The Seven Hundred Left-Handed Men

The Seven Hundred Left-Handed Men

God’s Spirit operates in a manifold and amazing contrast to man’s ideas, habits, and opinions. The reason is that all flesh has corrupted their thoughts and their way. It seems as if God finds pleasure in doing the opposite of what man thinks.

Being left-handed is the opposite of the norm; according to the usual understanding, it is not acceptable. The mighty and rich Son of God was descended from unlearned and poor people in the days of His flesh: He came from a small town and not from Jerusalem; He came from the tribe of Judah and not from the tribe of Levi who were the only ones who had a right to the priesthood.

One could think that these seven hundred left-handed men would have had a hard time hitting the mark, but “every one could sling a stone at a hair’s breadth and not miss.”

Just as these seven hundred left-handed men always hit the mark dead center in spite of their left-handedness, in these days all those who see and understand God’s mystery, Christ manifested in flesh, experience the same thing. They appear to be left-handed, awkward, and deceived.

However, amazingly enough, every one of them, from the greatest to the smallest, and without exception, hit the hair’s breadth in the wars of the Lord; they do not miss. They can all sing with David: “He teaches my hands to make war . . . .”

When you present Christ in the days of His flesh as the One who was not like us in all points (with the exception of not sinning), then you miss the mark! You are shooting in the air, high up in the clouds. But that is not where the people are! That is not where the hungry, truth-loving souls are whom we are called to help! That is not where the elect are, whose souls are to be separated from their spirits. On the contrary, we find them in flesh and blood here on earth, busy dealing with all kinds of difficult people in and outside of marriage, in subordinate positions and in positions of authority, suffering lack and having abundance, speaking and being quiet, dealing with money, food, clothing, real estate, automobiles, and many other things.

There you can sling the stone at a hair’s breadth if God gives grace for it—if you have been hit first. If Christ does not know anything about it, it is not a comfort to all those who are judging sin in their flesh. Such comfort misses the mark. But when we receive the true comfort that the Scriptures give—namely, that He was tested in all points as we are, was tempted as we are, suffered as we suffer, fought as we fight (without ever sinning)—then this is truly a direct hit. Then we have truly been comforted with a powerful and effective comfort in our innermost being. Glory to God!

Excuses, explanations, whitewashings, imagining that one does not “have sin,” and imagining oneself and getting others to imagine that Christ did not fight as we have to fight—that is to miss the mark, totally, and without exception.

Loving greetings to the rest of the seven hundred! Just continue with the left hand!