and possessions had been taken
captive by the Amalekites. Their loss was so great that
even though they were strong men, they all began to
w e e p loudly. Women can weep at any time and
anywhere, and nobody will question them. They can
weep in the morning or mid-day or evening! They can
weep in the bus or train, on the platform or outside it,
and any number of times during the day and nobody
will say: Why are you weeping so much? But when
men start weeping, there must be a very serious reason.
Here were strong military men weeping, so much and
so loudly that they had no more tears to shed (vs. 4).
Their tears were all dried up, their throats were hot,
and their heads were aching, so much so that they could
not weep any more. So great was their loss, and,
humanly speaking, beyond all hope of recovery.

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 In the same chapter, however, we read that by
God's help and grace, they recovered all that they had
lost and much more beside. They recovered so much
that they were able to pay all the debts that they had
incurred during the previous years. Wherever they had
been during those years they had been unable to pay
for their food and lodging. Whether they stayed in a
place for a few days or months or for a longer time
they had been given shelter and food. We see in the
Scriptures that David had kept a record of the kindness
shown to him. There were many good men who had
given him dhal and fowl and mutton. He knew who
had given him fresh food and who had given him stale
food. Verses 27 to 31 give a list of the places where he
had stayed, and verse 31 shows that wherever he had
stayed, whether for a few days or for a longer time, he
now sent gifts to acknowledge kindness shown, and
to pay back his debts.

We all feel sad when we lose anything, and all of us

have lost something, somewhere and at sometime or
other. Some have wept because of what they have lost.
Some have lost their keys or fountain pens, or have
forgotten their umbrellas. Others have lost their bedding
in the train, or have forgotten their wrist watches!
Whatever the loss may be it makes us feel very sad, but
if and whenever we recover such lost things we are
filled with joy. It is a peculiar joy to recover what we
have lost, and especially when there has been no hope
of recovery.

Some time ago one brother in Hebron was given a

sum of Rs. 130 to pay a telephone bill and he kept the
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paper and the money in a drawer. He was very busy
that day, and thought he would pay the bill the next
day. The next day it was the same. He was so busy
that he thought he would pay the bill the following
day. The third day, when he went to pay the bill, he
could not find either the bill or the money. He began to
search for it throughout the office. He opened every
drawer and almirah and looked into every corner, but
could not find the bill or the money.

All of us were very sad when we heard that and

began to suspect different persons. Could it be this one?
Or could it be so and so? Then we bought new locks
that very day and became very, very careful, so
suspicious were we of everybody in the office. After
two months, however, when they were trying to clean
every room in the building they came to the back room,
and there saw an almirah. They wanted to clean at
the back of the almirah so they moved it and found a
hole in the wall. In that hole they found the bill and
the amount!

What a clever and highly-trained rat it must have

been to have taken it from the one room to the other!
We had entertained no hopes of recovering that money,
yet we had prayed: 'Lord, help us to recover that
amount somehow, and help us to catch the thief.1 Now
we had recovered both the bill and the amount, and
later also caught the thief! What a joy was that recovery!
Everybody in the compound was happy that day,
saying 'We have recovered the loss! We have recovered
the loss!'

3
 So it is with us spiritually! We have many spiritual
losses because of our faults and failures. There are
many in fact who have lost their joy. Some, because of
trouble and trial, may have lost their faith. Others may
have lost their consciousness of God's presence. Others
have not yet learned the secret of finding God's will.

Many have lost the old power they had when they
were first born again. Others have lost their first love.
How many hearts there are with some spiritual loss.
They are not enjoying their Bibles as before. They have
not got the same burden for prayer as once they had.
Some weep openly and some secretly, but they have
no faith to recover what they have lost. They want to
recover it but they do not know how to recover it, and
worse still they have lost the hope of recovery. They
are saying in their hearts, 'Maybe I will never get my
former joy and peace again'. They may be saying: 'I
can never do the Lord's service as before'. Whatever it
may be that you have lost spiritually we have a message
for you. Whatever the cause of your loss may be, there
is hope for you. Your loss can be recovered. Rather,
you can receive much more than you have lost.

The Bible begins with the story of a very great loss

(Genesis 3:24), but in the same book God has proved to
man that though in the beginning Adam lost everything,
yet man is able to recover everything through our Lord
Jesus Christ. In Genesis 1:28, God placed Adam in the
Garden of Eden. He also gave him power and dominion
over the whole earth and over the fish and the birds
and animals. In a very real sense he was the king of the
whole earth.

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 Yet, in chapter 3 he was driven out as a thief and
he Word of God says it was God Himself who drove
lim out. In the beginning he could talk to God as man
o man, but now he was being driven out from the
presence of God. He was driven out from his home in
he Garden of Eden and had to surrender all his rights.
What a tremendous loss! No man can estimate the loss
incurred by the first man, Adam. But in Revelation 21
and 22, we see how the loss in Genesis 3 has been
recovered. There we find man ruling the new creation,
which will be far more glorious than the old.

In fact God has given to man much more than was

lost in Genesis 3. God began the recovery by the power
of the Cross. That is why you find the word Lamb
repeated twenty-eight times in the Book of Revelation.
The message is that every loss of every sinner and every
loss of every believer can be recovered by God's grace
and by His help, as revealed in the sacrifice of Calvary.

We can divide people into two groups: There are

people who have not received salvation. So far they
have not found true peace. They cannot say that God
has forgiven their sins. They are living without hope
and without God. Life for them is a life of defeat, of
misery, and of darkness. They have nothing in the
world that they can call their own. They are beggars
living in poverty and thus their time, money, and
energy are being wasted day by day. That is one group
of people, who are in darkness, and whose whole life
is being wasted and lost. When they are about to die
they will cry out, knowingly or unknowingly: 'My life
is wasted. Soon I will be dead! but my life is wasted!'

5
With what sorrow they will say those words, admitting
that whatever they had possessed, or whatever they
had done in life, was only a waste!

Examine your own heart truthfully — How is your

condition before God? Is your life being wasted? What
are you really accomplishing in your life by your time,
your money, or your energy? Do these things give you
real peace and joy? Are you of any use to God? Gan
vou say God has used something of your life? Please be
honest and truthful with yourself.

As a sinner your life most certainly is being wasted.

The Scriptures describe even our righteousness as filthy
rags. Even though we may say we are a great and
wealthy people and can boast that we earn much
money, if we are living in sin, God likens our best efforts
to filthy rags. I have seen some rags so dirty and rotten
that even lepers and poor beggars will not touch them.
That is like the heart of man, filthy and hopeless. Even
our righteousness, in the sight of God, is like 'filthy rags'
(Isaiah 64:6). Unless our sins are forgiven and our
hearts are cleansed, we shall remain as filthy rags and
our time, money and energy will all be a waste. But,
praise God, we can be transformed into precious stones
in the House of God provided our hearts are cleansed.
Are you willing and desirous for your sins to be
forgiven? Jesus Christ came into the world and died
and rose again, that we might recover every loss. Even
though we have wasted our lives all these years, now
we can again become God's co-workers and partners
(1 Cor. 3:9).

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 Have you seen a good gardener working upon a
good field or a good garden? What preparation he puts
in before he starts working that ground. Once it may
have been very bad and hopeless, full of thorns and
thistles, but after a few months the very same field will
be yielding fruits in abundance and many colourful
flowers. Every inch of it is used. To produce these
results, the garden had to be worked upon day and
night. The ground needed much preparation. Every
stone had to be removed, then the seeds had to be sown
and watered every day, and for weeks and months
watched over day by day. It is hard to believe at last
that it is the same land or field that is now yielding all
these things.

In the same way God who compared us to filthy

rags, will be able to say, 'My beautiful husbandry! My
beautiful garden! 1 That is h o w your life can be
transformed. Every loss incurred by your sins can be
recovered. Because of your sins you have brought
reproach upon your own name, your family name and
the name of your God. Through your sins you have
ruined your life, health and body. Because of your sins
you are far away from God. You have not the least
understanding of the things of God. You are a fool
before God and whatever you are doing is a waste.
You will die without hope.

Do you want to be transformed? We have a message

for you. Come to the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. Come
with a repentant heart, feeling sorry for your sins. This
day the Lord will forgive you and transform you.

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That is why He came into this world to seek and
to save you.

Thirty-one years ago my life was being wasted;

completely and absolutely wasted. I was then living a
life of shame, defeat and barrenness, but I can testify
that all that I now7 say and do are of eternal abiding
value. If I do something wrong my Lord is there to correct
me and chastise me and bring me back.

David suffered four great losses in his life-time, and

we too as believers suffer in our life-time great losses.
By the grace of God and His help David recovered all
these losses. In every case there was no hope of
recovery, but by the help of God he recovered all those
four great losses, and not only what he had lost, but
much more beside. We also as believers in the Lord
Jesus Christ, suffer many losses because of doubts and
folly, blindness and defeat, but from God's Word we
can see how every spiritual loss in a believer can
be recovered.

With the division of Pakistan and India in 1947,

many Hindus and Sikhs were driven out from their
homes, and when they were told by the Government
to prepare a list of the things they had lost or left behind,
they gave their lists to the Government in hope of
recovering some compensation. But many gave false
statements. If they had lost Rs. 6,000 they mentioned
Rs. 26,000.

That is worldly wisdom! Be honest and sincere with

God and yourselves and let God recover your losses

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for you. Pray to Him: 'Lord, do Thou help me to recover
all my losses.' Have you lost your peace? Have you lost
your joy or has your faith become somewhat weak? Is
your mind full of doubts? Have you lost your hunger
and appetite for God's Word?

I know some people who can eat a great deal of

rice. They can eat a first, second, third, and even
fourth helping! They want a dozen chappatis, a dozen
purees, curds, etc; yet when they are sick they refuse
to eat even a small quantity. Everybody looking at
such a man knows he must be sick! 'I saw him eat so
much before', he thinks, 'but now he refuses to eat and
needs to be forced!'

Spiritually, what has happened to your appetite

for God's Word? In the early days of your Christian
life you used to read many chapters and with great
joy attended every meeting, but now you find it
difficult to read even half a chapter. You have lost
your appetite for God's Word, lost your burden for
prayer, lost your understanding of God's Word and
you do not know how to enjoy God's presence. You
have lost many privileges in the House of God. Please
tell God frankly of all your losses and then pray: 'Now,
Lord, do Thou help me to recover all my losses.' You
are assured from God's Word that you will recover
much more than you have lost.

There are some laundries in England, where, if your

clothes are lost or torn by the dhobi, they will write to
you and say: 'We are very sorry that your dhoti or
shirt has been lost or torn, please let us know exactly

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what it was!' For if your clothes are lost or torn while
in their service they will make good your loss. Upon
receiving your complaint they will say, 'Please let us
know your measurements, and we will give you a new
garment.' Even though the coat you have lost may
have been an old one, they will give you a new one
instead.

This had happened to me in England, — not in

Indial Once the laundry spoiled my coat, and then
gave me money for a new one, with which I got one
even better. But God will do much more for you than
England did for me. He will give you much more than
you lost. But you must be honest and truthful and
sincere and tell Him all about your loss. We will see
from God's Word as we study further how David
recovered his four losses, and then how we also can
recover all that we have lost spiritually.

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 Chapter 2

THE LESSON OF THE AXE HEAD

(2 Kings 6:1-7)

THERE are m a n y people w h o are continually

suffering spiritual losses in their lives. But we believe that
God wants us to recover every loss; He does not want
us to lose anything. When He gives us something,
whatever it may be, He gives it to us to enjoy and retain
for eternity. We are given everlasting life, not for a few
years only, but far eternity, and that life must flow
in us and through us for eternity. Even though the
enemy may seek to prevent the flow in full measure,
God wants to remove every obstacle and ensure a full
flow all the time.

In the taps in your home, there may not always be a

full flow of water. Nothing is wrong with the water
supply, for there is plenty of water in the water tank;
but there is a blockage in the waterpipe. You get a
p l u m b e r w h o k n o w s his job and he removes the
obstacle and the water flows freely once again. In other
homes there are often leaking taps. The tap goes on
leaking hour after hour and there is much wastage,
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yet it needs only a new washer and the leaking will
stop. We once had such a tap at the back of our house
and it kept on leaking for many years, and much water
was wasted. Nobody would take the pains to put on a
new washer to stop the leakage. Then one day someone
had mercy upon us and changed the washer, and the
tap stopped leaking.

There are also many leaking believers. They are

wasting everything: their time, money and energy are
being mis-spent. Sometimes only a simple thing is
necessary to stop the leakage and wastage. Yet,
whether we lose things through negligence or through
folly the loss can be recovered. The Scripture tells us
that whatever is lost spiritually can be recovered. It
may seem impossible, but by the help of God, by His
grace and by His word, there can be recovery.

That simple lesson is taught to us in the story in

2 Kings 6:1-7 about the young prophets. Those young
men were studying with Elisha and they found the place
too small for them. They wanted a larger house, and for
this they needed wood. They had to go beyond Jordon
to cut the wood; so they all got together and went there,
and even though they were young men, and the sons of
the prophets, they had some wisdom, and took with
them Elisha (verse 3).

They could have said, 'Why should we be bothered

with an old man? He cannot help us in any way. He
cannot walk long distances. If he comes with us we
may have to carry him, feed him and serve him.' That
is how many young people feel. They think they should

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not serve their fathers becau'se they have studied only
to the third class, and cannot spell even one word of
English. Young people today think they know so much
more than their elders. Maybe their fathers cannot speak
fluently. Perhaps they stutter and mutter before they
can utter even one word. So the young people question
whv thev should go to such old men and women with
their personal problems. They think they are more
clever than their parents or relations, and for that
reason there are many young lives that have been
ruined through folly. These young men however had
understanding, and showed it by their request for Elisha
to go with them.

While they were there felling the wood, one young

man lost his axe head, which fell into the water
(verse 5). He could not have been a very clever young
man, or he would have seen to the axe before he set
out. He ought to have seen that the axe handle was
strong a n d the h e a d firmly attached. But being
inexperienced, he began cutting the wood without
noticing that the head was loose, and at the first stroke
the axe head fell into the river. It was a deep river and
the young man began to cry out: 'Now, what shall I
do?' That axe did not belong to him. He had borrowed
it from somebody else, and must have promised that
after he had cut the wood, he would return the axe
safely to the owner. As the son of a prophet he must
keep his promise.

There are many people who know how to borrow.

They are very, very clever. Whenever they want to
borrow anything, particularly money, they look very

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innocent, and say, 'I will pay you back immediately,
the very day I get my wages.' By the manner they speak,
the lender's heart is softened. He says in his heart, 'I
must help this poor man. He looks a good man, and
will surely keep his word.' So what the borrower asks
is given to him. But does he keep his word? Things
that were borrowed last year are not returned yet!
When you remind such people, at first they answer
nicely, but after a few days they become your enemies.
They know how to borrow, but they never learn how
to pay back.

Many believers have lost their joy and peace and

rights in this way. They cannot keep their word. They
do not keep their promises. They do not pay their debts.
But the young man in this story, even though through
his own folly he had lost the axe head, he wanted to
return it. He had no money to buy a new one and that
is why he was sad. 'Alas, what shall I do? How can I
face that man? I said so solemnly, "I will bring back
your axe safely to you." Now I have lost it. What shall
I do?'

He was a wise young man, however, and instead

of going to the young people, he went to Elisha. He
could have said, 'My young companions, my axe has
fallen into the water, please go into the water and get
it for me.' Being a wise young man, however, he went
to Elisha, an old man, rather than to the young men
(verses 15:16). He said to him, 'Alas, my master!' He
had faith that if anybody could help him, at any time,
it was only Elisha (verse 15). When that young man
went to Elisha and appealed for help, he confessed his

14
inability and acknowledged his failure. He said, 'Alas,
my master, what I should do?1 Elisha said, 'Show me
the place where the axe fell.' So the young man pointed
it out, and Elisha cut down a branch of the tree and
dropped it into the water. Immediately the axe began
to float. Like a piece of straw, the iron came to the
surface and began to float on the water. That is how
the young man recovered his loss. It is a simple story,
but full of deep meaning, to teach us how every spiritual
loss can be recovered.

We should note that in the first place, the young

men requested Elisha to go with them. In the same way,
make it a point, whenever you go anywhere, and
wherever you go, to make sure that the Lord Jesus
Christ, the true Elisha, goes with you. Don't depend
upon your own strength or wisdom for your blessing
or prosperity. If the Lord does not go with you, then
whatever you do, will never be prosperous.

Secondly, when you do lose something, do not be

ashamed to confess it. This young man could have
said, 'It was not my fault; the handle was broken'.
But he made no attempt to cover his fault. Confess
your faults readily. Do not cover your folly and shame;
and do not go to others for help, go directly to the
Lord Jesus Christ. The young man first came to Elisha.
You also go first to Christ. Go to His feet. Humble
yourself and confess your loss and failures to Him.

Let your prayer be: 'Alas, my Master, what shall I

do?' Let Christ take you to the place where the loss
took place. Be willing and prepared to see how God

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will help you. That stick cut by Elisha speaks of the
Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. For our sins He hung
on a tree and died for us, and by the same Cross our
loss can be recovered. The iron began to swim, though
it is impossible for iron to swim. But in the hand of
Elisha such a feat was nothing. In the same manner, it
is by faith we apply the Cross in our lives, and through
it we will see every loss recovered.

Now, that young man could go forth with a new

experience and a new faith. The loss had been fully
recovered, and he had also recovered his peace and
joy and wisdom. May God help you in the same way.

Remember this simple rule. First of all, show Him

the place where the loss began in your life and go to
that very place and say, 'Yes, Lord, on such and such a
date, and at such and such a time, I behaved like a
fool, and that is why there is this loss in my life.' If you
go to the Lord with that confession, by the power of
the Cross, He will help you to recover every loss. The
Cross is the power of God, and faith is necessary — a
simple and living faith.

'David recovered all.' Put your name in the place

of David's and realize that you can recover your loss,
whoever you may be; and you can also get much more
that you ever lost. Our Lord is with us. He said: 'Lo, I
am with you always. 1 Do not hesitate to go to Him.
Tell Him your losses. Believe also that He died on the
Cross on your behalf to help you to recover those losses.

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 Chapter 3

DAVID'S FIRST LOSS

(1 Samuel 29-30)

LET us always remember this point, that spiritual

loss can be fully recovered. However great vour loss
may be and whatever its cause, it can be recovered,
and in fact, in recovery we receive much more than
we have lost. However, we must be willing to obey
God's Word and His divine laws which no man can
change, nor can they be changed by wealth, education
or position. What is more, these laws are applicable to
everybody.

We have seen already that David suffered much loss.

Even though he was a good, wise and kind king, and a
man after God's own heart, he was deceived by the devil
on four occasions and suffered four great losses, but with
the help of God, and by his grace he recovered all. Let
us look at the causes for the four losses, and then see
how he recovered all that he lost.

The first is in 1 Samuel 29:1-4. David wanted to join

the army of the Philistines against Saul. Saul was David's
17
enemy and tried to kill him on several occasions because
God had chosen David to be king instead of Saul. For
many years Saul was trying to kill David and David
was running here and there seeking shelter. At last he
found shelter with the king of the Philistines.

The Philistines, led by their princes, gathered

together and went to battle against Saul. David went
with them, but the princes of the Philistines became
suspicious and said: 'He is a Hebrew and what if he
leaves our army and joins Saul's?' Only Achish, the
king, trusted David. He said, 'I have known David very
well for many years. He has been staying with us for
such a long time, we can surely trust him.' The other
princes of the Philistines did not believe David and he
was compelled to go back, very sad and disappointed.

He was sad because he thought: 'Saul, my enemy,

has been trying to kill me all these many years. I have
done him no harm. Even though I could have killed
him on two occasions, I spared him and yet he wants
to kill me. 1 At last he had joined the army of the
Philistines who were going up against Saul to battle.
David knew that Saul had been anointed king by
Samuel and though Saul had been disobedient to God's
Word, yet he was still God's anointed. That is why God
had not allowed David to touch Saul, but David had
become impatient. He was tired of suffering, so he was
saying in his heart, 'I have done no harm to Saul and
yet he wants to kill me. I have no shelter or place to
stay; I am depending on my friends for my home, food
and clothing. How long can I suffer? There is a limit
to everything.'

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 That is how we also argue in our hearts when our
suffering goes on for a long time. We say, 'How long
can I suffer? After all, I am a human being. I am not an
angel. I am not a supernatural being. Look at poor me,
for the last so many years I have been suffering so much.
I read my Bible and do everything I can to please God.
I am not doing anybody any harm, and yet God does
not look on my affliction.'

That is how we start murmuring. We have doubts

and fears and we begin to use the wrong weapons to
overcome our trials. But David was a man of God. He
knew God. He had experienced God's intervention on
many occasions, and he always went to God for help
and consulted the Lord before he went anywhere. He
knew also how to find the will of God.

In 1 Samuel 3:1-10 we see how David consulted

the high priest to find God's will before going anywhere.
In the Old Testament the high priest with the help of
the stones of the Urim and Thummin was able to find
God's will, so any person having any matter upon his
heart consulted the high priest. He would go to him
and say: "Please find out God's wrill for me in this
matter."

Now David knew that on many occasions God had

been with him to help him, yet on this occasion, without
consulting God, he had joined the Philistines'. Rather
than depend upon the Lord he had become impatient
to take revenge upon Saul, and was saying in a human
way: 'I have suffered so much at the hand of Saul. Even
though I have been anointed king, yet here I am living

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in caves without shelter and home and food. I am not
going to wait any longer.1 So he had decided to join
the army of the Philistines.

* * *

When David and his men returned to Ziklag thev

found their houses burnt. They found their women and
children gone and their stuff looted by the Amalekites.
All this was due to David's failure. He ought to have
consulted God before going to the Philistines, but had
been depending upon his own wisdom and strength at
that time. When he came back, he found that all the
huts had been burnt and that the enemy had taken away
their stuff and the women and children as captives. So
thev all began to weep, and they wept loudly and long.
They wept till they could weep no more, so great was
their sorrow.

David's men even wanted to stone him. When

troubles come, even our friends become our enemies!
(1 Samuel 30:6). David was greatly distressed because
the people spoke of stoning him. They were his soldiers,
but because of their trouble they wanted to stone their
leader! David was left alone. The Philistines did not want
him, and now his own men were saying, 'We will stone
vou.' He was alone, quite alone. He had lost his wives
and children — everything. Then suddenly he came to
his senses (verse 6). Underline these words, and one day
thev will help you when you are forsaken by your dear
ones, and when even those whom you love forsake you.
David encouraged himself in the Lord. He came to his
senses and said, 'O God, forgive me for my failures, for

20
not finding Your wTill before I joined the Philistines. Lord,
forgive me. Now I have nobody to be my friend or to
sympathise with me.'

Then David sent for the priest, Abiathar, and asked

him, 'Please, find out God's will for me. What shall we
do? Shall we go against our enemies the Amalekites?'
God said, 'Yes, go.' Again he said, 'Now, Lord, if we go,
will we recover all that we have lost?" And God said:
(verse 8, last part) 'Without fail, without fail, you will
recover all.1

God spoke and David believed God and they went

after the Amalekites. In the field they found an Egyptian
lying on the ground, sick, so they gave him some food
and water. He was revived and David asked him, 'Who
are you?' He said, 'I am one of the servants of the
Amalekites and on the way I fell sick and my master left
me in the field and they are gone.' With the help of that
man David found the place where the Amalekites were
encamping, and they were eating and drinking and
dancing with joy. Suddenly David and his men came
upon them and recovered their wives and children, and
stuff, and also spoiled the Amalekites. The spoil was so
great that they were able to pay in full all the debts they
had incurred. As we had seen earlier David also sent
gifts and presents to all the people with whom he had
been staying.

We read in the next chapter 31:3-6 about the battle

of the Philistines against Saul. In that battle Saul died.
When David had tried to kill Saul, God would not allow
him to do so, because Saul was God's anointed.

21
Now Saul and his sons had been killed in the battle.
There had been no need for David to fight against Saul.
Unknown to David, God was working on his behalf.
God had chosen David for a great and high service. He
was not only God's king but had been chosen by God as
a prophet. He was not only God's prophet, but one who
had also received from God His heavenly plan. That is
why he had to be refined in many refining fires. We as
believers have also been chosen by God for a very high
and lofty purpose and that is why we too have to go
through extreme suffering to be ready for that calling. It
is for us to find out God's will for our lives.

In the Old Testament, people had to go to the high

priest, but now God Himself is our High Priest. He is
our Saviour, our Lord, our King, our Friend, and also
our Advocate. We can go to Him at any time. The priest
was given two stones, the Urim and the Thummim,
but now the Lord Jesus Christ has put in us these two
stones — divine light and divine truth. According to
Psalm 43:3 when we go into the house of God to find
God's will, His light and His truth, as the indwelling
Christ in our heart, will lead us.

He is our truth and our light and our guidance. But

many believers do not exercise their rights. Without
consulting God they go to somebody else for advice.
Some believers make their own plans and use their own
brains. They think much more of their friends and their
worldly wisdom. Rather than be governed by God's will
they are governed by worldly wisdom. Thus, in business
and marriage and other matters they make mistakes and
when you question them: 'Why did you not wait for

22
God's will?' they reply, 'How long could I wait? I have
waited for so many years. My hair is becoming grey,
and who will marry me if I wait too long? No! no! this
won't work! I have waited, and waited, and I can wait
no longer.1

That is the reason why many are suffering today.

They have neglected God's will and lost God's plan,
and hence are suffering heavy loss. One day, like David,
they will weep till they can weep no more, and even
their friends will forsake them. Everyone will leave
them. Then they will know what it costs to forsake
God's will, and to fail to seek His guidance.

Be sure to find God's will. Please do not go with the

Philistines, whether they are uncles, aunts, or relations.
Do not use your worldly wisdom for any matter,
whether they be family matters or church matters.
Otherwise, be prepared to weep and weep, and to lose
even your intimate friends.

Finally, David came back to God. Oh! thank God

for the humility and meekness with which he came to
God and encouraged himself in the Lord. David
enquired from the Lord, and the Lord spoke to David.
Then David recovered all and much more than he had
lost. It was a blessed day. He and his men rejoiced
and the women and children rejoiced. They got back
their household stuff, and David was also able to pay
every debt.

Now you can prove for yourself, that not only will
God recover your losses, but your sorrows will be

23
changed to joy when you come back to the Lord. Do
not depend on the Philistines and your friends but learn
to put your trust in Christ alone. Learn to enquire of
God in every situation, seek to know His will, to hear
His voice and to obey Him, and though the situation
may be impossible, still obey Him.

24
 Chapter 4

DAVID'S SECOND LOSS

(1 Chronicles 13 & 15)

NOW let us look at the second great loss that David

had incurred. Let us first read two portions from God's
Word. The first portion we find in 1 Chron. 13 and the
second in 1 Chron. 15. With what zeal and labour David
sought to bring again the ark of God to its place. But
alas! Instead of gathering the Israelites and the sons of
Aaron and the sons of the Kohathites as commanded
by God in Numbers 4 and 7, he used his own human
wisdom and zeal to carry the ark in a new cart. This
had been done by the Philistines in 1 Sam. 6.

You may remember how the ark of God was captured

by the Philistines in 1 Sam and how, because of it a great
judgement had fallen upon them when they set the ark
first in the house of their god Dagon, and then sent it to
Gath and Ekron. Wherever the ark of God was taken the
judgement fell (1 Sam. 5:10-12). At last in Chapter 6 the
Philistines sent the ark of God back to the land of Israel.

25
 Years later, when David thought of bringing the ark
of God again to its place he first imitated the Philistines.
God had so clearly commanded in Numbers 4:15 and
7:9, that the ark of God was to be carried only by the
sons of Kohath, the sons of the Levites, upon their
shoulders. It was never to be carried in a cart. Yet now
David in his zeal, instead of consulting with the Levites,
consulted with the captain of thousands and hundreds,
as we read in 1 Chron. 13:1. "And all the congregation
said that they would do so, for the thing was right in
the eyes of all the people" (verse 4).

The result was that the ark was placed on a new

cart and on the way the oxen stumbled and when Uzza
put forth his hand to steady the ark, the anger of the
Lord was kindled against Uzza so that He smote him.
Thus they could not bring the ark to its place. But in
chapter 15 we read how David repented of the very
serious mistake made in chapter 13. Then he gathered
the Levites a n d the c h i l d r e n of A a r o n together
(1 Chron. 15:4-5; 11-13), and confessed that he had
not sought the Lord after the divine order revealed so
plainly and clearly in the books of Numbers and
Deuteronomy, and consequently he and the whole
nation had suffered a very heavy loss. Now when he
began to obey and follow the divine order as revealed
in the Word of God, with great joy he and all the people
were able to bring the ark of God to its rightful place
(1 Chron. 15:28).

After this great event David wrote the wonderful

song of thanksgiving which we have as Psalm 105, and
we find those words expressing the thoughts that filled

26
the heart of David after the ark had been brought to its
place. "O give thanks unto the-Lord, call upon His
Name, make known His deeds among the people, talk
ye of all His wondrous works" etc. (vs. 1-7; 14, 15).

David's heart was full of praise and he was exulting

in the Lord, and saying to the people: "Seek ye the Lord
and His strength, seek His face evermore" (verse 4).
Unless we seek God's face constantly and try to find
His heavenly plan in every matter, seeking to follow
His order in all our activities, duties and plans, whether
in the house or in the church, we are bound to suffer
very heavy loss. We cannot be governed by our zeal,
or wisdom, or judgement.

Today there is very great loss among God's people,

because of the failure to follow God's Word. For
example, God's Word is so clear that elders and deacons
are never to be chosen by election, but that after much
prayer and oneness of heart they should be brought
forward, and only after they have been fully tested,
should be set apart.

Alas! for this spiritual ministry in the House of God,

we find in almost every part of the world, and in almost
every Christian congregation, that the elders or church
committee members, or whatever you may like to call
them, are elected by voting. Even those people who
believe in finding elders by prayer become so careless
and negligent in this very important task that without
graying together as God's servants and co-workers
concerning this matter, they are governed by a man's
human qualifications, by his ability to speak, or by his

27
worldly position or other resources. That is why there
is so much strife and contention and jealousy in some
congregations, because-those that were defeated in the
election of church committee members or elders begin
to fight with those who were elected, and this strife
has its effect on all the people in the congregation. The
result is barrenness and spiritual infancy, and people
come and go away hungry from the services.

Again in the early church, when the believers were

in need they trusted God. They never had to beg for
their money, nor had to go about giving hints to others,
but trusted God, and God helped them.

In these days, however, it has become quite a

fashion, when believers want money, to start giving
hints, or making appeals, even going to the extent of
using high-pressure methods in order to squeeze money
from people's pockets. Such money cannot be sanctified
by God, and because such people have entirely ignored
the Word of God and the order of God, they are
suffering spiritual losses.

Though David was a great king, and had fought

many battles, and was a man after God's own heart,
yes, even though he was a very wise king and God
had used him mightily, yet he was trying in his own
wisdom to bring the ark of God to its place, and all
the people thought it was the right thing to do. They
all agreed with him when he suggested to the milita.-v
captains and generals and officers that they shoula
organise a grand military procession and bring home
the ark in triumph. They all thought that they were

28
doing a great service for God, but it was all entirely
according to their own wisdom, and not according
to the Word of God and the divine plan.

Later when David repented of his mistake, God

forgave him, for God is merciful and gracious, and if
we humble ourselves and confess our failures and
mistakes, He forgives us and helps us to recover every
loss. The result was that a great joy was experienced
by the whole nation and God's Word was honoured
when the ark of God was carried to its place upon the
shoulders of the sons of the Kohathites as God had
commanded.

Now the ark of God speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ

Himself. Only those who are truly born again and those
who are called by him have the privilege of presenting
His claims and showing to the people the way of
salvation. Alas! Again we find in these days so many
men who are never called by God to His service, but
are simply thrust into the mission fields. The result is
that more than sixty-five per cent of the missionaries
who go out from countries like England or Scotland or
America or Canada or Australia, never return to their
respective mission fields after their first term of five years
is over. They go back home disappointed, and in many
cases broken hearted. They go back with a mental
break-down because they were never called by God, but
were sent out by some committee, or because of some
human influence.

In the same way, many persons have been given

positions in Christian circles, because of their wealth or

29
position, but they have never been called by God for
that service, and are therefore unable to govern church
affairs according to God's will.

The same can be said about marriages. There are so

many people who use their human wisdom when they
consider marriage. As young people they like each
other, and are very much attracted to each other, but
they are governed only by those feelings of affection or
love or attraction. Maybe they are positive at that time
that God wants them to be joined together as life
partners, but they never seek the face of the Lord.

I am talking about believers, not unbelievers,

because as believers we have the privilege of being able
to seek God's face and find his will on every matter.
God has promised to speak to those who seek His face
and His will. There are many believers, who, rather
than consult God about their marriages and about
God's choice for them, consult themselves, their feelings
and emotions, or consult their friends and relatives
whom they respect, and never go down on their knees
about the matter. They refuse to pray with others who
could help them by prayer to find God's will, and that
is why there are so many unhappy homes. They begin
their married lives with high hopes, but soon afterwards
the couple find that they cannot get along together and
there is constant strife in the family, and unhappiness
in their own hearts.

In the divine order we, as believers, have the

privilege of finding God's perfect will in every matter,
whether it be church activity, or ministry or any other

30
service in the house of God. In these days there are
many people full of zeal, who have a great desire to
take the gospel to many parts of the country and even
to the world. With zeal they go from house to house,
street to street, and country to country, spending much
time, money and energy, yet they do not seem to
accomplish much, nor do they see much fruit.

For the first few months they may be very happy

as they see people buying books and showing an
interest in the Word of God, but there are very few,
comparatively speaking, who are really born again as
a result. We cannot blame them, because we are also
to blame in similar matters.

I know from my own experience, when I first began

my ministry in Karachi several years ago in 1933.1 used
to go from house to house and street to street with
gospels and booklets in many languages, because there
were people from many parts of India living in Karachi
in those days. I would begin my service early in the
morning and was able to distribute a large number of
books a n d tracts and Bibles, and m a d e many
wonderful contacts.

Many Hindus, Mohammedans and Sikhs showed

interest. They invited me to their homes and I was able
to sit with them and talk with them for hours about
the way of salvation. I gave them my testimony, but I
saw no results. Very few were really born again. I
thought, however, that I had done my duty! After all
souls are not born again in one day, and God in His
own time would bless with fruit. But I got discouraged,

31
and became tired, and wondered why there were no
results. So I began to pray: 'Lord, why is it that I don't
see results for my labour and ministry? I miss many
meals, I walk so many miles, I speak to so many people,
I make much sacrifice, yet I do not see any result for it
all.'

And God said to me clearly: 'I never told you to

miss so many meals, or to go without food, or to walk
so many miles. You are doing everything in your own
wisdom. 1 It was a shock to me. In the beginning, the
Lord had spoken to me even before I came to India
that I was never to make my own plans, but somehow
I had not fully understood what those words meant.

Now I began to see that we as believers in the Lord

Jesus Christ can seek His face, and before we begin our
day we can get His heavenly plan. That day, I decided
that I was not going to go out. The Lord was going to
speak writh me first; so I continued in prayer, and after
a long time of prayer God spoke to me, and said to me:
'Today I want you to go to a place called Soldier's
Bazaar.' I called my friends, and said: 'God has spoken
to me, that there is some soul ready in Soldier's Bazaar.
Kindly come with me.'

They answered, 'It is very far off; it must be about

four miles from here, and it is now almost midday.
Besides, it is a very hot day. Let us go tomorrow
morning, when it is nice and cool.' I said: 'No, the Lord
has spoken clearly and I believe there is some hungry
h e a r t w a i t i n g for the m e s s a g e , a n d we c a n n o t
disappoint him. We must go.1

32
 So, rather unwillingly, they agreed to come with
me. We had to walk. In those days we never went by
bus or tram from place to place for gospel work. After
having walked about three or four miles we saw an
open space before a shop, and we stood there, sang a
song and began to give a message. A Mohammedan
came out of the shop and said: 'Now look here, I am a
Mohammedan and this is my shop. I won't allow any
Christian to preach before my shop.' I said, 'Well, God's
message is never forced upon anybody; if we leave you,
you will have to give an account to God on the
judgement day. We have been sent by Him, and if you
don't want us, we will go away. Only you be prepared
to give an account to God for this!'

We moved on further, and again we saw an open

space, and stood there, sang a song and began to
preach. Then there came a policeman. He said: 'This is
a police station. You cannot stand here.1 I said: 'Lord,
You told me to go to Soldier's Bazaar, and nobody
wants us.' However, we decided to go still further, so
we went on, and again saw an open space, and the
Lord said: 'Now, stop here!' So we preached and sang
a song, and had a word of prayer. We always have a
word of prayer before we preach, for we find by
experience that it is much better to begin the message
by prayer. We have made it a rule wherever possible
to go down on our knees, for hearts are softened as
they see us going on our knees and calling upon God
to help us to give His message, and asking that the
hearers might receive God's message. So we prayed,
and after I had finished the message and had a word
of prayer, a man came to me, a man called Amar

33
Nath, and said to me: 'Mister, the Lord has sent you
for my sake. I am a Hindu graduate from Punjab
University, and have been going about in search of
peace for four years, but nobody can help me. I have
b e e n to m a n y w e l l - k n o w n H i n d u places, b u t
somehow I have not found satisfaction.'

He added that he had been wishing to meet some

true Christians, but he never knew where to go. And
he further said: 'I was so happy when I heard you
people singing Christian songs. I am sure God has sent
you for my sake. 1 That day he found peace; and a
great joy came into my heart as I saw that many were
reading out of the Bible and finding true peace in
Christ.

From that day the whole picture changed. The Lord

took us to all kinds of places; some being even lonely
places; and though, numerically, there were few people,
the Lord began to save souls. We had decided we would
pray together and find God's plan and then go out, and
as we did so, people were saved and we began to see
results. The work has never ceased since.

I remember another time some years ago when God

spoke to me and told me to go to a very lonely village
called Burnool. I had never been there myself, but
having prayed again I heard the voice of God: 'Go to
Burnool!' so I said to my friend: 'Come on, let us go! At
a village called Burnool there is someone ready.' He
agreed, and we set out. It was a very far off place. We
had to go by train about a hundred miles, then walk
for some distance, go by boat and then walk again.

34
 I simply knew there was somebody there, and that
we must go. We took a few books with us, and the
Lord told me to take an Urdu Bible also. So having
travelled nearly all day, by train and boat and then
walking, we came to the village called Burnool just
before sunset. I was standing on one corner of the
crossing and my friend on the other side, and as I was
standing there, a man came up to me. He said: 'I can
see vou are a Christian. I am a Mohammedan. This is
my village, and I won't allow any Christian to preach
in my village.1

I said: 'Well, it is quite true you are a Mohammedan,

and this is your village, but I am not sent by any man.
I can tell you truthfully, I was sent by God. I don't work
for any society, and am not paid for my work. I used
to hate the Bible and I used to hate Christians. I was
brought up in the Sikh religion, and the Lord Jesus
Christ Himself, without my hearing a sermon or
a t t e n d i n g a m e e t i n g , met me in the m o n t h of
December 1929, and changed my life completely. Later
on I gave my whole life for God's service in 1932, and
now He commands me, and I go where He sends me. I
obey His Word. He is a living Saviour who died for all
sinners. And I have heard His voice, for I never even
knew the name of this village.'

Then he asked: 'All right, where are you staying?'

and I said: 'Right here.' 'Very well,' he said: 'Come and
stay with me!' 'That's very kind of you!' I said, and he
answered: 'Suppose I invite the people, will you give a
message?' And that man, a Mohammedan headman
of the village, sent his servants and gathered a large

35
number of Hindus and Mohammedans, and he himself
became my interpreter. After I had given the message,
many people showed interest and bought books, and
went home, and then we had some food.

After we had food together, a M o h a m m e d a n

policeman came to me. He said 'Mister, God sent you
for my sake.' He then told me that someone had given
him an Urdu gospel some years ago, and he had read
it again and again, waiting for someone to come and
explain more fully the way of salvation. It was for this
reason God had told me to take the Urdu Bible! When
I gave i t to him he was so thankful, and soon found
true peace.

In this w a y , w h e n e v e r we were able to pray

together we found results, and blessing, and God's
power in a new way. This had.happened not only once,
but all down these past thirty-two years of the ministry.
We have found by experience that when we are able
to wait upon the Lord sufficiently and patiently for
any ministry, the Lord has been with us in a very special
way. That is why there is such blessing when we have
gospel c a m p a i g n s , gospel meetings and holy
convocations. We pray and God showers his blessings.

Because we seek God's plan for our ministry, we

never had to ask for money. Nowadays we find so
many people who when they have a big project in view,
and have no money, begin to beg. They feel quite
justified in asking for money, and use all kinds of
worldly methods, even to taking money from ungodly
people. They do not see from the Word of God that the

36
apostles never had to beg for money. People themselves
w e r e c o n s t r a i n e d , and were t a u g h t how to give
joyfully. We have found in our own service for the Lord
in India all these years that we never had to give any
hint for money,

Sometimes the need had been very great, but we

have prayed together and because it is the Lord's work
and He is responsible fcr our needs, He has always
supplied it. We never had to wait even a single day to
pay any bill. We have the promise that the Lord will
pay everything on time. However, in every case, we
have to make sure first of the Lord's plan and His time
for any campaign, or for any gospel ministry of any
kind. We do not look to any man, in India or in any
other country, for help. But we seek to follow God's
order.

This is very important for our personal life, for our

family life, and also for our church life. If we follow
the divine order then we know that God Himself is
responsible for all our needs. When we use our own
wisdom, like David, and change God's order, we suffer
very heavy loss, and this is a grave warning to us about
the necessity for waiting upon the Lord, for obeying
His Word and following His order.

In the building up of the church this is particularly

necessary. We want shepherds after God's own heart,
and we have to pray with the church for days, maybe
£ven for weeks and months, to find those whom God
has called and prepared and chosen for this great task.
Whatever the responsibility we have to bear in God's

37
service we must always seek God's face and His plan.
We mtist never try to change the Word of God,
by saying that we are living in a new age, and in
different days.

God's Word can never change, so pray that the Lord

will help you to recover every loss that you may have
incurred whether in your service through serving Him
in your own wisdom, or in your married life because
you married without seeking His face to find His will.
Perhaps t h r o u g h your repentance others will be
profited, and if in your married life you indeed both
r e p e n t of the mistake you m a d e , and ask God's
forgiveness, then He will surely forgive you, and you
will not only recover every loss, but your lives will be
used of Him to the blessing of others.

38
 Chapter 5

DAVID'S THIRD LOSS

(2 Samuel 11)

DAVID recovered all. Now let us, each one, put down
our own names in that fragment, claiming the truth of
those words by faith, and praying that the Holy Spirit
may engrave them upon our hearts. Even though you
may be extremely s t u p i d and cannot r e m e m b e r
anything else, try to remember those few words: David
recovered all.

Put your own name in the fragment as you repeat

the w o r d s a l o u d , a n d pray that they may truly
represent your own experience. It does not matter how
great your loss may have been or howe\ er shameful
its cause, yet it can be recovered. Our Lord Jesus Christ
came into the world that every loss incurred by any
sinner, in any country, and to any degree, might
be recovered.

All of us have lost many things from the days of our

childhood. We have lost books, pencils, rubbers and

39
fountain pens in our school days. Some have lost their
chappals, and others their keys; others again their
fountain pens and watches.-Can you imagine how
many things you have lost down the years? Try to
prepare a list and then imagine all those things being
brought back to you one day! What a great joy it would
be!

In the same way, manv have lost their health, some

their friends, others their children, and yet others their
joy. Just imagine what it would be like to get back all
these things, to recover whatever has been lost. But
what an even greater joy would be ours if we could
recover all that w7e have lost spiritually. We are so
foolish, we do not know how much we are losing
spiritually. We require the help of God to help us to
estimate rightly our spiritual loss.

The story of David's third loss in 2 Samuel 11 has a

message for both believers and unbelievers. First of all,
we are made to see the wickedness and deception of
man's heart. Whoever we may be, however good and
nice we may look outwardly, we are inwardly all
equally defiled, filthy and dirty7. There is no truth in
our lives. We do not want to know our true condition.
When we are told about it, our pride is hurt. That is
why many people are offended and hurt when reading
God's Word.

They are like the ugly man who had never seen a
mirror. One day w7hile w a l k i n g on a footpath
somewhere, he found a mirror. He looked at it and for
the first time saw his black face: it was blacker than

40
coal with thick hanging lips and ears. When he saw
his ugly face in the mirror he got so angry that he took
a piece of stone and broke the glass. He said to the
mirror, 'What do you mean? You are insulting me. I
am not as black as that. You are a liar.' He broke the
mirror, but that did not change his face.

None of us wants to see our true condition. We want

to look somewhat better than we are. There are some
who in their homes wear very dirty clothes. Their vashttes
look as if they had not been washed for six months. Their
pillowcases are so filthy and thick with dirt that they
look as if they have not been washed for three years.
Yet, when these people go out, they look so nice and
sweet, so clean and smart.

There are other people who in their drawing-rooms

have everything so clean and nice with costly furniture,
But when you go into their bathroom, you require a cloth
to cover your nose. When you go to the kitchen
everything is black and filthy. Why is this? Because the
lady of the house is working, she takes hours to wash
her hair and dress nicely, but has no time to care for her
house. In the same way, spiritually some people
outwardly are one thing and inwardly are another. The
Lord knows the true heart condition of each one, and
He will tell us exactly what is our real inward condition.
Even though it may be very humbling, it is good to know
what the Lord has to say about our true condition.

When you go to a doctor for treatment, unless your

trouble is properly diagnosed you cannot be treated.
There is a disease called tuberculosis. In the early days

41
they did not know its cause and many thought that
they were possessed with demons, if they had that
disease. The patient was left in some corner to die,
sometime^ for many years. When, however, men found
the cause of the disease, they also discovered a cure.

W h e n I w e n t to D e n m a r k , there w e r e m a n y
sanitoriums all standing empty. In the early days when
they did not know the cause of the disease, there were
many patients; but when they found the cause and
the remedy, that disease has been eradicated from the
country. In the same way it is good to know, the real
condition of our hearts. Do not be angry when the
Lord, through His servants, and through His Word,
shows you your true heart condition. The Bible says the
heart of man is desperately wicked and who can know
it? (Jeremiah 17:9).

Now let us look at the story of David in 2 Sam. 11.

When we first met him in 1 Samuel 16:18, nobody could
have been more cultured and good than he was.
Everybody admitted this. From his youth he had been
a God-fearing, wise, honest and good man. Also he was
chosen of God. Now a man of any caste or country may
be highly educated and cultured/but that does not mean
that his inward heart is changed. People do not know
their inward nature. David was not born to live a life
of sin.

There are some children who are born with evil

inclinations and as they grow up they show signs of evil
habits, judging by their words and manners. That was
not true of David. He was a good man, living a good life

42
for many years. He hated evil and kept away from it.
But unknown to David there was a hidden evil nature
somewhere, and unless God fully changed him, he could
not be used in any great measure.

The incident in 2 Sam. 11, happened in David's life

so that David might see himself as God saw him. In a
very cunning and subtle way he was tempted by the
devil. In the first verse of the chapter, we realize how
the devil had been watching and waiting for an
opportunity to bring before David this temptation.

The time had come, we are told, for the kings to go

to war; and David was a man of war, a mighty man,
but, rather than go to war as he ought to have done,
he sat at home in Jerusalem. Outwardly this was only
a very small failure, but in the sight of God it was a
very great failure. He was a man of war, and should
have gone to war himself. Instead, he stayed behind
in Jerusalem.

The second verse tells us it was eventide and though

David was a mighty man he had been sleeping until the
evening. There are so many people like this who are
sleeping when they should be awake. They can sleep
anywhere and at any time, even in meetings! Then if
somebody wakes them up and tells them not to go to
sleep, they say, 'I was not sleeping, I was just praying!'

In this subtle way the mighty man became a lazy

man. Can you not see how step by step the devil was
tempting David? Remember the devil is a very cunning
and wicked foe. In a very cunning way he tried to bring

43
about the downfall of David, and while walking leisurely
on the roof of the palace, he was brought face to face
with temptation.

Later, to cover this sin, David had to think of many

wavs and means and devices. He had to think of more
ways to commit sin in order to cover the sin he had
committed and so became a hypocrite. When he
discovered his sin was going to be found out, he sent
for Uriah, the husband of the woman. When Uriah
came, David began to question him about the war, as
if he were concerned about Joab and the soldiers and
the army. 'Please tell me how Joab is? How are my
soldiers? How is the war going?' He made himself
appear so innocent, by asking these questions. What
hypocrisy ! — just to cover his sin! He did not honour
Uriah for Uriah's sake, but merely in order to cover his
sin. Then he said to him, 'Uriah, you are very tired.
You have to go on a long journey. I am so sorry for
you. You must go home and have a hot bath and then
go to bed. You require rest.'

How good and kind the king was that day. He was
only a common soldier, but the king was making so
much of him! Uriah had hardly left the palace, when a
man took to him many dishes of rich food from the
king's table such as biryam and chicken, and other nice
things that he would never have seen in his life. How
kind king David was that day to Uriah! One sin leads
to a second sin and then to a third, and then to a fourth!
A great and wise king became a adulterer, then a
deceiver, and then a hypocrite, and then a liar, all to
cover one sin.

44
 Uriah, however, did not go home but slept at the
door of the king's palace. Again David pressed him:
'Uriah, you are still very tired, you can take a few days'
leave.1 Now, generally, when a soldier applies for leave,
it takes six months before it is sanctioned. Even though
he may say, 'My wife is sick,' the authorities will say:
'You cannot go.' But here David is saying, 'Without
application your leave has been extended for so many
days.' Nobody understood why.

But still Uriah did not go his house. While the army
was on the battle field he would not seek his own
comfort. So David's trick did not work! Finally, he had
to cause the death of Uriah through Joab. How sad! A
wise king finally became a murderer. He never intended
to murder him. He had no thought of becoming an
adulterer. He never knew that hidden part of his nature.
It is only when temptation came that he knew how
evil his heart was.

There are some diseases that are not evident when

they are first contracted, even though we may carry
the germs in our bodies. It is only after many years
that we discover the fact. We do not know it because
we are well, and sleeping well and also have hunger
for food. When people hear we are ill, they say, 'We
did not know that you were not keeping well.1 After
many years we may begin to feel ill and may even
become very seriously ill, but we never knew that
disease had been in us all thctse years.

Why was this story about David recorded in the

Bible? It is for our admonition, that we may not be also

45
deceived by the devil. It is good to know how the devil
can deceive us. All of us are born with sinful natures,
but that lesson was learned by David only after he had
sinned, as he says in Psalm 51, 'Behold, I was shapen
in iniquity.' We saw in 1 Samuel 16 how the people
were all saying what a fine young man David was —
a fine God-fearing man, a man of strong faith, loving
and good to all. None of these human qualifications
can last forever. No man can be always good, and no
education of anv kind can change our inward nature.
We are all born with a sinful nature and one day that
sinful nature will manifest itself and make us do shameful
things, perhaps after many years.

You cannot hide your true condition before God.

God uncovers our sinful nature in order to forgive and
change us. Before God could use David as his chosen
vessel, He had to change and transform him, and
cleanse and purge and wash him. Now see what David
savs in Psalm 51. He had realized what he was and
the true condition of his heart (verses 7, 9 and 10). The
verv same David w h o was so highly admired by
e v e r y b o d y in the w h o l e c o u n t r y is m a k i n g this
confession. He was making it with a broken hear.t. 'O
God, give me a clean heart. Give me a new heart. Give
me a pure heart and purge me and cleanse me, and
wash me thoroughly, and blot out all my iniquity.1

You must be willing to know your true condition as

God sees it. A man may say to you, 'You are a sinner.'
And you reply, 'What right do you have to call me a
sinner? You ask my neighbours and my friends.' But
what does God think about you? Please allow God to

46
examine you. Call sin, sin! There are some people who
are blind, but if you say 'O blind man,' they get very
angry. But when vou say: 'Sur Das! how are you?', then
they are very happy. In Northern India'they never call
a blind man, a blind man; they call him Sur Das, after
a very famous blind Hindu poet. The Bible calls sin,
sin. Whoever you may be, whether a lawyer, a doctor,
a cultured man, a rich man, a poor man, or a wise
man, before God you are a sinner, a terrible ruined
sinner under condemnation, and a filthy man, a dried
leaf and a faded flower only, a worm and mere clay.

The Bible savs we are born that way. Praise God all
these things can be changed. A sinner can become a
saint. A filthy man can be cleansed. A sinful and defiled
man can be clothed with heavenly garments, and freed
from all his sins. Confess to God exactly what you are.
Do not try to make any changes in your condition. Say,
'Yes, Lord, I am a sinner,' but do not say: 'I am much
better than my neighbour.' Do not say: 'I am a graduate
sinner, or a cultured sinner.' If you say such things you
will remain as you are. Because God loves you, tell Him
your true condition and say before Him: 'Lord, wash
me. I am filthy and defiled. O God, create in me a clean
heart. Take away my old nature.'

In this way you will recover every loss. Your

perishing life will become abundantly fruitful. Every
word you speak and everything you do will bring forth
abiding fruit and the very memory of your sinful life
will be gone. When God forgives, He forgives forever.
Man will not do that. They cannot forget. But when
God forgives, He forgets forever and covers your sins.

47
 Your sins will be gone forever. They will be blotted
out, because the Lord Jesus Christ died in your stead
and paid the full price of your debt of sin. Ask Him to
cleanse your heart, for without your request He can
do nothing. Will you say, 'O Lord, create in me a pure
and a clean heart. Wash me and purge me and cleanse
me thoroughly.' He will hear and answer provided you
are sincere and humble before Him.

48
 Chapter 6

LOSS: ITS CAUSE, EFFECT,

AND CURE
DAVID recovered all. The very words indicate loss.
As w7e have said before, we have all suffered losses of
many kinds. Even if we lose old chappals we are sorry
for a few days. Sometimes the dhobi loses an old shirt
with many holes in it, but even then we feel sad and
demand that old shirt back. As human beings, we are
much concerned with material things. But are we as
concerned about our spiritual losses? Remember, every
second that we spend without the Lord Jesus Christ is
an eternal loss.

Many years ago I met a grey-haired, almost bald-

headed old man. When I questioned him, 'Have you
experienced God's salvation?' he began to argue with
me. He thought I knew nothing about the world, and
whatever I said to him, he made fun of. He seemed to
be thinking: 'He's just a boy. How can he help me?'
After many months, I met the old man again. He came
to me with tears and said: 'Brother, do you recognise

49
me?' I said, 'Yes, so many months ago you came to such
and such a place.' Then he told me, 'After you left me,
I became restless and even though I tried to forget your
words I could not.' He had been compelled by the Holy
Spirit to read the verses I had given him. Then he said:
'I discovered my position, how I was living in darkness,
and how the Lord Jesus Christ would forgive my sins
when I accepted Him as my personal Saviour.' Then
he began to weep and said: 'My life for sixty years has
been wasted. Now I want to be used of Him. I have
accepted the Lord Jesus Christ.' He kept saying again
and again, 'My life has been wasted and the best years
of my life are gone. Now, I want to spend the remaining
few days to please my Lord.'

Do you know that your life is nothing but wasted in

the eyes of God unless your sins are forgiven? In
Joel 1:4 we read of four kinds of insects which eat away
the crops of the farmer, — palmerworm, the locusts,
the cankerworm and the caterpillar. Sometimes the
farmers with great hope work very hard day and night
to till the land and sow the seed. The seed comes up
but when the time comes for reaping the harvest, they
find that something has come in and destroyed the
crops. Maybe one part of the crop is eaten away by the
palmerworm, and another part of the field by the locust,
and a third part by the cankerworm, and the fourth
part by the caterpillar. How much is left? Nothing!

All is gone! What does God say? 'Oh ye sinners,

why do you waste your life?' Your life is like that field
w h i c h is being eaten away by the p a l m e r w o r m ,
cankerworm, locust and caterpillar.

50
 When we were children we had many bad habits.
In our stubbornness we kept on grieving our parents,
doing many wrong things, and wasting our time, but
afterwards we learned our mistake. Then we said, Tf I
had worked harder, I would not have failed in the
exams.1 As we grew older, we became slaves to the
lusts of youth and by all those lustful desires we wasted
the best years of life. Many y o u n g people w h e n
corrected and instructed by their parents and teachers
will reply, 'What do you know? You do not know what
life is! You are too old to understand. You don't even
know how to use a cake of soap. You old Daddy, you
wipe your face on the cloth that you wear, but we are
university students. See this nice cake of scented soap,
and this nice towel to wipe the face with! How can
you teach me anything?'

That is how many of us in our youth have wasted

our time, money and energy. When we had a wealth
of strength and opportunity, we live a life of shame.
Then the time came when we began to earn money.
By unfair means we earned and saved money for the
love of money, and we became so proud. We said, 'How
clever I am. In a short time I have gathered so much
money. When I retire, I will buy a piece of land and
build a house with many rooms and live a life of comfort
a n d p l e a s u r e a n d ease w i t h my children a n d
grandchildren around me.'

But old age will come, and your children will leave
you one by one. Your teeth also will fall out. Your
money will go to doctors. Then you will weep and say:
'My life has been wasted for these forty years. My life

51
has been wasted and is gone. My years have been
eaten by p a l m e r w o r m s , locusts, .caterpillars and
cankerworms. 1

Indeed, this may be your condition today. You are

conscious that your life has been wasted and is being
wasted. Be of good cheer. There is hope even for you.
You can recover every loss. However great your loss
may be and however humbling, still your loss can be
recovered. Your life can be abundantly fruitful, and
every minute you spend will yield everlasting fruit.
That is why our Lord Jesus Christ came into this world.
In John 15:5, He says: 'I am the vine and you are the
branches.' It is by abiding in the Lord Jesus Christ that
we may oring forth abiding fruit. Every past loss of
any number of years, will be compensated. That is the
wonderful miracle of salvation. Even though we have
wasted our life in so many sinful and shameful ways,
yet, by coming in to the Lord Jesus Christ, and by being
joined to Him, we may become abundantly fruitful.

Sometimes unexpected losses come to us. We read

in 2 Kings 4:38 that suddenly there was a great famine.
There was no grain anywhere, because there was no
rain. There was great barrenness and no crops and the
people had to go here and there to gather something
for food. They had no rice, wheat or vegetables. They
lived upon herbs. Even in these days, though we may
see grand buildings being built up in the cities, and
new and wide roads being constructed, and very big
colleges being opened, and all kinds of new things,
because of which we may say that we are living in a
very grand world, yet in the eyes of the Lord, it is only

52
a barren void. The Bible calls the world a desert and a
horrible wilderness. One day all the old things will be
removed and burnt up.

We read in 2 Kings 4 that the people, because of

the famine, had to go into the jungle to gather herbs as
thev had no grain or proper food. They were living
upon herbs. The very same condition exists even now
in the world. On the one hand, people are boasting of
worldly education, wealth and advancement. On the
other hand, they are rotting in filth and defilement in
sinful places. How much time they spend in cinemas
and evil places. How much time they spend reading
filthy magazines, which they carry about with them.

I have been touring in many different parts of the

world for forty-three years and have met people in
trains, buses, aeroplanes and ships. They were my
fellow passengers and men of education and position.
I have watched these people, both men and women,
and have noticed that they carry with them the most
filthy books, magazines and novels, and for hours on
end keep reading these books. This only goes to prove
how evil this world is.

When these men, in 2 Kings 4:39, went into the

jungle to gather herbs, thev saw some wild vines. They
thought that these would be very nice and tasty for
food, so they gathered them and put them into a big
pot. They were misled by the colour of the leaves and
by the hope that they were good for food. ' We have
found something wonderful. We are going to have a
nice meal,' they said as they cooked it. But, when the

53
food was being served and they began to eat, some
wise man discovered something wrong with the food.
So he cried, 'O man of God, there is death in the pot.'

Maybe he noticed by the taste or by the smell of

that food that it was deadly poisonous. Some were just
beginning to eat, and others had even put the food into
their mouths, but they all stopped eating as if they were
paralyzed. Their hands refused to go to their mouths.
Why? Because they had been told that there was death
in the pot! We are told that these men were good people
and servants of God, but they had no understanding
of herbs and that is why they had gathered this vine.

Unknowingly, with their own hands, they had put

death into their pot. That is how men and women,
though many of them are good people, are bringing
death into their families. There are fathers, mothers,
husbands, wives, children, sisters or brothers, who for
lack of understanding, are bringing death into their
homes and lives. Wherever they go, even though they
do not realize it, they are causing their children to eat
death unknowingly.

Those who are not born again are like that. They do
not know how death enters their hearts and families,
and they think that they are enjoying life. They think
that they are living a life of pleasure. O you foolish
men! O you foolish women! You do not know that you
are carrying death with you wherever you go. Maybe
through your words or conversation or through your
habits, you are bringing death to others. Only by divine
light can you change your condition. God's Word says

54
The wages of sin is death.' Even one sin is enough to
cause spiritual death.

There are some poisons which are very deceptive.

Even a very little drop is sufficient to cause death and
many have died by such means. So it is with a sinful
thought, or word or deed. By these we eat and drink
deadly poison. In the Bible story we say that those
servants of God were very happily going to eat that
food, but when they were told by somebody that there
was death in the pot, they very wisely, instead of going
to doctors or physicians, went to the man of God. They
could have said: 'Let us go to Jerusalem for a specialist.1
But they were wise men and they knew no specialist
or doctor could save them from death. So they went to
the man of God and said: 'Oh, man of God, there is
death in the pot, we are about to die because we have
eaten poison. Please help us now. In a few minutes we
are going to die.1

You are going to learn that same lesson one day.

You have wasted your life laughing and joking and
yet you are saying: 'We are living good lives. We are
getting the best out of our lives.1 But a day is coming
when you will see that you are in danger of death, and
not only you but your children and family as well —
all of you are only fit for hell. By that time nobody will
be able to save you.

The wise men in the story, however, very wisely

went to the man of God (verse 41). At his command
they brought some flour and he put it into the pot, and
the effect of the poison was taken away. The Lord Jesus

55
Christ said, 'I am the Bread of Life, and by eating Me
ye shall live forever.' This is the only Bread that can
take away the poison in your life caused by sin.

Now those people were hungry. No doubt they had

been saved from the harm caused by the poison, but
h o w could their h u n g e r be satisfied? They were
w o n d e r i n g : 'How can we get food to satisfy our
hunger? 1 Then there came a man who brought to the
man of God twenty loaves of barley bread and the
prophet said, 'You serve the people' (verse 43). There
were many men and only twenty loaves of bread. Those
men were strong and hungry, and there were only
twenty loaves to be divided among them.

I have seen in Punjab, men eating about eighteen

chappatis each and here we find only twenty barley
loaves for a hundred people or more. So naturally the
servitor said, 'How can twenty loaves satisfy their
hunger?' The man of God said, 'Give the people that
they may eat, for thus said the Lord, They shall eat
and leave thereof.' So, they ate and ate till they could
not eat any more; they were full up to the throat, but
still much was left over.

There are those today who are trying to satisfy their

hunger by worldly means. They spend much and eat
much. They clothe themselves with fine and costly
clothes, changing many times a day and every day,
and every month buying new clothes.

Are they satisfied? There are some people who have

many things to eat for breakfast, yet when you ask

56
them, 'Are you satisfied?' they say 'no,' even though
they have spent so much money and have eaten so
well. They have been eating and drinking death, and
they will die without hope. But those who have eaten
the Bread of Life, are free from every poison, and are
satisfied with a small quantity and with whatever God
gives. Their hearts are full of worship and thanks
giving and praise to God. They have recovered the
loss caused by drinking poison.

There is a poison that affects your stomach, nerves

and brain. It works very slowly. So it is with sin! By
living in sin you are eating and drinking poison every
day and are ruining your life. Whatever you have will
be wasted and ruined and you will end your life in the
same condition and will go away from this world with
nothing but defeat, shame and reproach. So we beseech
you this day to eat the Bread of Life by faith. It will
take away the effects of the poison of sin in your nature
that you may begin to recover every loss. It will make
you eternally wise, eternally rich, eternally strong
and eternally satisfied and every past loss will be
fully recovered.

"David recovered all /" Similarly, all the damage of

the loss caused by folly, sin and defilement can be
recovered. Only eat the Bread of Life from the hands
of Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is greater than
Elisha, greater than all prophets and all other men. He
offers to you this Bread of Life today.

57
 Chapter 7

OBEDIENCE A SECRET OF
RECOVERY
WE are returning again and again to the three words
of our title because we believe with all our hearts that
God has a message in this small fragment for us all.
There are many things which are not made clear to us
at first, but after many days, or months, or even years,
they b e c o m e clear. T h o u g h we may not fully
understand what has been said so far, one day we shall
be made to understand.

Now these words "David recovered all," have a

message both for those who are not yet saved and also
for the saved. As long as we are without the Lord Jesus
Christ, whatever we do and whatever we have, is
wasted and mis-spent, and we find that many great
men when they come to die without Lord Jesus Christ,
arrive at the same conclusion.

A very well-known philosopher, Herbert Spencer

by name, who lived many years ago, used to mock God

58
and the Bible. He thought he was very clever. When
he was about to die his relatives came to him one day
and said, 'Spencer, what is your last wish? And what
are the words which you would like to be engraved on
your tombstone?' He answered: Write these words,
"Most Unhappy." Today you will find those words on
his grave. All his cleverness and prosperity made no
difference, because he died without the forgiveness of
his sins. If you are living and dying without the Lord
Jesus Christ, whatever you are doing in life is a waste.
You can take nothing with you, and you will die
without peace, without joy, and without God.

Our Lord Jesus Christ rose again from the dead to

give us His life. He conquered death in order to do this
and now when we accept Lord Jesus into our hearts,
the new life He gives is called the new birth. When you
receive Lord Jesus Christ, it will take you all eternity to
understand how much you receive by faith in Him. He
not only forgives us our sins, but He wants us to have
everything that He has, and He wants us to be where
He is. He wants us to have all the heavenly inheritance
that He has been preparing for us long before the
universe wa§ ever created.

In some countries before young girls get married

they have in their home a very large box called a 'Hope
Chest'. Even though the girl may not expect to be
married for several years, yet she keeps making things
for babies, like napkins, frocks, etc., and also many
things for herself and her home, and very secretly she
puts these things in the box. Nobody in the family
except the girl knows what is in the box, but with hope

59
and expectation she goes on making things and putting
them away, maybe for many years.

This is a simple illustration of how long before the

earth or man were created, our Lord knew us, and loved
us and began preparing for us a heavenly inheritance.
Though He knew our weaknesses and failures and
shortcomings, yet He planned for us, and is now preparing
us on earth to enjoy that inheritance.

We see in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 that eyes have not

seen, nor ears have heard the things which God has
prepared for them that love Him. All these great and
good things have been prepared by the Lord and the
enemy tries hard to prevent us from enjoying that
s p i r i t u a l i n h e r i t a n c e . But our Lord also knew
beforehand the trials and attacks of the enemy, and
made preparation to help us to conquer those attacks.

Now those who live among thieves have to take extra

precautions against robbery. They require extra strong
locks and strong iron bars to keep the thieves out. They
k n o w the thieves and their tricks, so they make
provision to trap them. Now the devil is far more
cunning and clever than any worldly thieves are. You
cannot conquer him by human devices or weapons.
You require heavenly and spiritual weapons. God has
recorded the story of David in the Bible to show us
both the warfare and the weapons. David suffered from
two kinds of losses, personal loss and national loss.
Whatever we have seen of David's personal loss was
because of his own failure, carelessness and neglect,
yet God wanted him to recover all. Also, God wanted

60
everything to be recovered that had been lost nationally
because of his failure and folly.

We have heard of a great and fertile land which

the Lord God had given to His people Israel The story
begins in the book of Genesis chapter 12. There was a
man called Abraham of the city Ur of the Chaldees.
Chaldea was a highly civilized country, which has been
proven by the archaeologists. Abraham was a wealthy
man, and had plenty of gold and silver, servants,
property and lands, but he was a pauper spiritually,
At that time he did not know God, nor worship Him
nor follow Him; b u t one day the Lord suddenly
appeared to him and he heard the voice of God very
clearly saying: 'Abraham, get thee out of thy country
and from thy kindred and from thy father's house into
the land that I shall show thee.'

Abraham believed that word and when he came

home he called his wife, and his servants and said:
'Come, let us pack up everything; we are going on a
journey.' His wife must have asked him, 'Where are
you going?' He said: 'I don't know!'

When the neighbours and friends saw the things

being packed, they must have asked him where he was
going. He said again: 'I don't know!' His relatives came
and saw Sarah and everybody in the home packing
their things, and must have asked Abraham: 'Where
are you going? We see you are packing your things. It
seems as if you are going on a long journey. Where are
you going?' Again he replied: T don't know.' 'But who
knows if you don't? 1 'Nobody knows!' Just imagine those

61
neighbours and friends whispering among themselves,
and looking very sad, saying, That man Abraham is
mad, can you suggest some good doctors to make him
well? Imagine they are going away, leaving their house,
land and everything, and are not coming back. Above
all they do not know where they are going!'

Everybody must have been quite sure that Abraham

was mad, and were surely feeling sorry for him. Perhaps
his wife was feeling sorry too. 'My dear husband, he
was such a good man. What has happened to him?' But
Abraham knew he was not mad. He knew he had heard
the voice of God, and that is why he had obeyed.
God had given to Abraham a great promise in
Genesis 12:2,3: 'I will make of thee a great nation, I will
bless thee and make thy name great and thou shalt be a
blessing. I will bless them that bless thee and curse them
that curse thee and in thee shall all nations of the earth
be blessed.' Here are seven great blessings promised by
God to Abraham.

When a man obeys God, He blesses him. Can anyone

receive a greater blessing than God gave to Abraham?
Even though God spoke so clearly, only after many
centuries did the children of Abraham understand the
meaning of the words of God's promise. When those
people left Egypt to go to Canaan, God told them through
Moses in Deut. 7:1, that there were seven nations living
in the land, who were enemies corresponding with the
seven blessings. More than four hundred and fifty years
before, God had promised to give that land to Abraham
and to his seed. God had not forgotten. God never forgets.
Whatever God says, He remembers, and will do. What
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promises He makes, He will keep. But He had to spend
many, many centuries preparing his people for
that inheritance.

In the same chapter of Deuteronomy, God told His

people that all seven nations would be completely
driven out from that land. This was said for a double
purpose. First of all, those people who were living there
had become slaves to every defilement, sin, and every
kind of darkness. There is a long list of their sins in
Leviticus 18, horrible, terrible, and shameful sins of all
kinds. God waited patiently for over four hundred
years, but they would not repent, so the time came
when they must be judged and punished, and God used
His own people to judge them.

God spoke to His people through Moses: 'Oh ye

people, you are my people, my chosen people, my
precious people, my peculiar treasure. You are my
partners. Now you go and drive out the seven sinful
terrible nations. The time is come that they must be
dealt with, and punished! Then God said also: 'Do not
make any covenant with them or league. Do not take
their daughters to be your wives nor give your
daughters to them in marriage. Break down their
groves and their images.' God spoke so clearly, and still
they did not obey fully. That was their first failure.

How often, though we seek to obey God, we do not

obey Him fully. It may be that just in a few things we
do not obey Him. It may be through human sympathy,
or affection, or human wisdom that we do not obey
God. So it was here. Having made one mistake, the
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people went on making more mistakes. Joshua 1:12
shows this. They said: 'Now these men are our slaves.
We shall use them to draw water for us.' Thus the devil
gained ground. Later came mistakes in marriage, and
then the people of God began to worship idols also.
Even though they came into the land they could not
enjoy the land.

That is the condition of many believers. They are

born again> and know the Word of God, but are not
enjoying what God has given them because of their
partial obedience. How many believers become
married to unbelievers! In marty eases the parents are
responsible for these wretched marriages. They
themselves are in darkness, and their own married life
is a failure, so they drag their born-again children into
darkness to live a life of misery also.

Sometimes, however, the young men and women

make their own choice. They argue that although the
other is not born again yet, perhaps gradually he or
she will be born again! But when they enter into
marriage the unconverted begins to pull the converted
to his way. That is why, many believers are shedding
tears all their lives. They have been ruined by their folly,
weakness and blindness.

The men of Benjamin allowed a few Jebusites to

remain in Jerusalem. They were first living there as
slaves. Later they became a very strong nation. We read
in 2 Samuel 5, that when David and his men came to
Jerusalem, the Jebusites began to mock David. David
was a mighty king and he went there with mighty
64
men, but the Jebusites at that time had become a mighty
and strong nation. When they heard David had come,
they began to say, 'Who is David? Even a blind man
can go and fight with David.' They had gained so much
ground in Jerusalem that they were mocking and
ridiculing David, the man of God.

Because of these Jebusites the whole nation of Israel

had incurred a very great loss. Even though they were
God's chosen, peculiar and precious people and His
treasure, they were blind spiritually, and because they
did not find out God's purpose, and because every man
did those things which he thought right, they had lost
their understanding of God and how to worship Him,
and God was unable to work fully in them any more.
Because of this, as a nation, they were constantly
attacked and defeated by people of other nations.

How sad i t is to see that we as believers are also

suffering many losses. I am not talking about nominal
Christians, who are not born again. They are still in
darkness, and they do not know what they are losing.
I am talking now to those who say they are born again.
No doubt for a short time they had abundant joy, great
zeal, great peace, and a great hunger for God's Word;
but now we find them in darkness, defeat, failure,
jealousy, and barrenness, because not only one but
many Jebusites have found their way into their hearts,
into their homes, and into their families.

Those Jebusites were mocking David. You will find

the same when you allow Jebusites to come into your
hearts and homes. They will mock our heavenly David,

65
our Lord Christ; and you will be mocked by your
neighbours and friends and even by your relations.
They will say, Tn what way are you better than we?
These people call themselves believers and are living in
adultery.' No doubt there are such Jebusites who are
mocking the Lord Jesus Christ today in many places.

It was not an easy job tor David to drive out those

Jebusites. God had to prepare him in His own way.
First of all God took David through eight long years of
painful suffering through Saul and Absalom and
others. Then He brought him to Hebron. There He kept
him for seven years and six months and from there He
brought him to Zion. Only then was he able to drive
out the Jebusites. At last the Jebusites were driven out
from Zion. Then came the heavenly plan, then came
the temple and then came the glory.

Now there are two very strong weapons required

to drive out the Jebusites. One is called Hebron and the
other Zion. With these two weapons David was able
to recover all.

N o w w h a t is H e b r o n ? What is Zion? As you

understand the meaning of these you will learn how
to recover all the things you have lost. I can say to God's
glory that through these two weapons of warfare,
Hebron and Zion, we can recover every loss; whether
individual loss, family loss or church loss. May God
teach us how to recover our losses through Hebron and
Zion. I am speaking of the spiritual Hebron and Zion.
Will you not pray that God may teach you fully all
about these two weapons?

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 First of all we must know what we have lost and
how great the loss is. Then we must know how the
loss can be fully recovered, and something added
as well.

For example, there was a man called Job. He was a

worldly man at first. He was truly a good man and a
wealthy man, but he was blind. Before men he was a
great a n d perfect m a n , b u t before God he w a s
spiritually blind, deaf, poor and imperfect. He did not
know this himself until God took him through the fiery
furnace. In one day he lost all his children. In one day
his buildings were burnt down. In one day his cattle
were destroyed. He had a great and terrible loss. His
own friends began to accuse him falsely. Even his own
wife was against him. Why did God permit such a
fiery trial? He did it so that Job could see his true
condition and come into his true inheritance. Read
Job 42:5, 6, 12, and you will understand why God
permitted such suffering in Job's life. Through it God
had become real to Job, and now he knew how to pray
and talk with God, and in the end he got much more
than he had lost. At first, like Job, we do not know
what we are losing. We do not know our real condition
spiritually, and God has to use some painful means to
open our eyes that we may see ourselves as He sees us.

Take another example. M o u n t Everest, in the

Himalayas, is the highest peak in the world. It looks
very beautiful early in the morning at sunrise. There is
a place called Tiger Hill near Darjeeling, from which
you can see Mount Everest, and people come from all
parts of the world to see the peak. In 1856, three of us

67
went there, two of us and our guide. We had to go
very early that morning to climb up to the top, which
we did with great difficulty. There we found gathered
more than two hundred people from all parts of the
world. Then the sun arose and the whole sky was
beautifully lit. One by one the people all went away
after seeing that sight, till only four of us were left
behind. I asked my friend, 'Can you tell me where the
peak of Everest is?' He pointed and said, 'It is there,
there.' So I looked and I saw a beautiful white point.
As I looked it began, to move and I said, 'How can that
be Mount Everest? It is moving. It must be a cloud.'

So again I asked somebody else, 'Please tell me,

where is mount Everest?' He said, 'Look behind you
and wait for a while, and when the mist rolls away
you will see Mount Everest.' I turned around and after
a few minutes the mist fully cleared. Then we saw
Mount Everest. It was a wonderful sight. Yet more than
two hundred people saw only the cloud and thought
it was Mount Everest and went away saying, 'We have
seen Mount Everest! We have seen Mount Everest!'

That is our state spiritually. We think we have seen

the Lord, but actually we have not yet seen Him. That
is why God has to take us through some painful
situations, in order to give us eyes to see.

David recovered all. God's glory came down. God

too will come down to us and we will become His
people and through Hebron and Zion we will recover
every loss.

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 Chapter 8

SOME REASONS FOR LOSS

SOME things give us great joy when we recover
them. Recently, two of us visited Pakistan and we had
about two days of meetings in Lahore. We travelled by
night from Rawalpindi to Lahore and we arrived there
a b o u t 9.30 a.m. w h e r e a s the m e e t i n g h a d been
scheduled to begin at 9 o'clock. As soon as we came
into the compound a crowd gathered around us. It was
a great joy to be welcomed by those loving people. We
were very busy being introduced to them one by one.
We had come by taxi and after we had finished the
introductions, we were taken to our respective rooms
to h a v e a b a t h a n d c h a n g e , before we w e n t to
the meeting.

When we came to our room we found that one bag

was missing. That bag contained the shaving kit and
other things. I was not too bothered about the shaving
kit, but I was anxious about the passports and visas
that were in that bag, as we had to leave Lahore the
next day. We could not find that bag anywhere, though

69
everybody was searching throughout the compound.
I thought anxiously, 'How long shall we be detained
in Pakistan? Without our passports how can we leave
Pakistan? Perhaps we will have to apply for a fresh
passport and stay on here for another three weeks!'

Then the thought came to me: 'Maybe the taxi

d r i v e r h a s t a k e n a w a y our b a g , t h o u g h not
intentionally.' We had loaded some things in the back
of the taxi and some in the front, and those who had
been sitting at the back were so excited that perhaps
they had forgotten to remove the bag. But what could
we do now? We had forgotten to take the number of
the taxi. Now taxi men are not very honest, so we
thought of telephoning the police station. Yet I felt
that none of these things would help us to recover
the bag. So I said: 'Lord, I don't mind staying longer
in Pakistan, but Thy work will suffer a loss in India.
We h a v e a n n o u n c e d holy convocation meetings
at Hyderabad.'

So I prayed: 'Lord will you please bring back chat

bag yourself? If it is with the taxi driver, you please
tell him to bring my bag back. We don't mind losing
the other things, but we want our passports. 1 After
we had prayed thus, about a few minutes later, a man
came into my room. 'Brother, brother,' he said, 'we
have found the bag.' 'How did you find it?' I asked.
The taxi man had come back. He had driven far, but
somehow he felt afraid and came back with the bag.
You could see great joy on everybody's face. Everyone
in the assembly was full of joy. We had recovered our
loss and upon that recovery depended much of the

70
work of God. The recovery of this bag helped us to
return to India to be in time for the holy convocations
at Hyderabad, otherwise they would still have been
praying in Hyderabad for our return from Pakistan!
W h a t a joy w e e x p e r i e n c e d w h e n w e recovered
something so valuable.

There are two kinds of losses: personal loss and

collective loss. The first loss is w h a t w e incur
individually, and the second is what is incurred by the
whole assembly. Now the Word of God says that we
as believers are members of the body of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Every member of the body is very necessary and
precious. Some are tiny members, some are large
members. Some may be small members, but in the body
they play a very i m p o r t a n t function. W h e n one
member suffers the whole body suffers. Your finger
may have some injury; it may be a tiny boil or sore,
but that makes you sleepless because the whole body
suffers. Likewise w h e n we live a life of loss and
barrenness as believers, then the whole body, the
Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, suffers. Our loss is a
loss to the whole Church. Likewise our recovery will
be joy and blessing to all.

Once our Lord fed a large multitude of five thousand

with five loaves of barley bread. Naturally there were
many fragments left on the ground. When the people
were filled, our Lord said to His disciples: 'Gather up
the fragments that remain, that n o t h i n g be lost'
(John 6:12). Why were these fragments gathered? They
were not gathered merely for the birds or the animals.
They were gathered for a purpose1.

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 He also said: 'Your yea shall be yea, and your nay,
nay.' Sometimes when you visit a home they ask you:
'Would you like to have a cup of tea?' and suppose you
say: 'Yes please,' you see their faces change. The fact is,
they have no milk in the house, nor sugar. Only for
formality's sake they suggested tea! They hoped you
would say: No! but you said: Yes!

In the same way perhaps you also utter many idle

w o r d s . You have forgotten that you have to give
account for every crumb. The Lord does not like
wastage. You have to give an account for every idle
word that you speak (Matthew 12:36). Going by this
standard, many of us have to confess that we have
grieved the Lord several times.

Again we know that in the Lord Jesus Christ we

have a great spiritual inheritance; it is a heavenly
inheritance, and undefiled, which will never fade
away. No man can fully comprehend it. It is so great
that God's Word says: 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man,
the things which God hath prepared for them that love
Him.' (II Cor. 2:9). How true these words are! Again in
God's Word we read in I Cor. 3:21-22, 'All things are
yours: whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas or the
world....' Yet we continue to live a life of defeat and
failure, because w^ do not know how to enjoy our
heavenly inheritance. We see from the Bible that God
planned to give man everything.

In the beginning, as we read in the first chapters of

Genesis, God made Adam ruler over the whole earth.

71
If he had not sinned, he could have been king of the
whole earth. When sin came, God's purpose was
hindered, but God's love will never change. As God
says in Jeremiah 31:3, 'I have loved thee with an
everlasting love.' We may change, but His love will
never change. God's purpose cannot change.

We have seen in Genesis 12 how the God of glory

appeared to Abraham. He offered him seven great
blessings for eternity, provided he would obey God.
He was asked to leave his kith and kin and country
and go to a new place, where God had provided an
inheritance for Abraham and his children.

Then we saw how in a subtle and wicked way the

devil began to rob his people of their inheritance.
Sometimes we do not know that we are being robbed.
Once there was a missionary who was journeying in
the third class. He was sleeping on one bench and he
kept his suitcase on the opposite side. It had a very
strong lock and it was also chained to the bench. He
kept looking at the suitcase, but at last dropped off to
sleep. When he woke up again he looked immediately
to see if the suitcase was still there. The lock was still
on it but when he pulled the case out, it was very light
and empty!

'How could the thief take away the things inside

without opening the lock?' he wondered; but when he
turned to look at the other side of the suitcase, he found
it had been slit with a knife and the things had been
taken out. Though he had been watching the suitcase
all the night, only in the morning he discovered his

73
loss. Many believers are losing their "joy, their peace
and faith in the same way; but a day will come when,
by hearing God's Word and by coming into God's light,
they will see w h a t a great loss they have incurred
through their folly and negligence and failures.

In the same way, through one failure a whole nation

came under judgement, and God left them. They did
not know how to approach God and they lived a life
of shame and of darkness. But God did not change,
nor did His love, and He planned that the nation should
recover every loss. In these ways the Bible tells us of
spiritual loss and also how to recover that loss. God's
Word shows us that it is through Hebron and Zion
that every spiritual loss can be fully recovered. For many
years God was showing His people the meaning of
these two things. It may also take us many years to
u n d e r s t a n d this d i v i n e t r u t h . But God is so
long-suffering, He will not forsake us until we have
recovered every loss. For this purpose of recovery God
brought Abraham to Hebron.

God had appeared and said to Abraham so clearly,

'Leave your land, your property and your kith and kin
and go to a land which I will show you.' He obeyed
God. But by one small mistake he brought heavy loss
into his life. This was a loss through wrong partnership.

When he was getting ready for his journey, his

nephew Lot came to him and said, 'Uncle Abraham,
where are you going?' He replied, 'God appeared to

74
me and told me to leave my kith and kin, my property
and other things and to go to a new land.1

And Lot began to weep and said, 'My dear Uncle,

you are more than a father to me, I have been all these
years with you. O my dear Uncle, don't leave me here.
I will do anything for you. I will be your son and do
anything for you.' Abraham replied, 'My dear Lot, I am
very sorry, I cannot take you with me. God told me to
leave behind all my kith and kin.' And Lot said, 'Please
do not leave me, I am like a son to you. If you don't take
me, I will surely die. I will commit suicide.' So by his
tears Abraham was deceived, and his heart melted. 'I
shall take him with me,' he thought, 'anyway, he is
young and a very good lad. He will be useful to me. I
will take him.'

But a time came many years later, when a messenger

came running to Abraham saying, 'Please hurry up!
H u r r y u p ! Your s e r v a n t s a n d Lot's s e r v a n t s are
quarrelling and fighting with each other. Please come!'
So Abraham went and saw the men quarrelling, and
Abraham realized at last that God was right, and he
confessed: fI made a mistake, Lord.' So he called Lot
and said, 'Let there be no strife between you and me.
You love me and I love you, but these wicked fellows
are bringing strife. We don't want to quarrel any more.
You must make u p your mind to leave me. If you go to
the right, I will go to the left; or if you go to the left, I
will go to the right.'

So Lot looked around and he saw the fertile land; it

was near Sodom. He thought to himself, 'Now I can

75
get much more than I had with Abraham. See I can
have so much good fertile land.' He chose that land,
it w a s i n d e e d good l a n d , b u t very near S o d o m
and Gomorrah.

At that time the people of Sodom and Gomorrah

were living very shameful lives of indulgence in sin.
But Lot thought,' I am not going to live in Sodom, but
only nearby. I am two miles away from the city.' That
is how he argued, and it shows that Lot had no real
interest in the things of God. He was a greedy man
who grabbed an opportunity when he saw it, though
in the beginning he had professed to Abraham: 'I want
to follow God and be with you.'

That is how so many men have gone away from

God, and why so many men go abroad from India and
other countries, to England, America, Australia or
Europe. They go round proclaiming: 'We have been
serving God in India all these years,' but many of these
men are scoundrels and rogues. They have gone with a
motive of getting motor cars and money to build their
own houses. Like Lot they have gone to a fertile land,

Because of Lot, God was not able to speak to

Abraham clearly. God had been leading him from the
very beginning, but at last He came to a stop. For,
b e c a u s e of Lot, A b r a h a m h a d lost the sense of
God's presence.

If there was to be recovery, it could be accomplished

only through separation.

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 God appeared to Abraham again, but only after Lot
had separated from him. Please mark this fragment in
the Bible, 'After that Lot was separated from him'
(Genesis 13:14). W h e n Lot h a d s e p a r a t e d from
Abraham then God appeared to the latter and said to
him: 'AH the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it
and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as
the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the
dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in
the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.1 God was
now able to show Abraham what a great inheritance
He was offering to him and to his seed forever.

The very same blessing is offered to every believer.

Through some Lot in your life you may have become
blind spiritually. It may be a worldly friend, an ungodly
husband or an ungodly wife, or any other ungodly
association. T h r o u g h h u m a n s y m p a t h y you are
suffering loss in your life. God is saying, 'Don't take
Lot with you!' 'Don't take Lot with you!'

Some man's tears or some woman's tears may have

m a d e you disobey God. You have become blind
spiritually and you cannot hear the voice of God, and
you are unable to enjoy God's presence anymore; you
are unable to enjoy spiritual inheritance and your
heavenly privileges. You want only childish things. You
have no hunger or appetite for the things of God,
because of some Lot having come into your life. You
must separate from that Lot immediately, or you will
one day discover what a great loss you have suffered
because of your disobedience to God. Separate from

77
that Lot; and God will appear to you and will speak to
you and pour His power into you.

We are told that when God appeared to Abraham

he came and dwelt in Hebron (Gen. 13:18). There he
was full of praise and worship; he talked with God,
and built there an altar unto the Lord — all because
he had separated himself from Lot.

What is the meaning of Hebron? Hebron means

fellowship. We as sinners are banished from God's
presence. No sinner can talk to God or hear His voice.
You may see miracles, you may dream dreams, but
you can never talk with God, unless your sins are
forgiven. As sinners, God is very far from us; but when
our sins are forgiven, then God is very near. You can go
into His presence at any time and talk with Him, not
only to ask favours, but because you love to be in
His presence.

You see a baby in its mother's arms all day. If you

should question the baby: 'Dear baby, are you not tired
of being in your mother's arms for so many hours? I
have seen you in your mother's arms from morning
until midday, for almost five hours! Tell me, little baby,
are you not tired?' The baby would surely say, 'No, I
am not tired. I feel so comfortable here.' Would you
think that was anything strange?

Perhaps after attending holy convocation meetings

at Hyderabad, you feel like saying, 'We sit for hours in
the meeting and I am so tired; my back begins to ache,
my stomach gets so hungry. I want some food, and

78
coffee. These people have no other business; they can
stay in Hebron for many hours. But we are very
important people; we are not simple folk, and for us it
is a waste of time to be so long in Hebron. We know
the message will not end until 2 o'clock and then they
will serve food at 3 o'clock. Really it is a waste of time
to be here.' If that is what you are saying, you do not
know what fellowship is. You are blind. Because of
some Lot in your life you are not able to enjoy true
fellowship with God. When Abraham separated himself
from Lot, God became real to him, he could talk to God
as man to man and that is why he could leave his land
and cattle and other precious things for God's sake.
God was real to him.

When Lot was with him, God was silent. He might

have thought sometimes: 'What shall I do? There is
constant strife and quarrelling between Lot's herdsmen
and mine. What shall I do?' But God would not answer
him until Lot went away from him. Then God Himself
began to speak: 'Abraham, look towards the north,
south, east and west. Arise and walk in the land, in
the length and breadth of it.' Now his eyes were
opened and he understood and began to talk with
God clearly.

If anyone should question us, 'How do you know

that God has forgiven your sins? You say again and
again that God has forgiven your sins, but how can
you prove it?' we would reply, 'I don't know. But one
thing I know, I am able to talk with God, and my Lord
talks with me every day. I can be in God's presence at
all times, and it gives me great joy to be in His presence.1

79
 We have much more joy in talking with God than
in talking with any man. We know Him and He knows
us, a n d t h r o u g h this fellowship we can recover
many losses.

First we have fellowship with the Father and with

the Son, and then with one another (I John 1:3). Unless
we have true fellowship with God, we can never
have true fellowship with other believers. These two
go together.

When travelling in the train, you may ask your

fellow traveller not to smoke tobacco and the man
refrains from smoking. But the moment the train stops
at the station, he finds his way out to smoke. If his
cigarette or beedi or matches are finished he will go to
someone and borrow, because he cannot be without
it for long. His interest lies in that. It is the same way
with drunkards; wherever they go, the first question
they ask is: 'Where can we get a drink?' They are only
interested in that.

A m o n g those w h o go to Hebron for the holy

convocation, there are some who are more interested
in purchasing saris to take back to their homes. But
when you become God's true people, you have much
more joy having fellowship with believers, than in
spending time on other things. Some say the holy
convocation is very good because we have such nice
rasam, good uppamavu, and s t r o n g coffee. It all
depends upon what you are interested in. There are
those who are interested in true fellowship. Have you
enjoyed talking to God? Can you sit for a long time in

80
God's presence? Have you enjoyed having fellowship
with God's people, true fellowship in God's house? It
is through such true fellowship with God and His
people that you can recover many losses.

The early believers were steadfast in fellowship

(Acts 2:42). They continued steadfastly together. They
were not anxious for land or for buildings or for fame
or for name, but for true fellowship with one another.
Those who are willing to have true Christian fellowship
will become stronger and stronger spiritually, even
though the enemy may attack them more and more.
Learn to enjoy your privileges in God's house through
fellowship with one another.

Abraham knew how to worship God when God

a p p e a r e d to him; he was ready to speak to H i m
(Gen. 18:22). He even ran to meet Him. One day God
appeared to Lot also (Gen. 19:1), but note this difference.
Abraham ran to meet God, his joy was so great; whereas
Lot just went forward and bowed down (Gen. 19:1-5).
Abraham's joy was so great, he invited his angel guests,
saying, 'Come inside and wash your feet and I will
prepare some food for you.' He ran and called his wife,
Sarah, and said to her, 'Hurry up, Sarah, hurry up and
get things ready!' He had a fatted calf killed and prepared
a nice feast for them with great joy.

As for Lot, he said to the same guests: 'Please come

inside;' but they refused to come. Several times he pressed
them to come in, but when at last they came inside, there
is no mention of Lot's wife or daughters being called to
prepare the feast. Why was that so? They were worldly

81
people. If Lot had gone to his wife and said, 'My dear
wife, hurry and prepare food for these guests,' what do
you think she would have replied? Perhaps she would
have said: 'You cook it yourself. I have not married
you to cook for you. You can cook for yourself.' It would
be the same with his daughters! If he went to his
daughters and said: 'Dear daughters, please help me to
prepare food for these guests,1 what do you think they
would reply? Perhaps they would have said: 'Our faces
are full of powder and our finger-nails are painted, so
we cannot come. You can cook yourself.' In the end Lot
had to prepare the meal himself. What a difference !

You see Abraham knew God. With much joy he

went to speak to the Lord and was willing to sacrifice
everything for God's sake. As for Lot, first he pitched
his tent near S o d o m (Genesis 13:12). Then in
chapter 14:12 he went to dwell in Sodom. Finally in
chapter 19:1 we find he was a leading man of the city
sitting at the gate. Lot had become an elder in Sodom.
Thus he had lost all his rights and privileges with God
and he had become blind spiritually, all for the sake of
worldly wealth and a worldly name.

As for Hebron, the first thing it speaks of is felloxuship,

firstly, of fellowship with God and, secondly, of fellowship
with fellow-believers. Friendship with Lot will not bring
you into this fellowship; you have to break up your
worldly friendships and relationships, and then God
will give you His own friendship for eternity.

The second thing Hebron speaks of is faith. The spies

went into the land of Canaan and they saw giants there

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and they were very frightened. But in Joshua 14:11-13
we read of a man called Caleb. He came to Joshua and
said, 'You give me Hebron. Even though there are many
giants there I can conquer them. I have proved God
for many years. Even now I trust Him and I know that
by His help I can fight the giants. Please give me
Hebron.' So Joshua gave him Hebron, and because of
his faith, Caleb was able to drive out all the giants.

So Hebron speaks of faith. Do not be scared of the

giants, but be prepared to fight against them. You may
see many giants and many hindrances and obstacles,
but through your living faith you can conquer every giant
obstacle and hindrance.

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 Chapter 9

DAVID'S FOURTH LOSS

JERUSALEM was built upon four hills and Zion was
upon one of the hills. The Jebusites were living in Zion.
Now by obeying God, David conquered Zion, and
drove out the Jebusites. However, in 2 Samuel 24:18-
28, we read of Araunah, a Jebusite, still living in Zion.
He was a good man, and God-fearing, and when David
came to him to buy the threshing-floor, he said, 'Why,
your Majesty, I will give you everything free. I will even
give you bullocks for sacrifice.' David answered: 'I will
not offer to God anything which has cost me nothing.'
The story of the threshing-floor of Araunah is the story
of David's fourth loss. God had to bring David on two
occasions to a threshing-floor (I C h r o n . 13 a n d
II Sam. 24). A threshing-floor is the place where wheat
is threshed, to separate the chaff from the grain. Then,
by winnowing, the wind separates the chaff from
the wheat.

We have seen in I Chron. 13, how David consulted

his captains and generals to bring up the ark to its place.

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David should have known that God had laid down an
order in which the ark should be carried, but he did not
observe that order. The ark should have been carried
only on the Levites' shoulders, but David carried the ark
upon a new cart as the Philistines had done, and the
wrath of God fell upon him. On the threshing-floor of
Chidon, David learned what a great mistake it is to
leave God's order and follow the methods of men.

N o w in II S a m u e l 24, we read h o w David

commanded his general Joab: 'Go, number the fighting
men in our kingdom. 1 David knew fully well that he
had never won any battle by his own strength, nor by
the p o w e r of his a r m y . He himself had said in
I Sam. 17: 47, 'God does not save by sword nor spear;
for the battle is the Lord's;' yet now he wanted to make
a show of the n u m b e r of fighting men who were
available in his kingdom. He had become proud, and
was d e p e n d i n g u p o n his armies for his victories.

Joab said to him: 'Your Majesty! You have won no

battle by yourself. It is God who has fought for you.
Why do you want to number these men? The Lord thy
God add unto the people, how many soever they be,
an hundredfold; yet they are not going to save you. It
is only God wTho has helped you.1 However, David was
proud and insisted on numbering the people. So the
king's word prevailed. It is true that David repented
and cried unto the Lord: 'I have sinned greatly in that
I have done; and now, I beseech Thee, take away the
iniquity of Thy servant; for I have done very foolishly,'
but as a result of David's sin, God sent a three days'
pestilence in the land and 70,000 men died. What a

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loss! what a terrible loss! At last God stayed the hand
of the d e s t r o y i n g angel at the threshing-floor
of Araunah.

This is the second occasion when God brought

David to a threshing-floor. Why? To take away the chaff
from his life. David has thought: 'I am full of wisdom. I
know so many things! 1 No doubt he did, for from
II Samuel 16 we know that he was a very wise man.
Before his fellowmen, he was the wisest man in the
whole kingdom. But in the eyes of God he still had much
chaff in his brains and that is why God brought him to
the threshing-floor of Araunah, to humble him, to bring
him down, and to take away his human wisdom and
self-cOnfidence.

In II Chron. 3:1 we read that it was the very same

place which later became the site of the temple, and
out of that terrible loss to David and the nation, God
gave not only forgiveness and full recovery but much
more beside. God gave to David a heavenly pattern of
the temple to be built later on by Solomon, David's son,
who carried out all the instructions given by David
his father.

He built the temple, and when the work was

finished, and the temple was complete Solomon offered
sacrifices in the temple. That was the happiest day for
the whole nation. All the loss of so many centuries had
been recovered. They saw God's glory, and God came
and lived among them. He could speak to them from
between the cherubim in the temple, and all nations
had to come and bow before Solomon. They had

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incurred great losses as a nation, terrible losses. Sin and
defilement were everywhere and they were being
constantly defeated by the Philistines, Jebusites and
other people. But now the story was changed. Now
they were God's people and God was with them in His
full glory. Now there was real recovery, and they could
truly be called God's people.

What is the meaning of Zion? (Read 2 Chron. 3:1,

1 Chron. 28:29,1 Kings 6:7 and 2 Chron. 7:1.) It would
take many hours to explain the full meaning of Zion,
so let us look at a few points only.

First of all, in Zion the Lord brought David to the

site of the temple. Jerusalem is a city built upon four
hills and Zion is one of the hills. Now God wanted a
place in Zion for His temple or house. Because the
Jebusites possessed the city God could not find a
place. But after m a n y years of preparation, God
brought David to Zion, to the very same place where
Abraham went through his great trial in Genesis 24.
God brought David to the place where he was fully
freed from h u m a n wisdom, where he was totally
broken and emptied of all chaff; and then revealed
to him the site of the temple.

Secondly, God gave David the plan of the temple.

In I Chron. 28:19 God gave him the whole plan and
pattern of the temple in every small detail.

Thirdly, we see in I Kings 6, how Solomon began

the work and finished it, and while building, there was
never heard the sound of hammer or tool, because the

S7
stones were already beautifully prepared in the quarry
according to the heavenly plan. This speaks of unity
and oneness and fellowship among God's people. There
was no quarrelling, no fighting and no friction. They
were governed by the Holy Spirit.

Fourthly, when the work was complete, God's fire

came down and His glory filled the place. God began
to speak and to speak plainly. That is Zion, the real
Zion where God reigns in every heart and in every
church according to the heavenly plan.

Some people think that by having a pandal, and a

table, a cup, a plate and some song books they can
start an assembly! It can never be done that way. God
will have to take you through many threshing-floors
before He can take away the chaff from you and give
you the site according to His heavenly plan for a
heavenly church. It does not depend upon money, or
buildings or lands. God wants a heavenly church, a
spiritual church, where He can reign, and through
which He can speak freely to His people. When the
heavenly plan is manifested, then the glory can be fully
seen. It is through Zion that God defeats the devil fully.
It is through Zion that He shows His wisdom and
power, and there only can we see God's fullness
and glory.

David recovered all through Hebron and Zion. Do

you want to recover every loss? Then learn the meaning
of Hebron and of Zion. Through prayer God will reveal
all things to you. Then only can we repeat these words
p u t t i n g in our o w n n a m e , 'David recovered all!'

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Bakht Singh recovered all! Benjamin recovered all! By
faith may these words be fulfilled in the lives of each
of us.

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 Chapter 10

SECRETS OF RECOVERY
NOW there are two kinds of losses which we as
human beings incur. The first kind of loss is caused
when we do not have the experience of salvation and
then no matter what we do everything is a failure and
loss. It was thus with that famous king, Alexander the
Great, who, having conquered so many lands and
having acquired much wealth, complained that there
were no more lands to conquer. He died at the age of
thirty years, leaving one request that both his hands
should be left outside the coffin. He also asked that, when
his funeral procession was taken around the city,
someone should precede the box saying: 'The great King
Alexander came into the world empty handed, and is
going out of the world empty handed.' When he died
they carried out his instructions proclaiming the fact that
so great a king was unable to carry away with him what
he had acquired.

That is true of everyone. As a sinner, whatever you

may achieve or accomplish, is only a waste. You will

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have to come under the condemnation of sin and bear
your punishment for eternity. On the day of judgement
no m a n can save you from punishment, whether
relations or neighbours or friends. That is why men
are afraid of death.

There was a famous writer called Voltaire, who was

also a great scholar. He did not believe the Bible and
professed himself an atheist. He did not believe in God,
and ridiculed those who did. A time came when he
became very ill and no doctor could diagnose his
disease. At night he would often cry out with great fear
during the whole night. His face would be so terrible
that no nurse would stay with him for more than one
night; and that is how he died—in misery and darkness!

How are you going to face death? One day you will
have to give an account to God for all you have done.
If you die in sin, then be prepared for God's judgement
and for everlasting punishment in the lake of fire. God
is a God of love, but at the same time He is a God of
justice. He is a holy God and cannot behold sin.

There are three great laws which we must take

account of: (1) the law of holiness; (2) the law of justice;
and (3) the law 6f love. If you live in sin, you break the
law of holiness. If you die in your sin then the law of
justice demands your punishment. But the God of love
offers you the way of life and salvation. You can be
freed from condemnation and have a life which will
yield abundance of fruit. The Lord Jesus Christ became
man and died on the Cross to fulfil all these three laws.

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Those who receive Him have these three laws fulfilled
in them when they are born again.

The second kind of loss is suffered even by those

w h o are b o r n again, p e r h a p s because of lack of
knowledge, or perhaps through their own folly or sin.

There can be much loss through lack of knowledge.

I was in London one night about thirty-five years ago,
on my first visit there. It was a very, very cold night.
The next morning the landlady with whom I stayed
enquired: 'Mr. Bakht Singh, did you sleep well?' I said:
'No Madam, I shivered the whole night. It was so cold,
that I put on my warm coat and also my socks. Yet I
kept on shivering the whole night, because it was so
cold.' She said to me, 'Why, did you not have any
blankets on your bed?' 'No, Madam,' I said, 'I did not
see any blankets.'

Then she said, 'Come, let us see.' She came to my

room and lifted my bedspread, then I saw not only
one, but three brand new blankets, which were under
the bedspread. I had never seen such nice blankets in
my life. That was my first experience of such a bed. I
did not know how to get under blankets and there I
was lying like a fool on top of the blankets and shivering
the vvhole night, with three nice, brand new blankets
under me. This loss was due to the lack of knowledge.

There are many born again people, who have nice

Bibles, which are sealed and closed books to them. They
put them away carefully, but do not know what is inside.
They buy a nice gilt-edged Bible for about Rs. 25, but do

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not know how to use the Book, nor how to claim and
enjoy the promises in God's Word.

A missionary came to Punjab many years ago. In

the villages there, they bake a very nice flat bread about
one foot diameter and one inch thick. This kind of bread
has to be baked very slowly in the pan. Then they apply
butter to it and eat it with vegetables. The missionary
was brought home one night and they placed before
him the flat circular bread with the vegetables on it.
The missionary ate up all the vegetables and returned
the bread saying, 'Here, take away the plate!' He did
not know it was bread. This is lack of knowledge.
Because of lack of knowledge and understanding of
God's purpose and plan, you may suffer heavy loss even
though you are a believer; or sometimes through your
own mistakes and folly you may bring heavy loss, not
only to your own life, but also to the whole Church.

God p r o m i s e d A b r a h a m great blessing. In

Genesis 12:1-3, God promised him and his seed many
eternal.blessings but it was only after forty years of
affliction and trial in the wilderness, that the children
of Israel understood their blessings. They could have
enjoyed the whole land of Canaan soon after they had
left Egypt, but they did not obey God fully. In just a
small thing they failed right at the very beginning, and
that same failure became a big failure. Little losses often
become big losses.

The God of love, however, did not change, nor His

purposes. He went on dealing with them until they
had recovered all their losses. In the story of Israel we

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see God's unchanging love and His unchanging law,
which go on dealing with His people until every loss is
recovered. No m a n can change this divine law.
Whoever he may be, rich or poor, king or beggar, a
preacher or an ordinary man; divine laws cannot be
changed. If we try to change them through ignorance,
one day we are sure to suffer heavy loss.

God has made us His co-workers. He wants to fulfil

His purposes in and through us. We have an example
in the story of Eli. He was the high priest, but he failed
God. God wanted to rebuke and punish him, but He
had no one through whom He could do it. He had to
wait for many years until He found Samuel to use as
His mouthpiece. God spoke to Samuel when he was a
little boy. He called to him 'Samuel! Samuel!

At first Samuel thought it was a human voice, but

the third time he learned it was God's voice. God could
have spoken directly to Eli and have told him: 'You
have sinned; I am going to punish you'; but He did not
do so. He waited many years and then rebuked Eli
through Samuel. That was God's plan. God wants to
have partners and co-workers with Him, but this is a
great responsibility and privilege for which we have to
be prepared.

Through all the stories recorded in the Bible we

learn this lesson, that God's chosen people kept on
grieving Him again and again. God had told them from
the very beginning: 'You are my peculiar treasure—a
peculiar treasure above all nations' (Exodus 19:5); yet
they were blind and kept on grieving Him. Still God

94
did not give them up. He kept on dealing with them by
sending His prophets to prepare them to become co-
workers with Him. God may take many years, but He
will not change His divine laws.

We have been seeing from God's Word the nature

and causes of our loss. Now let us study the weapons
and the means by which we can recover every loss.
As we have already seen there are two great means
which God uses to recover our losses, that is, Hebron
a n d Zion. T h r o u g h these two i n s t r u m e n t s God
recovered every loss which came upon His people.

A b r a h a m suffered loss t h r o u g h his h u m a n

sympathy with Lot, but after he had separated from
Lot God appeared to him. As long as Lot was with
him, God could not appear to Abraham nor talk with
him, and in the same way many believers have lost the
privilege of talking with God.

Hebron means fellowship: firstly, fellowship with

God, that is with the Father and the Son, and secondly,
fellowship among ourselves, as we see in 1 John 1:3,4,7.
A sinner cannot talk with God, nor be indwelt by Him.
A sinner cannot find the will of God, nor can he
understand God's plan, or purpose, or mysteries. God's
life cannot be poured into him, and, even though he
may see miracles and God may answer his prayers,
yet he will be far away from Him.

In the life of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth, when

He performed miracles, many began to say of Him, 'He
is Christ! He is Christ! He is our Messiah!' Even so, we

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see in John 2:23-27 that the Lord Jesus Christ did not
commit Himself to them. They were saying: 'Lord, we
believe in you,' but the Lord Jesus Christ was saying: 'I
don't believe in you.' He knew that their hearts were full
of sin and that they were not prepared to give up their
sinful life. They wanted only exciting things. Unless we
feel sorry for our sins and believe from our heart in Lord
Jesus Christ, His life cannot flow into us.

When you walk in the street, you may see a beggar

and he may call you, 'Father!' But you will not call him,
'My dear son,' because you know he only wants your
money. They say in Hindustani, 'When a man wants
to get something, he will even call a donkey his father.'
So some people when they want something from God,
will call Him, 'Father!' Such people are living in darkness,
they do not know what true fellowship is.

When our sins are forgiven and our hearts are

cleansed, there is a longing in our hearts to be in the
presence of God. That fellowship with God enables us
to have real spiritual fellowship with His people. In
these days many prefer 'coffee fellowship' or 'tea
fellowship'. If we offer them tea, they will come; but if
there is no tea or coffee, some friends refuse to come.
They will say, 'It is so far away, how can we go there
for a meeting?', but for a tea party, even though it may
be ten miles away, they are ready to go. If that is true
of you, you don't know what true fellowship is. The
more we walk with God and the nearer we live to God,
so much the more we long to enjoy fellowship both
with God and with His people; the two go together,
they cannot be separated.

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 There are many who despise such fellowship with
God's people. Some people because of pride of wealth
say, 'How can I have fellowship with such and such
a person? He is a low-caste Christian and I am a high-
caste Christian,' while others say proudly, 'I am a B.A.
(perhaps failed!)' or 'I am earning so much money!'

Once there was a man named Charles in a certain

city. He was earning Rs. 55 per month. He married a
nurse, who was getting Rs. 120 per month, so together
they earned Rs. 175. One day a man saw him in the
street and said: 'Will you please come to the Gospel
meeting?' He replied, 'Meeting? We have no time for
such meetings!4 In his heart he thought, 'I am earning
Rs. 55, and my wife Rs. 120, how can we go over to
the meetings of these poor Christians? Those who are
poor can go there. We will only go to the Church. 1

But after five days I got a message from Mr. Charles:

'Please come and pray for my wife,1 he said. I went
there and saw him in tears. His wife was very ill. Her
teeth had got stuck into her tongue and the tongue
was swelling rapidly. The doctors had tried all kinds
of treatment, but it was in vain. He said to me, 'Kindly
pray for my wife. Look, these are my children. What
will happen to them?' and he wept. I was thinking in
my heart, 'Now you won't say: "I am earning Rs. 55,
and my wife Rs. 120." You will say rather, "Can
Rs. 175 save me? Can my Rs. 55 save me? Can my
wife's Rs. 120 save me?"'

When troubles come, you want God, but when you

are prosperous and earning good money, you despise

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God's fellowship and keep away from God's house
saying: 'How can we rich people mix with poor people.'
Because of this attitude many believers have become
spiritually poor and as beggars and paupers before God,
because they do not know the value and power of
fellowship. That is why you find so many Christians
are happier among worldly friends than among God's
people. They do not know how much spiritual loss they
are incurring. To enjoy true fellowship you must be
freed from every 'Lot' of every kind: worldly friendship
must be utterly given up.

Hebron also means faith. We saw from the book of

Joshua how a man called Caleb asked for Hebron, even
though he knew that there were giants living there.
He had faith in God, that He would give him the victory
over every giant. To live in Hebron we must have strong
faith in God; a faith that cannot be frightened by giants
on our path. According to Mark 11:23, through faith
even mountains can be removed.

Again, Hebron was a place of refuge. In Joshua 21:10,

11,27 we read that there were six cities of refuge set
apart by the people of God. If any man killed a person
unawares and unwittingly, he could flee to the nearest
city of refuge, lest he be killed by the dead man's friends
or relations. Hebron was one of those cities of refuge
(Josh. 20:3). When people were in difficulties of that
nature, they could find refuge or protection there.

There are so many people in the world who sin

unwittingly in their foolishness. Somehow because of
situations and unavoidable circumstances they are

98
tempted to do wrong, maybe through their friends or
evil neighbours or because of being in a lonely place,
or because of poverty, or difficulty. Or perhaps, because
of their folly they suffer much unhappiness and misery
through their unkind neighbours. Wherever they go
fingers are pointed at them, 'See that man or woman,
that is what he or she did.' Thus they suffer. Such people
find relief through Hebron. They are being mocked at
because they have fallen under temptation unwittingly,
but in Hebron, through love, kindness and prayer, they
can recover all things.

Let us not be proud. All of us can make mistakes.

All of us can be deceived by the devil. If you see a
weaker believer falling into sin then do not condemn
him. Do not leave him or forsake him, but by love,
sympathy and fellowship lift him up and restore him
(Galatians 6:1-3).

That is the third meaning of Hebron. We have to

bear the burden of those who are weak spiritually,
when they fall or are in danger, by travailing and
persevering prayer, and lift them u p by love and
kindness.

Many years ago a man came to me and said, 'Please

pray for my wife and daughter.' He told me that when
he was away on duty, they both had left the house.
Then he began to weep and said, 'My home is broken
up. Please pray for me.' So I prayed for him and he
went away. After he left, a thought came to me that
though that man came to me in great sorrow and with
a very heavy heart, I only prayed for him in a casual

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way. I felt convicted and began to pray, 'O God, give
me a real burden of prayer for those who have been
deceived by the devil. They must be rescued.' I went
on praying for three hours, then God showed me that
my prayer would be answered.

The very next morning after the meeting, I got a

message that two sisters wished to see me. They were
the very same sisters for whom I had been praying.
They had come to me for prayer and said to me in tears,
'Brother, we were deceived by the devil. We had gone
so far away from home, and suddenly the thought
came to us to go to you for prayer. So, we have come
to you. Please pray that God may forgive us for our
folly and sin.' The broken home was mended.

It is not by condemnation that we can recover lost

souls. We believers are sometimes very, very hard-
hearted. When we see weak believers we condemn them
and start scandalizing and telling tales about them as
well. We turn our faces away from them, too, and will
not even smile at them. Many, many souls have gone
astray, because strong believers have been hard-
hearted towards them. Our Lord is the good shepherd,
He goes after lost sheep. He carries the weak sheep
on His shoulders. If you want to recover all, then be a
refuge to those who have fallen. By prayer, strengthen
them and by love lift them.

Fourthly, Hebron stands for utter dependence on God.

David made a great mistake. Without consulting God
he wanted to join the Philistines and the result was
that Ziklag was burnt; he had lost his wives, children

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and stuff. Then when he repented and encouraged
himself in the Lord, he consulted God as to whether he
could pursue the Amalekites or not. The Lord said,
'Pursue 1 . He obeyed God and he recovered all.

From that day onwards, he began to consult God

for everything. 'Lord, shall I go to any of the cities of
Judah?' and the Lord said, 'Go up.' Then he asked again,
'Lord, where shall I go up?' God said, 'To Hebron.' So
David went to Hebron. In every small detail he was
seeking the guidance of the Lord (2 Samuel 5:19, 23
and 24). For every minor thing he was enquiring of the
Lord, 'Shall I, shall I, shall I?' Thus David returned to
Hebron. God kept him there for seven years and six
months, that David might thoroughly learn not to
depend upon his own brain nor anyone else's brain,
but upon the Lord.

He was a great king and had many mighty men.

When his enemies, the Philistines, came against him,
he could have said, 'What shall we do? Shall we go?'
But no; he consulted God in everything. That is the
fourth way of recovering every loss.

Many believers and servants of God suffer heavy

losses because they do not know how to consult God
for their plans. Only occasionally they will consult God
and call upon Him. On other occasions they depend
upon their own brain, and their wives who can easily
change their husband's minds. The husband may come
home and tell his wife: 'My dear wife, the Lord spoke
to me in the meeting.' But she says, 'Don't be a fool;
you forget your wife and children. God does not speak

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like that.1 That is why many foolish husbands have
disobeyed God. They are hen-pecked husbands who
listened to their wives.

In this wray many believers have lost out. Rather

than consult God, they have consulted their wives or
friends or neighbours or their own brains. One may
say, 'I am a graduate, and know Greek and Hebrew,
and so many other things. Why should I waste my time
in prayer? I will use my common sense!' That is how
people make many mistakes.

But when he came to Hebron in II Samuel 2:1, he

h a d b e c o m e e m p t i e d , h u m b l e , a n d broken. In
everything he enquired of God: 'Shall I go up? Shall I
go up? Where shall I go? When shall I go up?' That is
the fourth way of recovering every loss. Do not depend
upon your wisdom or your physical strength or human
resources. Empty yourself of every self-confidence and
find time to go to God for everything. Ask Him even
how you should spend your money!

There are many husbands who when they get their

salary, bring it to their wives, saying: 'Madam, here is
my salary.' When later the husband asks for Rs. 5, she
says, 'What has happened to the Rs. 5 I gave you a few
days ago?' and he is not able to answer. He is depending
upon his wife; she is like a god to him. Whatever she
says, he must do. When you ask such husbands: 'Why
do you give all your money to your wife?' they will say:
'If I don't give her the money she won't leave me in peace.
She will be searching my pockets. Then, finally, I will
have to give everything to her.' Such men do not know

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how to find God's will. You must learn to come to God
about everything: about the use of time, money, energy,
strength and everything else.

Similarly, God must be consulted in every church

matter. We touched briefly on this subject in an earlier
chapter. There are many men who wish to be church
elders, who for many months quarrel and fight to win
votes. In one city I saw a young man asking for votes.
He was saying: 'Please vote for me to be an elder.' I
questioned him: 'Why do you want to be a church
elder?' He said to me, 'These elders who are old men
are no good; they must be turned out. If I am elected I
will push them out.' Then I said to him, 'Can you tell
me from the Bible the spiritual qualifications for an
elder, how they are made and who they are?' He kept
quiet.

Then I said to him, 'Get your Bible.' So he went

inside. I was sitting on the veranda. Five minutes
passed, ten minutes passed, twenty minutes and he
w a s still inside. Then his sister came to me and
whispered: 'He has no Bible.' Yet this was the man who
wanted to be an elder,—a man without a Bible, and
who knew nothing whatsoever about the Bible.

Now when such committee members and elders

meet once a month, they have a short prayer at the
beginning of their meeting. They say, 'Pastor, will you
please pray briefly?' After prayer they say in effect:
'Lord Jesus Christ, we are now going to quarrel about
things we would not like you to know, so please go
outside. You should not know anything about our

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money matters! When we want You again, we will call
You.' Then for three hours they go on quarrelling: 'How
did you spend that 5 rupees, or 2 rupees or 1 rupee?
Kindly account for it. Show us the bill for that 3 rupees'
etc. When they have finished quarrelling, they say, 'Lord
Jesus, now please come inside. We are ready to go home.
Lord, bless us!' What mockery!

That is why you find barrenness and death in so

many congregations. The so-called church elders do
not know how to pray. They do not know how to find
God's will. Yet, they want to govern and lead the
church. They want honour, name, fame and money,
that is all!

At Hebron, you learn that you must inquire from

God, individually and collectively, concerning every
action, every movement, saying: "What shall we do?
Where shall we go?"

Again, as we have seen, many people do not know

how to find God's will concerning marriage. It is only
after they have decided on the bride or bridegroom that
they say: 'Pastor, please come a n d pray!' While
searching for a bride they draw u p a long list of
qualifications.

The boy may be a matric failed, but when he looks

for a wife, he demands that she must be a graduate.
She must be a teacher and able to earn for him, though
he himself may not have a job. She must be very fair,
though he may be dark. She must know how to play
music, and so on. In other places they may not look at

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the face or beauty; but the thing that matters is tne
amount of dowry, whether, Rs. 5,000 or Rs. 10,000 and
so on. They want only money, they do not want God's
will. This is how many believers are ruined, and have
u n h a p p y ruined homes, because they have never
learned that lesson of how -to enquire from the Lord.
Even with David, it was only after many years of
suffering that he learned that lesson: 'Lord, shall I go?
Shall I go?'

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 Chapter 11

GOD'S DIVINE LAWS

AS believers we go through much suffering and
many losses, most of which are brought about by our
own follies and failures. Nevertheless, all can be
recovered if we obey the divine laws.

We have seen how God brought David to Hebron

and Zion to enable him to recover all personal and
national losses by following certain divine principles.

After David had stayed in Hebron for seven years

and six months, he came into Zion. The meaning of
Hebron, as we have seen before, is fellowship, and God
had first to prepare David in Hebron, where he learned
the full meaning of fellowship. After Hebron, David
was brought to Zion, concerning which place there are
seven things to be learnt. As you learn these things you
will know how to come into Zion and how you can
recover every loss t h r o u g h fellowship there
(2 Samuel 5:6, 7, 10).

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 1. The Site
Zion was at that time occupied by the Jebusites
because, as we have seen, the Benjamites had failed to
drive them out from Jerusalem. According to Deut. 7,
the Israelites had to drive out all the seven nations who
were living in the land, and they were not to make any
convenant with them nor inter-marry with them. They
were also to pull down their altars and images, so that
there might be no sign even of their having lived there.
Because of their human wisdom however they failed
God; all the seven nations stayed there, and brought
great loss to the whole nation of Israel.

In 2 Sam. 5 we read how David took Zion from the

Jebusites and established his throne in the city. Alas!
He became proud and blind (2 Samuel 24:1-10), and
in his sinful pride he insisted on numbering the people,
for which God had to punish him.

Pride is the greatest sin. Many believers have

suffered heavy loss through pride. They may be good
believers, knowing and believing God's Word, and
making great sacrifices for God's service. Yet, with all
their zeal, they have one great failure and that is pride.
That was the condition of David. Though Joab had
told him not to number the people, he would not
listen and his command prevailed; so God had to
punish him.

Then at the command of the prophet, David went

to the threshing-floor of Araunah, and build there an
altar to the Lord and in so doing found the site for
God's temple. Even though David was in Zion himself,

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yet he did not know the great purpose for which he
had been brought there by God. God had brought him
there to show him the site of the temple, where God
could reveal His glory. That is the first divine principle
about Zion: it is the site of God's temple. God brings us
to Zion, so that we may see the place where God may
have this habitation. David only found that site after
being completely broken and humbled.

It takes us many years to learn that one lesson. Even

though we may have many qualifications, God is not
able to use us, because of some hindrance due to our
pride. There are so many persons to whom God has
given many gifts, but they are useless because of pride.
In some cases they know it, but in other cases they
do not.

God may use many devices to show us our state. It

was only when God sent the epidemic in Jerusalem
that day, that David was able to see his sin. Then he
saw that God had brought him to Zion, because He
wanted a place for the altar and later for the temple.

God does His work in His own way. He will not

work in our way. The wind bloweth where it listeth.'
In some places we work for many years and see no
fruit, and in other places we work for a short time and
we see much fruit. Why? God has His own time for
each place, and we waste much time and energy by
not knowing God's way of working.

Take for example the work in Hyderabad. Many

friends had invited us to go there, but God did not give

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us liberty. In fact, we came very near Hyderabad, yet
God did not give us the liberty to go there. When the
right time came, however, we had strong peace and
said, 'Now this is God's time for Hyderabad.' In many
places to which we have moved after waiting upon
God, we have found that when we arrived there, it
was God's time to begin work in that place. God has
gone before us, we have seen, as it were, the walls of
Jericho fall down, and God working out His plans in
His own way.

We must first be brought into God's own way. That

is the first thing to learn about Zion, and secondly, not
to d e p e n d u p o n our o w n k n o w l e d g e , s t r e n g t h ,
cleverness and qualifications for His service. Only when
we are entirely cast upon the Lord, can we find the
site of God's appointment. God chooses His own site to
show us His power and glory.

2. The Pattern (I Chron. 28:11)

After God had revealed to David the site for His
temple, He gave him next the pattern of the temple
in writing.

This is the second divine principle of Zion: the

heavenly plan for our personal life, family life and
church life. As. believers, God has a heavenly plan far
each of us and He wants us to find that plan. After the
site of God's temple has been revealed, God begins work,
and the plan for our life is made clear to us. There are
many people, who do not know what God has planned
for their lives. They live in uncertainty, and go here
and there without the knowledge of God's plan and

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will, and thus incur great loss. But there is a heavenly
plan for each one, for personal life, for family life, and
also for church life.

For that purpose we m u s t come into Zion. By

fellowship with God's saints, we can find His plan more
easily. Those who remain away from God's house will
find it very hard to find God's plan. If you come to
God's house only for the sake of the message, you will
not find His plan, though the message may be sweet to
you. Unless you learn these two lessons, that is, to have
full fellowship with God's people, and also to maintain
your fellowship with God Himself, God cannot give
you His heavenly plan.

In that double fellowship, however, God will reveal

His plan daily, monthly and yearly. It is a great joy to
see God's plan being revealed day by day and to be
able to say: 'I know God wants me to be here today. I
know God has brought me here. I know God has kept
me here. I know God is saying to me: You go here today
and go there tomorrow.' This ought to be true of us
every day, not only occasionally. Remember this, it was
only after David wTas broken, that God gave him the
heavenly plan.

3. The Material (I Chron. 26:27)

'Out of the spoils won in battle did they dedicate to
maintain the house of the Lord.' The third divine
principle is to gather material. After the heavenly plan
had been given for the Lord's house, the Lord wanted
material to fulfil the plan. If you want to build a wall
of mud, then you require mud for the wall, but if you

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want a 'pakka' wall, you will require better material. It
is the same thing with God's plan for building His
house. If you have learnt this, then you will also know
what material He requires.

When God had shown David the plan, David knew

what God wanted; so from every battle David gathered
the spoils. He knew God wanted gold, silver, brass
and other materials for His house, as we see in
I Chron. 29:1-2. So he gathered such material.

Now in our life-time, we too, have to face many

battles, almost every day, and every week throughout
our life. There are conflicts and battles in our hearts.
We have also to face many battles through enemies,
and sometimes through poverty and other problems.
God permits those battles in our lives, that we may have
the privilege of bringing the needed material into
God's house.

David had to fight many battles that he might be

able to gather much spoil. That gave him great joy for
he was able to offer God all the material for His house
according to His plan. God wants material. Once you
come into God's plan, you will not be discouraged if
you go through trials and difficulties. It does not matter
how painful your difficulties may be, you will not be
discouraged, because you know that through these
afflictions, the Lord is helping you to gather material
for His house.

It took many years for David to get the material for

the house, so throughout life we may have to gather

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material for God's house. It is only when we go to
heaven and see the heavenly Jerusalem, that we shall
know what we have gathered and how much.

4. A Wise Master Builder

(I Chron. 28:9-10; I Cor. 3:10)
After David had found the site for the temple and
had received the plan and gathered the material, the
next thing he wanted was a wise master builder.

When a building has to be constructed there must

be an engineer; a man must be in charge of the whole
building and he has to make sure that the whole
building is being constructed according to plan. Now
David wanted a man of that type, because the building
of God's house was very great and could not be built by
ordinary men. David called Solomon and said, 'Solomon,
my son, God has chosen you to build His house. He has
chosen you; be strong and do it. Here is the plan and
here are the materials. Now you go ahead with the
building of the house.' So Solomon became a wise
master builder.

We see in the New Testament that the apostle Paul

was a wise master builder and through him God's plan
was carried out. This is the fourth divine principle of
Zion. We require wise master builders to build us up in
God's plan. Mere teaching won't do, we require
apostles, prophets, teachers and pastors to build us up
in God's plan (Ephesians 2:20). In the early church,
there were such faithful men going here and there and
because of their faithfulness, God's work was built on
a strong foundation. It is the same in every period. If

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you want the work of God to be strong and steadfast
then you must have God's chosen vessels, who will fulfil
God's mind and plan and who will be faithful.

When God chose Solomon (I Kings 2:12; 3:11) he

asked God to give him wisdom ( I Kings 3:5, 9). This is
how he became a wise master builder. He asked for
divine wisdom and an understanding heart that he
might discern between good and bad. He did not ask
for wealth or long life or health; he asked only for divine
wisdom that he might become a wise master builder.

Those who have divine wisdom, will by that wisdom

know clearly the mind and thought of God. If the work
of God is to go on peaceably, there must be men of
apostolic vision and experience.

5. Skilful Workmen
(I Kings 5:1, 6,18)
Fifthly, even though Solomon had plenty of wealth
and material, and also had skilful workmen in his own
kingdom, he knew that they were not sufficient to build
the house of God. So, he wrote to Hiram, King of Tyre,
'Send me cedar trees out of Lebanon and Send the men
who can work on the timber and stones.'

Now for the work of God, God needs all kinds of

workmen. God needs skilful workers from every part
of the world. Just as Solomon brought those workmen
from many parts of the world to work on the trees and
stones, for God's work too we require men and women
from all parts of the world, because a country by itself
cannot build God's house. However much wise that

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country may be, or wealthy, they cannot alone build
God's house. We require 'timber' and 'stones' from every
part of the world. That is the fifth divine principle of
Zion. It is only when we begin to build the house of
God that we realize how much we need co-workers
from every part of the world. Only then can the work
go on smoothly.

6. Harmony and Unity

(I Kings 6:7)
Sixthly, even though they were using heavy stones
and large timbers for building, and huge beams, there
was no sound in the temple of any instrument of any
kind. The w o r k m e n w e n t on working quietly and
smoothly, because everybody knew his own job very
well and knew also the plan given by God. Other
workmen were working in the quarry, and the stones
brought from the quarry fitted in so well because they
were faithfully prepared.

If we know God's plan clearly and have the heavenly

material and a wise master builder and prepared
co-workers then the work of God will go on quietly
and smoothly. Where there is no plan there will be
much quarrelling, strife and fighting. Those who do
not have God's plan like to quarrel and fight. It is very
necessary to know God's plan, so that God's work will
go on in perfect unity and harmony.

7. God's Glory (II Chron. 7:1, 2)

Seventhly, when Solomon made an end of praying
the fire of God consumed the burnt offerings and
sacrifices and the glory of the Lord filled the house.

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God's glory came d o w n only when the work was
finished and it is only when the work of God is finished
that we too shall see His glory. Unfinished work cannot
be to the glory of God. When the tabernacle was
finished the glory of the Lord came down. Even so with
the temple. When the work was finished and the
heavenly plan was accomplished God's glory came
down and God began to speak and reveal Himself in
all His fullness.

The whole nation and kingdom was filled with joy

and gladness (II Chron. 7:8-11). Everybody got a share
of that joy. God began to speak and said, 'I have heard
thy prayer, I have chosen this place to myself for a house
of sacrifice' (verse 12). 'My heart and my eyes shall be
perpetually upon it.' So God came to dwell with them
in all His fullness. God in His purpose brought David
to Zion that He might reveal Himself there to all
His people.

Let me r e p e a t again the seven divine laws or

principles in Zion: 1. The finding of God's site of the
temple. 2. The heavenly plan for the temple. 3. Material
for the temple. 4. A wise master builder, who had the
supervision of the whole work of building. 5. Skilful
workmen required from all parts of the world. 6. The
whole work carried out smoothly in harmony and
unity. 7. God's glory coming down and filling the
House. Then was God's purpose in Zion truly fulfilled,
for God was revealed there and reigned in glory.

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 Chapter 12

THE SECRET OF POWER

WITH GOD
IN this study we have been considering from God's
Word how our spiritual losses can be recovered. We
have pointed out how God had planned that man
could recover every loss through Hebron and Zion.
Hebron speaks of fellowship, first with God and then
among ourselves as fellow believers. Zion speaks of
God's heavenly or spiritual House. The more we
understand what that spiritual house is, the more
we can recover our losses. We have mentioned how
God led David step by step into Zion, for it was only
when he was brought into Zion that the national
losses were recovered.

When Solomon built the temple as commanded

by God, then God came in His full glory into Zion. He
began to speak in a clearer way to the whole nation,
and all the people rejoiced with great joy, and came
into God's house with great expectation. We can say,
in simple language, that God became more real to
them,
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We learn something more about Zion from Psalm 87:2,
The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the
dwellings of Jacob.'

The Dwellings of Jacob

Jacob stands for a man whom the Lord chooses.
God chose Jacob with all his follies, shortcomings, and
w e a k n e s s e s , b u t Jacob h a d to go t h r o u g h m a n y
experiences before he could understand God's purposes
for him. For more than twenty years Jacob tried to
obtain and enjoy by his efforts the blessings which God
had planned to give him. From his childhood he had
heard from Isaac about the portion of the first-born
son, so he tried to get that portion by deceiving his father
with the help of his mother.

Again in the house of his father-in-law he tried to

do the same things. He was miserable when he left his
father-in-law's house. Even though Jacob had plenty
of cattle and much wealth, yet we find him full of fear
(Genesis 37). 'All the dwellings of Jacob' in Psalm 87:2
speaks of all that he had been doing himself, his own
efforts, his own struggles and his own battles and all
his h u m a n efforts to obtain God's blessing. He was
trying to get the portion of the first-born by human
methods.

There are many believers of the same type, they try

to enjoy God's blessing by human effort. They try to
serve God by human wisdom, but in the end they are
disappointed. Even though they study the Bible for
years together, and seek to understand the Bible by
h u m a n w i s d o m , their lives reveal that they are

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defeated. They spend much money in God's service,
but see no fruit. They suffer much for God's sake, but
have no joy in their lives. They pray for many hours,
but have no joy in their lives. They pray for many
hours, but receive no answer to their prayers. Why?
Because they are doing these things by their own
efforts, like Jacob. By human efforts, human plans and
human wisdom they try to receive heavenly joy. Such
people are living, as it were, in 'the dwellings of Jacob.'

The Gates of Zion

'The gates of Zion' (vs. 1). God's love is towards Zion.
A gate indicates that there is someone outside who has
to come inside. The Scripture says, 'The Lord loveth
the gates of Zion.' God Himself loves and rejoices to
enter the gates of Zion, and if we also would enjoy
God's love in its fullness we must become a part of Zion.

'The foundation of Zion is in the holy mountain'

(vs. 1). There is a strong and sure foundation which
cannot be shaken, and that foundation is in the holy
mountain. When we long to become perfectly holy, as
God is holy, He brings us on to a strong foundation.

'The city of God' (vs. 3). This is another name for the
place. 'Zion' and 'City of God' are interchangeable
words.

'The Highest Himself shall establish her' (vs. 5).

Those who are living in the dwellings of Jacob depend
on human energy for their establishment, but those who
come into Zion, will be established by God Himself.

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 The Lord shall count' (vs. 6). God makes a record of
everything about those who live in Zion. Whatever we
do by ourselves is only a waste-, but whatever we do
in God's house is being recorded to be remembered
for ever.

'The singer' (vs. 7). In the dwellings of Jacob, there

will be tears, sorrows and disappointments; but in Zion
there will be singers and players on instruments singing
heavenly songs. That speaks of great joy. The joy in
Zion is so great that the players on instruments are
rejoicing together.

'All my springs are in thee' (vs. 7). Springs speak of

a hidden source of water supply. Nobody knows the
actual quantity of water in a spring. It has fresh water
running constantly and does not get dry. So God says
here that those who are in Zion have plenty of springs
to bring them delight.

It is only in Zion we can recover every loss, so

the Lord continually seeks to d r a w our attention
towards Zion.

Abraham and Melchizedek

Genesis 14:18, 19. This is the first reference to Zion
in the Word of God. The name 'Salem' means peace;
and Salem or Jerusalem is the city of peace.
(1) Not a shoe latchet
Abraham was about to face great temptation. He
had been in the field of battle and had defeated the
enemies of the King of Sodom and had brought back
the men of Sodom and plenty of wealth. The King was

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grateful and wanted to reward Abraham, so he offered
to him all the treasure they had taken. What a great
temptation it must have been to Abraham!

However, before Abraham faced this temptation

and before he could be deceived by the King of Sodom'
God had sent him Melchizedek, the King of Salem, and
priest of the most high God, w h o had blessed him
(vs. 19). When, therefore, the King of Sodom offered
all the wealth, Abraham refused to touch even a thread
or a shoe latchet. He had been in the battle-field and
his shoes might be worn out, and his clothes might be
torn. He might want a shoe latchet for his shoes and a
thread to mend his clothes. But he refused to take even
such insignificant things from the King of Sodom.

It needs faith to take such a strong stand. How

did Abraham get such faith? From Zion had come
Melchizedek, the priest of the most high God, and
from him Abraham had received a true blessing, for
Melchizedek blessed him in the name of the most high
God w h o is the possessor of h e a v e n a n d earth.
Abraham received from Melchizedek a far greater
blessing than the King of Sodom could give him, and
through Melchizedek Abraham got a glimpse of Zion
which increased his faith, and enabled him to resist
even so great a temptation.

(2) Bread and Wine

Not only did Melchizedek bless Abraham, but he
also brought him food from Zion: he gave him bread
and wine (Genesis 14:18). Abraham was tired because
he had been on the battle-field. Yet, had the King of

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Sodom offered Abraham fowl or mutton or 'biriyani1,
Abraham would have said: 'No thank you. I don't want
your fowl or mutton or anything else from you.' The
King of Sodom would gladly have fed Abraham and
his men because Abraham had delivered them from
their enemies.

Yet, Abraham turned his back on the nice things

the King of Sodom offered him for God had already
sent Melchizedek with food from Zion. The priest of
the most high God had brought bread and wine for
Abraham, that had taken away his weariness. You will
find your tiredness and weariness flee away when you
come to the Zion of God.

When people do not feel too well, they seize the smallest
excuse to keep away from the house of God. They say,
'We cannot go to Hebron. The meetings are very, very
long and we are not too well. We had a bad night
yesterday.' They think that by keeping away they will get
better. So they keep away and become worse!

There are others who when they feel sad and dejected
keep away from the house of God. Perhaps somebody
has said something to them which has hurt them and
they keep away, but by keeping away they become worse.
It is by coming into God's house that God's people receive
heavenly food and divine strength and joy and keep fresh,
strong and healthy before God, and like Abraham are
able to resist every temptation.

(3) Tithes
Abraham believed that every blessing came from

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G o d a n d that is w h y he gave his tithe to God
(Genesis 14:20).

Now w h e n Melchizedek blessed him, Abraham

believed that it was truly God who had delivered him
from his enemies and had given him so many great
blessings. Because of that he gave God one-tenth of all
that he had. The tithe speaks of his faith, and is also
the expression of thanksgiving. By it Abraham was
saying, 'God has blessed me, and has given me much
m o r e t h a n I could h a v e received by my o w n
strength or efforts.'

That is quite true. We cannot enjoy anything unless

God blesses us. Though we work very hard and earn
much money, yet, if God does not give us good health
how can we enjoy that wealth? And if God does not
give peace in the family, surely all our earnings will be
a waste. We require divine favour to enjoy what we
have. Without His favour we have nothing, and can
enjoy nothing.

Abraham and Mt. Moriah

According to II Chron. 3:1, Mt. Moriah is the place
where Abraham passed his last test (Gen. 22). God
appeared ten times to Abraham, and the tenth time
He appeared to him in Mt. Moriah. He had to pass
these ten tests to become the friend of God. God
brought him to Zion to pass his last test.

After this, God was fully b o u n d to Abraham.

A b r a h a m h a d o b e y e d God a n d w h a t e v e r God
commanded, he did. He took his only son, laid on him

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the w o o d of the b u r n t offering, a n d w e n t to
Mt. Moriah (Gen. 22:9). Without any question or
doubt, he placed his son upon the altar, stretched
forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son. Then
God called to him, 'Abraham, Abraham, lay not thy
hand upon the lad' (Gen. 22:11, 12); and when he
turned round he saw a ram caught in a thicket.

There was no chance of the ram running away.

God Himself had brought the ram, so how could it
escape from God's hand? It had not been brought
there by any man. The ram had been caught in a
thicket for a p u r p o s e , and God was speaking to
Abraham through it. He was saying: 'Now Abraham,
you have fully obeyed me. You have never doubted
me. What I commanded, you have done. Without
question or doubt you have obeyed me. You have
passed your test.'

Further God was saying to Abraham, 'You see the

ram bound in the thicket? In the same way, I am also
bound to you. In the beginning I commanded you and
you obeyed me. Now you command me and I will
obey you.' What a privilege! Now Abraham could
c o m m a n d God! God was bound to Abraham for
eternity, and even today He is keeping His covenant
with Abraham's seed. Even though Abraham's seed
failed God, and rebelled against him, yet God said to
Moses, 'I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob',
because of the covenant He had made with Abraham.

In the same way when you come into Zion without

fear or doubt, God is bound to you. You can command

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God to do anything and He will do it for you. Can
any man give us so much? Foolishly we depend upon
ourselves, our human wisdom and strength for victory
when it is only by coming to Zion that God can be
fully bound to us and by faith we can recover every
loss. A b r a h a m h a d m a d e many mistakes: he had
listened to Sarah his wife and married Hagar and that
was a terrible mistake; so much so that the Ishmaelites
were a source of constant trouble to God's people, yet
Abraham recovered all in Zion. We too may incur
many losses, yet by coming into God's house or Zion,
we will recover every loss.

Now by coming to Zion, Abraham was given real

faith. No doubt in the beginning he had some faith,
for when God spoke to him, he obeyed and left Ur of
the Chaldees. This was a great sacrifice, for he left
his home and family and property behind; yet this
was only an imperfect stage of faith. It was only in
Genesis 22 when he came to Zion that he was given
true faith, and believed the Lord would raise up his
son even if he slew him. He was about to slay his son
on the altar, but at the same time he knew God would
not change His word, but would raise him up again.
Such faith is not easy to have.

Do not keep away from God's house nor despise it.

Do not despise the fellowship of God's saints, but take
your full share in the house of God and then you will
surely recover every loss.

These two lessons from the life of Abraham are very

important to learn. Honour God by your substance and

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acknowledge that God alone can bless you; this is the
first lesson. The second is to come into God's house with
strong but simple faith and then you will be wholly
and fully bound up in the purpose of God.

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Bakht Singh (1903 - 2000) was a man,
tuned to God's will. Born in a Sikh
family, he accepted Christ as his
Saviour at a young age. Since then,
he never turned back. He was India's
foremost evangelist, preacher and
church planter. He also authored
several books and booklets.