GOD’S ECONOMY

SERIES THIRTEEN
GOD’S ECONOMY IN ALL THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

God’s Economy as Revealed in the Old Testament

Message Twelve
God’s Economy as Revealed in Chronicles

Scripture Reading: 1 Chron. 1:1, 28, 2:1, 3, 3:4, 6:28 13:1-3, 30:7, 2 Chron. 33:13, Jer. 2:13, Rom. 3:20

I. The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles cover the genealogy of mankind from Adam to Abraham and the genealogy of God’s elect from Abraham to the family of Saul, and the history of Israel from Saul the king to Israel’s return from their captivity—1 Chron. 1:1, 2:1, 3.

II. The matter of the central thought of 1 and 2 Chronicles is very crucial—1:1, 28, 6:28, 2 Chron. 33:13:

A. The central thought is, first, to give us a full chronology of God’s move in man’s history—1 Chron. 1:1, 2:1, 3:

1. The central point of view in 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings is the chosen people of God, but in 1 and 2 Chronicles it is the entire race of mankind—1:1.

2. The chronology in 1 and 2 Chronicles indicates that God’s move in man’s history is to prepare the way for God to carry out His eternal economy in humanity by becoming a man that man may become God; This matter concerns not only the history of God’s elect, Israel, but also the history of the entire race of mankind—Matt. 3:3.

B. The central thought of 1 and 2 Chronicles is also to present to us some of the important details of God’s dealing with the kings of Judah—1 Chron. 2:3, 2 Chron. 20:15:

1. At the beginning of 1 Chronicles a part of mankind’s history is recorded that is recorded neither in 1 and 2 Samuel nor in 1 and 2 Kings—1 Chron. 1:1.

2. At the end of 1 Chronicles there is a supplement to David’s history, and in 2 Chronicles there is a supplement to the history of the kings of Judah—29:1-30, 2 Chron. ch. 36.

C. In 1 and 2 Chronicles we have a complete history of God’s move in man’s history from Adam to Abraham, from Abraham to Samuel, and from Samuel, who brought in the kingship, to Israel’s return from their captivity—1 Chron. 1:1, 28, 6:28.

III. A concluding word to the supplement to the history of the kings of Judah—3:4, 13:1-3, Jer. 2:13:

A. The supplement in 2 Chronicles to the history of the kings covers only the kings of the kingdom of Judah and not one king of the kingdom of Israel—1 Kings 15:7, 2 Kings 24:5.

B. Unlike the kings of Israel, the kings of Judah remained on the ground of the unity of God’s chosen people (Jerusalem) and kept the oneness according to the fundamental teaching of Moses—1 Chron. 3:4, 2 Chron. 19:1.

C. The condition of the kings of Judah did not match their standing on the unique ground and their fundamental belief; most of these kings were wrong in their intention, purpose, desire, and preference—1 Chron. 13:1-3, 21:4-6.

D. Most of the kings of Judah, like the kings of the kingdom of Israel, forsook God as the fountain of living waters and followed the idols to hew out for themselves broken cisterns which hold no water; in principle, certain local churches have fallen somewhat into this kind of situation, forsaking the fountain of the living waters and following something else—Jer. 2:13, 2 Chron. 21:6.

E. It seemed that none of the kings of Judah had a heart that was absolutely pure in seeking the kingdom of God, not their monarchy, and in establishing and living for the kingdom of God on the earth and not laboring and struggling for a monarchy for themselves and for their descendants—v. 3-4.

IV. The kings of Judah broke the law of God, which was given to them through Moses to govern them and keep them in the enjoyment of the God-promised good land; however, the kings of Judah broke the law of God—30:7, 1 Chron. 5:25:

A. The law of God, which was decreed through Moses in the second part of Exodus, beginning from chapter twenty, and the entire book of Leviticus, had two sections—the moral section and the ceremonial section—Exo. ch. 20-Lev. ch. 27:

1. The moral section was composed mainly of the Ten Commandments; the first five commandments governed the relationship of God’s people with Him and their parents; the last five commandments governed the relationship of God’s people among themselves—Exo. ch. 20-24.

2. The ceremonial section was composed of the laws of the tabernacle, the offerings, the priesthood, and the feasts; these four things are all types of Christ—Exo. ch. 25-Lev. ch. 27:

a. The laws of the tabernacle; the tabernacle typifies Christ as the embodiment of God for God’s people to contact Him and to enter into Him for their enjoyment—Col. 2:9, John 1:14.

b. The laws of the offerings; the offerings typify Christ as all kinds of sacrifices to meet the need of God toward His people and the need of His people before Him—Heb. 10:5-12.

c. The laws of the priesthood; the priesthood typifies Christ as the High Priest taking care of God’s chosen people before God—8:1.

d. The laws of the feasts; the feasts typify Christ as the bountiful enjoyment in every aspect assigned by God to His chosen people—Col. 2:16-17, Phil. 1:19.

B. God knew that no man can keep the Ten Commandments as the moral section of His law to be justified by Him—Rom. 3:10, Deut. 6:25:

1. By His grace and according to His economy, He also gave His people the ceremonial section of His law, through which the condemned sinners, the breakers of the moral law of God, could contact Him and enter into Him to enjoy Him as their everything—Luke 1:6.

2. In this way sinners could be justified by God to be righteous men; foreknowing that we could not keep His commandments, God prepared the ceremonial law to be our salvation, to save us from the condemnation under the moral law —cf. Matt. 1:19a, Luke 1:6, 75, 2:25, 23:50.

C. The entire law of God was decreed to His people by Him with the intention to expose and convict His people by the moral section of His law, that they would be conducted to the ceremonial section of His law —Rom. 3:20, John 16:8.

D. The kings breaking the entire law of God and provoking the wrath of God—2 Chron. 36:17-20:

1. Since the kings broke the entire law of God, both the moral and the ceremonial sections, again and again, they provoked the wrath of God and caused Him to give their good land to the Gentiles and make them captives to the pagan nations —v. 17-20.

2. Thus, they lost their portion in the enjoyment of the God-promised good land; this miserable outcome has lasted for twenty-seven centuries until today—v. 11-20.

E. To study the history books of the Old Testament in the way of life is to comply with God’s purpose, that these books were written in His divine revelation for our admonition and enlightenment —1 Cor. 10:11.

Ministry Excerpts:

CHRIST AS THE CENTER OF GOD’S ECONOMY

There are twelve historical books in the Old Testament. The first three are Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, and the last three are Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. In between these two groups of three books, there are three pairs of books: 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles.

The Bible actually tells us only one thing—God’s eternal economy according to the good pleasure of His heart’s desire. Our God is exceedingly great, and surely He must have a good pleasure. Based upon His good pleasure He made an eternal economy. The reality, the center, and the goal of God’s economy is the all-inclusive and excellent Christ. The entire Bible is for this one thing, not for anything else.

The Bible is arranged in two sections. The first section, the Old Testament, is the section of pictures. God is surely the best writer, and He uses pictures in the first thirty-nine books of His writing in the Bible. These books are therefore full of pictures accompanied by prophecies. The pictures are the types, figures, and shadows in the Old Testament. For instance, Adam is “a type of Him who was to come” (Rom. 5:14). Some types are also prophecies. These prophecies are not in plain words but in pictures. The greatest type in the Old Testament is the history of the people of Israel, who typify God’s people on earth today. Thus, the history of Israel in the Old Testament is a big type signifying things to come.

When we come to the twelve books of history in the Old Testament, we should not be distracted by the history presented in these books. Why, then, should we pay attention to the books of history? To answer this question we need to realize that the entire Bible is for God’s economy with Christ as the reality, the center, and the goal. In our reading of the books of history, we need to pray and seek the proper interpretation of all the types and prophecies in these books. In particular, we need to find and know the intrinsic significance of all the types. We should focus our attention on the center of these types, which is Christ as the center of God’s economy. Therefore, as we are seeking to know the intrinsic significance of what is recorded in the books of history in the Old Testament, we must endeavor to link the history books to God’s economy. This is what we are doing in this life-study.

THE WRITER OF FIRST AND SECOND CHRONICLES

The writer of 1 and 2 Chronicles was probably Ezra. Regarding this matter, we should compare 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 with Ezra 1:1-3a. The repetition in these two portions might be a proof that 1 and 2 Chronicles were written by Ezra, the writer of the book of Ezra.

THE TIME

The first book covers about 41 years, from 1056 to 1015 B.C., not including the forefathers’ genealogy. The second book covers about 479 years, from 1015 to 536 B.C.

THE PLACE

These two books might have been written in Jerusalem after Ezra’s coming back from the captivity.

THE CONTENT

The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles cover the genealogy of mankind from Adam to Abraham and the genealogy of God’s elect from Abraham to the family of Saul, and the history of Israel from Saul the king to Israel’s return from their captivity. From this we see that 1 and 2 Chronicles cover three kinds of history: the history from Adam to Abraham, which concerns the whole world; the history from Abraham to Saul, which concerns the forefathers of the race of Israel, before they were formed into a nation; and the history of the kingdom of Israel, from the time of Saul to the coming back from their captivity.

THE CENTRAL THOUGHT

The matter of the central thought of 1 and 2 Chronicles is very crucial.

Giving a Full Chronology of God’s Move in Man’s History

The central thought is, first, to give us a full chronology of God’s move in man’s history by including the genealogy from Adam to Samuel, indicating that God’s move in man’s history to prepare the way for God to carry out His eternal economy in humanity by becoming a man that man may become God is not a matter that concerns only the history of God’s elect but a matter that concerns the history of the entire race of mankind. The central point of view in 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings is the chosen people of God, but in 1 and 2 Chronicles it is the entire race of mankind. This needs a lineage not from Samuel but from Adam to Christ, which corresponds to the genealogy of Christ as recorded in Luke 3, not as presented in Matthew 1. The view in Matthew 1 is narrow and is limited to Israel. The view in Luke 3 is broad and includes all of mankind. This is a strong evidence that the coming Christ as the embodiment of God is not only for the one race chosen by God but for the entire human race created by God.

We need to see that God’s move is in man’s history. Have you ever heard such a phrase as “God’s move in man’s history”? Do you believe that in today’s tumultuous world situation God is still moving in man’s history? We need to believe that God has been moving and is still moving in and through man’s history. In Adam’s history God moved, and in Abel’s history God also moved. This was a move on the positive side. But God moved even in Cain’s history. This was a move on the negative side.

I can testify from my observation of the world situation since 1918 and from my study of the prophecies in the Bible that God surely moves in man’s history. Let us consider, for example, the dispute over Palestine, that is, over the good land, that has been going on for hundreds of years. Who is the landlord, the rightful owner, of the good land—Israel or the Arabs? The Jews say that Palestine is the land of their forefathers, and the Arabs claim that it is the land of their forefathers. This issue has not been settled but is still on the negotiating table. The statesmen involved in these negotiations are foolish men, for they do not know God or the Word of God, the Bible, yet they are talking about God’s affairs. God is the landlord of Palestine, and only He can solve the problem concerning this land. I believe that while the statesmen are negotiating over the ownership of the good land, the Lord is in the heavens laughing (Psa. 2:4). The decision regarding the good land will not be made by statesmen; it will be made by the One who is in the heavens. Soon the Lord Jesus may come back and settle this matter. When He comes He may say to the statesmen of the world, “This is not your business—it is My business.”

We have pointed out that the chronology in 1 and 2 Chronicles indicates that God’s move in man’s history is to prepare the way for God to carry out His eternal economy in humanity by becoming a man that man may become God. If this cannot be accomplished, there is no way to solve the problems of today’s world situation. All the problems on this earth are waiting for one thing—for a good number of men to become God-men. This matter concerns not only the history of God’s elect, Israel, but also the history of the entire race of mankind.

The world situation has changed greatly during the past fifty years. In these fifty years God has blended together people from everywhere on earth. In our semi-annual trainings saints come together from fifty nations. This would have been impossible fifty years ago. This blending of the nations is something that could have been accomplished only by God.

Through such a blending thousands of God-men will be produced. In Russia, for instance, the God-men are spreading and increasing. The whole world is open to the ministry in the Lord’s recovery. This ministry has reached to all six continents, and I have received letters of appreciation from saints in many different countries saying that they are open to receive this ministry.

Recently I released the matter of the high peak of God’s revelation—the revelation that God became a man so that man may become God in life and in nature (but not in the Godhead) for the producing of the Body of Christ as His expression. Now we need to pray that the Lord will give us a new revival, a revival which has never been seen in man’s history. Such a revival will be something new, for it is related to God’s “hobby,” to His good pleasure, to the desire of His heart. God’s good pleasure is that God would become a man to make man God in life and in nature. This is the desire of God’s heart, the “hobby” in His heart, and He will accomplish it.

As we have seen, whereas the central point of view in 1 and 2 Samuel and in 1 and 2 Kings is the chosen race of God, the central point of view in 1 and 2 Chronicles is the entire race of mankind. This indicates that God thinks not only about Israel but also about the Gentiles. Most of us are not of the people of Israel, but God thought about us in eternity past. Ephesians 1:4 tells us we all were chosen by God before the foundation of the world. We praise the Lord for choosing us in Christ before the foundation of the world.

Presenting Some Important Details of God’s Dealing with the Kings of Judah

The central thought of 1 and 2 Chronicles is also to present to us some of the important details of God’s dealing with the kings of Judah that are not recorded in 1 and 2 Samuel and in 1 and 2 Kings. Many readers of the Bible feel that 1 and 2 Chronicles are somewhat repetitious, covering things which have been covered already in 1 and 2 Samuel and in 1 and 2 Kings. We need to see that at the beginning of 1 Chronicles a part of mankind’s history is recorded that is recorded neither in 1 and 2 Samuel nor in 1 and 2 Kings. Furthermore, at the end of 1 Chronicles there is a supplement to David’s history, and in 2 Chronicles there is a supplement to the history of the kings of Judah. Israel was divided into two nations: the northern kingdom, called the kingdom of Israel, and the southern kingdom, called the kingdom of Judah. The good kings were not in Israel but in Judah. Second Chronicles does not touch the kings of Israel but covers only the kings of Judah, giving us details not found elsewhere concerning God’s dealing with them and also telling us the reasons why God dealt with them in the way He did.

Giving a Complete History of God’s Move in Man’s History

Finally, in 1 and 2 Chronicles we have a complete history of God’s move in man’s history from Adam to Abraham, from Abraham to Samuel, and from Samuel, who brought in the kingship, to Israel’s return from their captivity. (Life-study of Chronicles, msg. 1)

COVERING ONLY THE KINGS OF THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH

The supplement in 2 Chronicles to the history of the kings covers only the kings of the kingdom of Judah and not one king of the kingdom of Israel.

REMAINING ON THE GROUND OF THE UNITY OF GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE

Unlike the kings of Israel, the kings of Judah remained on the ground of the unity of God’s chosen people (Jerusalem) and kept the oneness according to the fundamental teaching of Moses.

Both the people of Judah and the people of Israel were the people of God. However, the people of Israel forsook God and made themselves the same as the people of mankind. As the elect of God Israel should have been sanctified, separated, unto the holy God. But the people of Israel, especially the kings, forsook God, turned to the idols, and set up centers of worship other than Jerusalem. That offended God to the uttermost. Israel was like a wife who forsakes her husband for another man. God, the Husband of His people, would never tolerate such a thing.

The kings of Judah remained on the ground chosen by God and stayed with God. In this matter God was happy with them. Although the condition of the kings of Judah was not pleasing to God, He was pleased with their standing on the proper ground and with their keeping of the fundamental faith according to God’s word released to them through Moses. Because of their standing, God still had a people on earth who stood with Him and who at least tried to keep His word.

THEIR CONDITION NOT MATCHING THEIR STANDING

The condition of the kings of Judah did not match their standing on the unique ground and their fundamental belief. Most of these kings were wrong in their intention, purpose, desire, and preference.

To some extent this may also be the situation in some places in the recovery today. Certain ones take the proper ground and keep the fundamental faith, yet they live in the flesh, in the self, and in the natural man. They may be selfish and pursue their own interest, seeking glory and exaltation. Even worse, they may have ambition, something that is hateful and abominable in the sight of God. The root of every rebellion that took place among us in the past seventy-two years has been this ugly and evil matter of ambition.

MOST OF THEM FORSAKING GOD AS THE FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATERS
AND FOLLOWING THE IDOLS

Most of the kings of Judah, like the kings of the kingdom of Israel, forsook God as the fountain of living waters and followed the idols to hew out for themselves broken cisterns which hold no water (Jer. 2:13). In principle, certain local churches have fallen somewhat into this kind of situation, forsaking the fountain of the living waters and following something else.

NONE OF THEM SEEMING TO HAVE A HEART THAT WAS
ABSOLUTELY PURE IN SEEKING THE KINGDOM OF GOD

It seemed that none of the kings of Judah had a heart that was absolutely pure in seeking the kingdom of God, not their monarchy, and in establishing and living for the kingdom of God on the earth and not laboring and struggling for a monarchy for themselves and for their descendants. This is a picture of the situation in some so-called local churches.

BREAKING THE LAW OF GOD

The kings of Judah broke the law of God, which was given to them through Moses to govern them and keep them in the enjoyment of the God-promised good land. God not only gave His elect people the good land and transferred them out of Egypt and into this land; God also gave them the law to govern them and keep them in the enjoyment of the good land. However, the kings of Judah broke the law of God.

THE LAW OF GOD, WHICH WAS DECREED THROUGH MOSES,
HAVING TWO SECTIONS

The law of God, which was decreed through Moses in the second part of Exodus, beginning from chapter twenty, and the entire book of Leviticus, had two sections—the moral section and the ceremonial section. (Life-study of Chronicles, msg. 12)

The examples of the kings of Judah show that God needed a people on the earth so that He could be incarnated in humanity. God also needed a land for His people that He might form a nation to set up His testimony. This testimony was set up according to the law of God.

We need to know what the law of God is. Some fundamental Christians may say the law of God consists mainly of the Ten Commandments (Exo. 20:1-17), that is, the moral law. However, the Ten Commandments with their statutes and ordinances occupy only a few chapters, Exodus 20—24. However, the law of God occupies not only these chapters but all the chapters from Exodus 20 to the end of Leviticus. Then what is the rest of God’s law? The rest of God’s law is the ceremonial law. From this we see that the law of God comprises the moral law (Exo. 20—24) and the ceremonial law (Exo. 25—Lev. 27). (Life-study of Chronicles, msg. 11)

The Moral Section

The moral section (Exo. 20—24) was composed mainly of the Ten Commandments. The first five commandments governed the relationship of God’s people with Him and their parents. The commandment regarding the honoring of parents was therefore ranked with the commandments which concerned their relationship with God. The last five commandments governed the relationship of God’s people among themselves. (Life-study of Chronicles, msg. 12)

The moral law includes the Ten Commandments with their statutes and ordinances. The first five commandments deal with our relationship with God and with our parents. The first three commandments are directly concerned with God; the fourth concerns God’s Sabbath day; and the fifth concerns our parents. Then the last five of the Ten Commandments deal with our relationship with one another. These are the commandments not to murder, not to commit adultery, not to steal, not to bear false witness against others, and not to covet. These commandments, or laws, are brief, but they cover almost everything concerning our relationship with one another.

Eventually, the moral law, the Ten Commandments, became the base of the civil law of many nations. For instance, Roman law, which has been copied around the world, was based on the last five of the Ten Commandments. (Life-study of Chronicles, msg. 11)

The Ceremonial Section

The ceremonial section (Exo. 25—Lev. 27) was composed of the laws of the tabernacle, the offerings, the priesthood, and the feasts. These four things are all types of Christ.

The Laws of the Tabernacle

The tabernacle typifies Christ as the embodiment of God (Col. 2:9; John 1:14) for God’s people to contact Him and to enter into Him for their enjoyment. Christ has become a tabernacle, a dwelling place, which we can enter. This means that we can enter into Christ. Perhaps we need to practice saying, “Brother, let us enter into Christ. Let us go together into Christ and stay in Him.” To remain in Christ is to enjoy God in Christ as the tabernacle.

The Laws of the Offerings

The offerings typify Christ as all kinds of sacrifices (Heb. 10:5-12) to meet the need of God toward His people and the need of His people before Him.

The Laws of the Priesthood

The priesthood typifies Christ as the High Priest (Heb. 8:1) taking care of God’s chosen people before God.

The Laws of the Feasts

The feasts typify Christ as the bountiful enjoyment in every aspect assigned by God to His chosen people (Col. 2:16-17; Phil. 1:19).

The law of God is the portrait, the photograph, of God. Human laws always are a picture of the people who make them. This is true of the laws of every country. This is true even in your family life. The laws and regulations you make at home are your picture. The principle is the same with the law of God as a portrait of God. God’s law portrays what kind of God He is.

I appreciate the commandments about not killing, not committing adultery, not stealing, not lying, and not coveting. How good it would be if everyone on earth kept these commandments! Suppose in the whole world there were no killing, no adultery, no stealing, no lying, and no coveting. If you took away these five things, the earth would be like heaven. However, everywhere people are killing, committing adultery, stealing, lying, and coveting.

God’s people, His elect Israel, should have been different from mankind. They should have been a testimony of God, that is, the expression of God. If they had lived according to the law of God, they would have been the expression of God, for to keep the law is to express God. The kings of Judah stood on the ground chosen by God and they kept their belief in the Word of God, but they did not express God, because they did not keep the law of God. They did not live, conduct themselves, and have their being according to God’s law.

As the portrait of God and as the testimony of God, the law is a type of Christ. Christ is the end of the law (Rom. 10:4). He is the totality, the consummation, of the law. Since the law is the image of God, to keep the law is to bear the image of God and express God.

The kings of Judah stood on the proper ground and kept the fundamental faith, but they did not keep the law of God and thus they did not bear the image of God. They broke the law again and again, and this caused God to be angry with them. Eventually God came in to take them away from the good land. He would not allow them to enjoy the good land which He had given them, because they did not express Him but instead expressed His enemy, the devil.

Today Christ is the good land (Col. 1:12). We have been put into Christ; we have been transferred into Him. We need to stand on the proper ground and keep the proper faith as Paul did (2 Tim. 4:7). We also need to live and walk in Christ (Col. 2:6), conducting ourselves according to God to be His expression. Then we will enjoy Him, and the border of our enjoyment of Christ as the good land will be enlarged (1 Chron. 4:10).

GOD KNOWING THAT NO MAN CAN KEEP
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AS THE MORAL SECTION
OF HIS LAW TO BE JUSTIFIED BY HIM

God knew that no man can keep the Ten Commandments as the moral section of His law to be justified by Him (Rom. 3:20). So, by His grace and according to His economy, He also gave His people the ceremonial section of His law, through which the condemned sinners, the breakers of the moral law of God, could contact Him and enter into Him to enjoy Him as their everything. In this way sinners could be justified by God to be righteous men (cf. Matt. 1:19a; Luke 1:6, 75; 2:25; 23:50). Foreknowing that we could not keep His commandments, God prepared the ceremonial law to be our salvation, to save us from the condemnation under the moral law.

THE ENTIRE LAW OF GOD BEING DECREED WITH
THE INTENTION OF EXPOSING AND CONVICTING HIS PEOPLE BY
THE MORAL SECTION THAT THEY WOULD BE
CONDUCTED TO THE CEREMONIAL SECTION

The entire law of God was decreed to His people by Him with the intention to expose and convict His people by the moral section of His law, that they would be conducted to the ceremonial section of His law, that is, conducted to the all-inclusive Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God for their redemption, salvation, and bountiful enjoyment in every aspect (Gal. 3:23-24) through all the ages unto eternity.

THE KINGS BREAKING THE ENTIRE LAW OF GOD AND PROVOKING
THE WRATH OF GOD

Since the kings broke the entire law of God, both the moral and the ceremonial sections, again and again, they provoked the wrath of God and caused Him to give their good land to the Gentiles and make them captives to the pagan nations. Thus, they lost their portion in the enjoyment of the God-promised good land. This miserable outcome has lasted for twenty-seven centuries until today.

STUDYING THE HISTORY BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
IN THE WAY OF LIFE BEING TO COMPLY WITH GOD’S PURPOSE

To study the history books of the Old Testament in the way of life is to comply with God’s purpose, that these books were written in His divine revelation for our admonition and enlightenment (1 Cor. 10:11). (Life-study of Chronicles, msg. 12)