FROM THE CANDLESTICK TO THE THRONE
Part
145
THE WOMAN IN THE
WILDERNESS
And the
woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a
place prepared of God
and to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that
she might fly into the wilderness, into her
place
(Rev. 12:6,14).
This passage
calls to our mind that it was when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth
that he turned to persecute the woman which brought forth the manchild. These words refer to the battle that was fought in
heaven, the battle between the dragon and the overcoming sons of God, a spiritual battle
in which Satan is cast down out of the heavens of the spirit where the manchild dwells,
cast into the earth the soul realm of each of us individually, and the
soulical religious realm of the corporate woman, the church.
In its individual application, the Spirit is catching us up in part
in our spirit and that part of us is made to overcome, casting out the serpent. The serpent then goes after the earthy part of us,
our soul, which is the woman within us, with its mind, will, emotions, and desires, and
the soul enters into a wilderness experience.
Individually the manchild is the spirit within us which is
seated with Christ in the heavenly places, whereas the woman is the soul. Corporately, the manchild is the body
of the sons of God which make up the man, the bridegroom company. The woman is the virgin-church, the
bride of Christ.
While the woman
had been seen in heaven from a spiritual standpoint, she is now seen on earth, that is, in
her position as the church in the world. Here
our text begins, and it speaks of the tremendous conflict between the woman-church in her
earthly sojourn, and the great red dragon-spirit.
The dragon now
comes down to earth. He has failed in every
respect thus far! He failed to prevent the
birth of the manchild, and he failed to devour it when it was born. He also failed in the war which he fought with the
sons of God, and failed to retain any place in the heavens of the spirit-realm where they
are seated upon the throne. And because of
this absolute failure, and because he also realizes that he cannot continue to fight indefinitely
and that his time henceforth is short, he is filled with raging fury, spitefulness, and desperation.
And thus he comes down to the earth for the purpose of persecuting the woman
who brought forth the manchild!
The woman
continues to function as the church on earth, though greatly diminished and weakened by
the birth and removal of the manchild. This is
clearly revealed by the vision John saw; for when the manchild is brought forth, separated
from her, and caught up unto God and to His throne, the beloved seer still beholds her on
earth, fleeing into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God for her, and
where someone comes to her assistance and nourishes her for a thousand two hundred and
sixty days. The cause of her flight was not at
first disclosed. It is mentioned in verse six,
but then the narrative is interrupted to relate the war in heaven, and the
casting down of the dragon-spirit. That being
told, the account returns, in verse thirteen, to the woman, to reveal what happens to her
following the birth and enthronement of the manchild.
She is seen in her earthly walk, and the dragon comes down to that
earthly place, defeated in the heavens of the spirit, to take his vengeance out on her!
THE DRAGON PURSUES THE WOMAN
And when
the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he pursued
the woman which brought forth the manchild (Rev. 12:13).
The dragon
appears to pause a moment, as though stunned by his fall.
Then assessing his predicament, determining his former position to be
incapable of recovery, he rises and takes off after the woman. The King James Bible says that he persecuted the woman, but the word
should be pursued. The Greek word has more than one shade of meaning,
sometimes meaning to persecute and other times denoting to follow or pursue, which also is
a form of persecution, just as the Pharaoh and his armies pursued the children of Israel
as they fled from Egypt into the wilderness. The
Greek word here translated persecuted is rendered as follow,
press toward, and ensue, in the sense of pursue in the
following verses, among a number of others: Go not after them, nor follow them (Lk. 17:23). The Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness (Rom. 9:30). Israel, which followed after the law (Rom. 9:31). Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace
(Rom. 14:19). Follow after charity, and desire spiritual
gifts (I Cor. 14:1). I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for
which I also am apprehended of Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:12). I press
toward the mark for the prize (Phil3:14). Let
him seek peace, and ensue it (I Pet.
3:11). The woman in this case fled and the
dragon pursued her. But his pursuing of her
was in the earth before she went to
her place in the wilderness, for in her prepared place in the wilderness he could not
touch her!
I am persuaded
that the woman is still of great value in the purposes of God, even after she brings forth
the manchild, else why would the dragon pursue her so fiercely even after her child is
born? The devil is not a deranged fool. He is certainly a fool, but he is not a mad fool
that has no rhyme nor reason to his actions. Being
a religious spirit, he does not do things that have nothing to do with the plan and
purposes of God. You may depend on it, if the
woman after she has brought forth the manchild was of no account any more, the devil would
not trouble himself about her! He knows full
well that this little woman is destined to become the glorious bride of Christ. Of
her it shall ultimately be said, Let us be
glad and rejoice
for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready (Rev.
19:7).
Just as Eve was
the wife of the first man Adam, so is the virgin-church the wife of the last Adam. When in the distant mists of Eden the Creator
presented Eve to Adam, He gave both Adam and his wife joint dominion over all things. God
created man in His own image
male and female
created He them.
And God blessed them, and God
said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and
replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over every living thing that moveth
upon the earth (Gen. 1:26-28). My
reader will observe the use of the word them in this passage. God is blessing them, and giving them
JOINTLY THE PLACE OF UNIVERSAL GOVERNMENT. All
the inferior orders of creation were set under their JOINT DOMINION. Eve received all her blessings in Adam: in him,
too, she got her dignity and position and power. Universal
dominion was not given to Adam alone; it was not said, Let him have dominion, but Let them have dominion. There was no other creature so near to Adam as Eve,
because no other creature was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. What affection Eve had for Adam! What nearness she enjoyed! What intimacy of communion! What full participation in his thoughts! What shared responsibility over all things! In all his dignity, in all his glory, wisdom, and
power, she was entirely ONE. He did not rule over her, but with
her. He was Lord of the whole creation,
and she was ONE WITH HIM! They were the king
and queen of the universe!
Prefigured by Adam
and Eve in Eden, this is the perfect man, man in the image of God, male and female, Christ
and His bride, given joint dominion over all things. The
bride of Christ is the New Jerusalem, having the glory of God. The throne
of God and the Lamb is in it and the glory of God lightens it, and the Lamb is the light
thereof. All that dwell upon the earth shall
walk in its light and enter through its gates. And the nations of them which are saved
shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and
honor into it. Then shall the whole earth be
filled with the glory and the knowledge of the Lord! Christ
and His bride, Jesus with all the holy sons of God in union with the glorious bride-city,
shall enlighten all the world with truth, give all men to drink of the water of the river
of life, and deliver the whole creation from
the bondage of corruption. It is indeed
wonderful!
This glorious
destiny which the woman has explains the dragons interest in her. He has but one purpose and he lives but from one
principle. It is the purpose and principle of opposition against all that pertains to God. This principle he never denies. The dragon was created with this nature to be the
adversary, and God is God because there is an
opposite, an adversary, an opponent, and God will be God to you, dear one, when you
have encountered the adversary in all his works and
overcome him there! And here we have Gods
perfect wisdom in the formation of the human race and in bringing forth a convenient
opposite, the wrong one, the evil one, THROUGH WHOM HE WOULD BRING BOTH HIS VAST FAMILY OF
SONS AND HIS GLORIOUS BRIDE TO MATURITY AND PERFECTION.
Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered (Heb.
5:8). For it became Him
in bringing
many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through
sufferings (Heb. 2:10). And
the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you
as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou hast
turned back again, strengthen thy brethren (Lk. 22:31-32).
If you are of no
account to the coming of Gods kingdom and are in no way related to the glory of God,
the adversary does not trouble his head about you! It
is only when he perceives that you are a called and chosen one of God that he begins his
action against you. That is his nature! That is his purpose!
Thus it is with both the sons of God and the woman! The very fact that the dragon in fury indeed turns
against the woman, to pursue and persecute her, reveals the great fact that she is still
of great importance to the kingdom of God and the fulfillment of His purposes.
Why is the woman
represented as being on earth and fleeing into the wilderness? It seems so very strange! Wasnt she the glorious sun-clad woman who
birthed the mighty manchild? Ah, yes, but in
spite of her child she is not the manchild! Just as Mary was not Jesus, so the woman is not
the son. Just as Jesus was resurrected and
caught up to heaven, while Mary remained a woman in mortal flesh, so the manchild is
caught up unto God and to His throne, whereas the woman that bore him finds herself in a
great and terrible wilderness condition. Since
the dragon-spirit cannot get at the sons of God who have overcome him and cast him out, he
now turns on the woman which brought forth the manchild.
Let the fact be imprinted indelibly upon our minds once the great
dragon is cast out of our heavens he is not able to persecute the manchild. When the accuser is cast down, whether out of our
heavens or out of our earth, he can no more do anything TO us in that realm. Not that he does nothing AGAINST us, but his
activity has no effect upon us!
TWO
WINGS OF AN EAGLE
And to the
woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that
she might fly into the wilderness, into her place
(Rev. 12:14).
Now we are told
that the woman receives the wings of a great eagle and that with them she flies into the
wilderness. The idea is clear. The dragon is pursuing her in the earth. But in her weakened condition after having given
birth to the manchild, she cannot outrun the dragon. If
she turns to do battle with him, she cannot stand in the fray. And therefore there is but one place of escape, and
that is the wilderness. There the dragon
cannot live, for there is nothing for him to feed on.
There is nothing there for the woman to feed on either, but her only hope is
to flee thither. There she is nourished in a
miraculous way, and there she is hid from the face of the serpent. And at the same time, she has not the strength to
run into the wilderness, but the loving care of our Father at all times and in every
circumstance is revealed in the fact that the woman was
given two strong wings of a great eagle and was able to soar through the air, with two great wings outspread,
like an eagle hastening to his wilderness home, lifted up into the strength of God, thus
escaping the snare of the fowler. The serpent
pursues her up to the very edge of the desert, but cannot follow farther. And therefore in his rage he casts a great stream
of water after her, not to drown her, but to carry her away out of the wilderness, so that
he may approach her. But the earth opens up
her mouth and swallows up the stream, which is in keeping with the idea of the arid
desert, where streams often vanish suddenly into the sand.
And finally, the dragon, seeing that also now his efforts are vain and that
all his attempts to destroy the woman are futile, turns to her other children, the remnant
of her seed, in order that at any rate he may destroy them. Thus is the symbolism.
Eagles
wings are first presented to us as the way Israel achieved freedom from the pursuing
armies of Pharaoh all the way from slavery in Egypt to security in the land of
promise, from death to life, from helplessness to the heart of God. It was not fearless fighting and brilliant military
maneuvering that delivered Israel from the hosts of Pharaoh and brought them into the
solitude of the wilderness. Actually, it was
not by their own efforts at all! It was what
God did for them He carried them on eagles wings. Three months out of the land of Egypt when Israel
had established their camp in the wilderness of Sinai, Moses went up the mountain into the
presence of God and the Lord said to him, Ye
have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bore
you on eagles wings and brought you unto myself (Ex. 19:4). Borne by wings is the apt symbol of Gods gracious deliverance! But why on eagles wings? The eagle is admired and applauded for its
exploits. It is the jet plane of the bird
family! It soars the highest, goes the
fastest, and is superior to all other birds in this respect.
These features are noted on the pages of the holy scriptures. Concerning Gods care for Israel He said, As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over
her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth
them on her wings: so the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with
him (Deut. 32:11-12). They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles
(Isa. 40:31).
Therefore
the wings of the eagle are given as the symbol of our God in the spirit. By the strength of its great wings it is able to
soar to the heights and perform unusual feats. Thus
the eagle is set before us as being a symbol of Gods gracious intervention in our
lives, whereby He gives us eagles wings, so that in our hour of weakness and testing
sovereignly the strength of the Spirit is raised up in us and we are able to mount
up with wings as an eagle! God, the indwelling
spirit, is the eagle! And it is significant to
note that the expression two wings of a great eagle is not altogether correct. In the Greek text it is not a great
eagle, indefinitely, but the great
eagle signifying in type the species of eagle which has the most powerful or
masterly flight. Surely it is divine power that is referred to in these words! It is the power of the Christ within! Oh, yes, my brother, my sister, matters not the
seeming hopelessness of the situation or the circumstance the wings of the great eagle are right there within you
ready to be unfurled as you wait upon the Lord to renew your strength! And it is not a one-time experience, for the
phrase that she might fly is in the present tense, the form of the Greek
construction indicating that she may continuously fly or repeatedly fly. As my friend Jonathan Mitchell has pointed out,
when God births something new in us, this pattern will always be followed, and we will
need to fly into the wilderness away from the serpents face. The wings are always
there our refuge and strength, a very present
help in time of trouble! (Ps. 46:1). Arent you glad!
Some have
suggested that the two wings of the great eagle are the wings of prayer and praise
by which we soar into the presence of God, into the heavens of the spirit. And that may well be but beyond that I see
these wings as a dimension of power released right out of the realm of spirit. It is a power that lifts us within ourselves above
all earthly bondage, restriction, and limitation, enabling us to move forward into the
purposes of God. It is a divine transportation
that carries us from one place in God to another from the face of all that would hinder
and thwart us!
THE
WILDERNESS
And the
woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a
place prepared of God
and to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that
she might fly into the wilderness, into her
place (Rev. 12:6,14).
As God delivered
His people from the fury of the Pharaoh in Egypt by bringing them into the wilderness, so
also now He brings His virgin-church into the wilderness to escape the rage of the
dragon-spirit. But the difference is that in Israels
case it was a natural, physical wilderness into which they were led, whereas in this case
the figure is employed to signify something spiritual.
The question follows: what is the meaning of the wilderness into which He
enables our individual soul and, corporately, the woman-church to fly in order that she
might escape the vengeance of the devil?
It has been said
that the wilderness is here used to depict the want and deprivation which the people of
God must suffer in the world. They are the
despised of the world, they must suffer all kinds of persecutions and indignities in the
world. And therefore the world is a real
wilderness to them. And, of course, this is
true in itself. But it is not the meaning of
our text. For, in the first place, the woman
is driven into the wilderness after the birth of the manchild and his exaltation to the
throne. And it cannot be said that being
subjected to trials and testings and troubles of all kinds is peculiar to the woman who
brings forth the manchild. A long list of
witnesses in chapter eleven of the book of Hebrews could tell you of them! The early
church likewise, and blessed saints throughout the ages, have suffered want, deprivation,
persecution, and afflictions. In the second
place, it is difficult to see how such troubles could possibly be a means of hiding from
the face of the devil, so that he could not attack. Yet
escaping from the devil is evidently the purpose of it all! The woman received these wings to fly into the
wilderness in order to be hid from the face of the serpent, and so be safe. And, in the third place, the wilderness is a place prepared for her by God, where she does not suffer
want or deprivation, for she is supernaturally nourished,
cared for, and protected for the length of
her stay there. Therefore, this cannot be the
meaning of the term wilderness in our present passage!
Johns
wilderness comes from a different strain of biblical imagery, the typological
use of Israels flight from Egypt into the wilderness; it was a place of safety and
liberation; and it is to such a sanctuary that the woman is taken to be protected
and sustained
by God. I would draw your reverent
attention to the fact that the woman flees into the
wilderness, the well-known one, spoken of from the book of Exodus all the way
through the book of Revelation. Herein she is
distinguished from the great whore. The Great
Harlot of chapter seventeen is seen by John in a
wilderness, or a wilderness in
spirit, as we should most probably connect the words. Our womans flight is into the wilderness,
signifying the spiritual condition into which many of the Lords people have fled to
escape the fury of the adversary.! This was
the place of safety for Moses, after Pharaoh was angry and designed to slay him. Hither fled Israel from the face of the Egyptian
king. To this refuge did Elijah betake himself
from the threats of Jezebel. And Jesus
Himself retreated thither after John the Baptist was slain, and near to it He dwelt after
His life was sought by the priests and rulers at Jerusalem.
Well did Ray
Prinzing write, Do remember, these things are given in a figurative sense, it does
not mean that every Christian is transported
to some desert place, nor hidden in a retreat, but this is a new and different dealing of
God, deeper than the church has known before. The Lord thy God hath led thee these forty years
in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart
(Deut. 8:2). When this testing and
purification are complete, He will present
it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing (Eph.
5:27). How we have longed for, prayed for this
to be a reality, and, thank God, He knows just the time and process to bring it to pass.
In the literal
and natural sense of the word the wilderness, or desert, is a place in the
world, but not of the world.
It may be right in the midst of the world, yet it is absolutely separated
from the life of the world. I have been in
stark deserts in Israel and Egypt, and elsewhere, where not a blade of grass grows, and no
man lives. There are no houses, no cities, no
oasis, no movement of any kind except for the howling winds and blowing sands. It is a place in the midst of the world, yet
separated from the world. If one is in the
wilderness, he is separated from the life of the world.
This bespeaks a people as described by our Lord who are in the world,
but not of the world. A people separate
in every respect from the life, nature, and ways of the world. They have nothing in common with the worlds
spirit and institutions or with the religious activities and systems of man. These exist, indeed, in the world. They are neighbors, co-workers, relatives, and
friends of those who daily function in the world-system, but they exist and function as a
separate community from the world. They
live right in the midst of the world, work on the same jobs, shop in the same stores,
drive on the same streets, attend the same schools, yet they are spiritually separated
from that life, and live their lives from the principles of the kingdom of God and the
spirit of Christ.
This
virgin-church is a separate institution in the world.
She has her own King. She does
not recognize any other lordship. No
institution of man has any power over her. She
has her own laws, and they are the laws of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. She does not mingle with the politics of the world. She has no armies.
She does not fight with the sword. She
does not live by the worlds standards and values.
She does not think like the world thinks, or act as the world acts. She
lives in separation, in another world, in the
very midst of the world! Even as the children
of Israel in the desert lived in separation from the world-power in Egypt and other
nations round about, and even as they received their own laws from their own King in the
wilderness, so also the woman-church is in the wilderness with regard to the world and its
power and its life. She fights her own
battles, which are spiritual battles, and does her own work, which is spiritual work. She
lives her own lifestyle, which is a heavenly lifestyle, and walks her own walk in the
kingdom of heaven. She is separate from the
life of the world. She has received a God-prepared place in the
wilderness! Oh, the wonder of it!
Although
the wilderness is specifically the place of separation and safety from the world and its
ways, as well as from the Babylon church system of man, and her ways, this is not to say
that there is no specific and special dealing of God in the wilderness. Every order God leads His people into is uniquely
designed to contribute to their growth, development, and perfection in Christ! Again I will quote from the words of brother Ray
Prinzing, for he expressed it so well when he wrote, Oftentimes our processings are as a LED THROUGH THE WILDERNESS type of walking,
yet with the assurance that He is doing the LEADING, and that because of His day by day
guidance we need not stumble. The outward
aspect of the wilderness is like unto a desert with its howling winds and barren existence
no
smooth pathway, but a going on in faith step by step, receiving that daily supply of manna
divinely provided, and drinking of that Rock which follows us even unto the ends of the
earth. Then with joy we sing, My Lord knows the way through the wilderness,
and all I have to do is follow.
Strength for today is mine all the way, and all that I need for tomorrow . . . He leads, why need we fear? Furthermore, it is written, perfect love casteth out all fear, and
we know that HE IS PERFECT LOVE, therefore the more He dwells within us by His Spirit, the
more we are KEPT IN PEACE.
Darkness
may obscure our vision, but we do not stumble, and though many things seem as obstacles in
our way, placed there for our OVERCOMING, still we shall not falter. Why? Because
He leads, and He will not suffer thy foot to
be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber (Ps. 121:3). We ask for bread, He does not give us a stone. We ask for fish, He does not give us a serpent. No one needs to fear about stumbling in this
wilderness when they have put their trust in Him to guide, He leads THROUGH the
wilderness! It is essential that we go through
these processings, for they work in us much of His purpose, and we would not seek to
escape His dealings, but we can go through without worry, fear, or inner turmoil. Unto
Him that is able to keep you from falling (Greek, from stumbling), and to present you faultless before the presence of His
glory with exceeding joy (Jude 24)
end quote.
Over past months
and years a number of anointed voices have come in printed form across my desk which also
bear eloquent testimony to this significant truth, and I will quote the words of a few of
them for the edification of those who read these lines.
A precious brother, Charles Haun, wrote: And the children of Israel took their
journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai: and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran
and the people
pitched in the wilderness of Paran (Ex.
10:12; 12:16). It is beautiful. It is a wonderful place, this spiritual wilderness
called Paran! The wilderness of Paran is
glory or beauty, according to the meaning of the Hebrew word. To see the wilderness in such gratifying terms, one
must first become aware of Gods intentions in bringing a person into the wilderness. Once a believer comes to this awareness, he can
then begin to understand why and how glory and beauty are in the Wilderness of Paran.
The
wilderness is Gods workshop. He has designed it for us. He brings us to it, even every one who is called by my name, whom I
have created for my glory (Isa. 43:7). We
are brought there to see His glory, to relate to it, to learn from it, and most
importantly, to be conformed to His image. We
would prefer that God does all His work on us in green grass and beside still waters. Although these and other lovely and pleasant places
are part of our spiritual experience, certain types of work are not accomplished in us,
except in the wilderness. The wilderness is a
part of our development. It is necessary for
our growth. It is Gods method of opening our vision to Himself and to His provisions for us. It is that which the Lord uses to bring spiritual
enrichment into our lives. It is a method that
God uses to develop our faith and trust in Him. The
wilderness is an essential part of the Christian life, whether we like it or not!
When I
entered Bible School as a first-year student, the Lord was like a bright light to me. His presence was so near and intense that I could
neither eat nor sleep on a regular schedule. I
loved the light. But after several weeks of
this, it all lifted, and I found myself in total darkness, and dryness. I was in the wilderness. I was impressed.
I was terrified. I learned
darkness and dryness. More importantly, I
learned many things which can be learned only in such circumstances. I learned that God is faithful to me, even in
dryness. I learned that He could be my light,
even in darkness. But the greatest event
spanning those two years in the wilderness was the treasure I gleaned for myself. I came out with a complete trust in God. So complete that it defies description. So complete that I would expect no one to believe
its extent. This treasure of perfect trust was
worth the two years of darkness and dryness.
The
wilderness was the place of opportunity. Here,
from the Wilderness of Paran, the children of Israel could have moved into greater
opportunities. The possibility of taking the
Promised Land was theirs! God Himself actually
initiated the conquest of Canaan at this time from this place, as seen in Numbers 13:3. And
Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men
were the heads of the children of Israel. (These
men were the spies sent to spy out the land in preparation for its conquest). The wilderness may not be seen by some people as
being a launching pad into an orbit of spiritual reality and living. But the wilderness is that, and more! It is a place of opportunity. The children of Israel were brought into the
Wilderness of Paran for the specific and express purpose of going farther, to possess the
Promised Land! There are two areas of blessing
as related to the wilderness. One area is the
blessings that are within the wilderness. The
other area is the opportunity for blessings based upon the wilderness itself. The Promised Land was the opportunity for blessings
based upon how the children of Israel responded to God in the wilderness.
Gods
direction can be seen and somewhat understood as the Israelites first approach the
Wilderness of Paran (Num. 10:12). And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and
the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran. This
was not their choice, rather it was Gods choice; it was Gods direction for
them. The Israelites simply followed the
cloud, stopping where it stopped, moving when the cloud moved. Here, the cloud stopped in the Wilderness of Paran. The first lesson to be learned is to follow the cloud. The
believer must learn to follow what he knows to be the direction of God. Dont be afraid of the wilderness! Times in the wilderness will become the only
occasions when God imparts certain divine meanings and rich revelations to us. The wilderness will be the place of our greatest
progressions in God. There are certain things
which God can bring to us only in the wilderness, as we properly relate to His glory in
the wilderness.
The second
lesson to be learned is that we are not to complain
and question God as we follow. Why
did the cloud stop here? Doesnt God know
that there is no water here? Why
does God lead us into the wilderness? To kill
us because there are no graves in Egypt? The
children of Israel followed the cloud to green grass.
The name of the place was Hazeroth. The stem of this Hebrew word means green,
grass, leeks, enclosure.
This Hazeroth must have been a luscious place!
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia refers to it as the best
pastures. This would have been most
pleasing to those camping there! When we go
camping, we dont like to camp in the desert, or in a wilderness. We like to camp in an oasis; we like to camp where
there is much green grass and a stream with fish. How
long are we allowed to camp in the green grass beside the still waters? Not very
long. We must follow the cloud. It soon moves from Hazeroth, as recorded in Numbers
12:16. And
afterward, the people removed from Hazeroth and pitched in the wilderness of Paran. The green grass of Hazeroth is desired by all,
but it does not fully and totally meet mans spiritual needs. The leadership directly under Moses failed in the
green grass, for it was there that the anger
of the Lord was kindled against them (Aaron and Miriam); and He departed
(Num.
12:9).
What is
seen, or not seen, in the wilderness depends upon our point of view. Our point of view is the direction in which we
habitually look. And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the
whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and,
behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud (Ex. 16:10). The gaze of the Israelites had just been on the
meat which they did not have, but desired to have. Only
when they looked toward the wilderness did they see the glory of God! The glory of God was not in the meat which they
desired. The reason why many believers, upon
many different occasions, miss seeing the glory of God is that they are looking toward
that which they desire. They are looking
toward Canaan Land, when they should be looking toward the wilderness. If the glory of God is appearing in the wilderness,
and we want to look longingly and constantly at the Promised Land, we may see the Promised
Land, but we will not see the glory of God. When
the glory of God has come to the wilderness, it is time to give the wilderness our
attention.
Although
many are brought to the wilderness to see the glory of God, not all see it. The direction of our vision at any particular time
in our life will determine what we will see. It
will also determine what we are not seeing of that which God wants to show us. We will miss seeing His goodness if we constantly
gaze at unfulfilled desires and long for the comforts of the flesh. Let us lay aside our fleshly desires and follow our
Maker without complaining and without questioning. As
we accomplish these things we will see more clearly the intentions and purposes that God
has for us end quote.
Another brother,
Bruce Caisse, has shared the following. Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of
Tiberius Caesar
Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto
John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness (Lk.
3:1-2). Annas and Caiaphas should have
received, in the temple, the word of the Lord. However,
the Lord bypassed them and spoke, in the wilderness, to John. The Lord, unable to find a channel that could hear
His voice, used the wilderness to prepare a voice through whom He could announce the first
appearing of the Messiah. Why did the Lord
choose the wilderness? We often think of the
wilderness as a place where people go through a time of difficulty. It is usually thought of as being a place where the
presence of the Lord cannot be felt, or where the rain of the Holy
Spirit does not fall. It is considered to be a
place of dryness and barrenness, both naturally and spiritually.
Yet, from
time to time the Lord brings us into a wilderness experience. The wilderness should not be thought of as a barren
place. It becomes a wonderful place when we
begin to understand all that the Lord can accomplish within us during this time. What is the wilderness? It can be defined in one word: Separation. Here,
the Lord is able to deal with us concerning all of the ambitions and drives that are
within us. In the barrenness of the
wilderness, He is able to take initiative in our lives and separate us unto Himself. When we view the wilderness as a place of
separation unto the Lord, we will see that it has great value and purpose. Consider the children of Israel as they were led
out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and into the wilderness.
There were different levels of separation in this journey. The most obvious one is the Red Sea. God opened the way through the Sea. As they reached the other side, the waters closed
up upon the Egyptians. There were no more
bricks to be made! Now, they were to abide
under the cloud of glory by day and the pillar of fire by night!
However,
they began to murmur. This was to have been a
time of preparation, being made ready to possess the land that was before them. The pulls of Egypt had been left behind and they
were closed in with the Lord Himself. This is
the purpose of the wilderness. Israel failed,
however, to understand this. Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak
comfortably unto her. And I will give her
vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing
there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of
Egypt (Hosea 2:14-15). The Lord is
portraying Himself as a husband whose wife has been unfaithful. She has been distracted by the pull of things that
steal her affections from Jehovah. Yet, the
Lord seeks to restore her and separate her unto Himself.
And I will visit upon her the
days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her
earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the Lord
(Hosea 2:13). This is expressive of the
experience many of us go through, even after we know the Lord. We are pulled in other directions. The Lords cure for this is expressed in verse
fourteen, Therefore, behold, I will allure her
into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. The word comfortably means heart. The Lord is saying, I will speak my heart to
her. He removed the distractions by
taking her away from Egypt, which speaks of the pulls of the world. The purpose of the Lord in the wilderness is to
separate us from things and cause us to know Him and His voice personally and
intimately. The preparation of John the
Baptist in the wilderness is a type of what the Lord is seeking to do within us during
this present time of transition.
The Song
of Solomon speaks prophetically of the Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ, and of His
beloved bride, the church. The question is
asked, Who is this that cometh up from the
wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? (S. of S. 8:5). This leaning speaks of a dependence and
trust that had been developed during a wilderness experience. Again, we see the purpose of the wilderness. It provides an atmosphere in which we have no
choice except to get close to Him. Here, He is
able to begin sharing His heart with us! If we
are leaning upon Him, we can get no closer. John
the beloved leaned and laid his head on the breast of Jesus.
Here, he heard His heartbeat. Jesus
could whisper to John because of this intimacy that had developed.
Why
is it that the word of the Lord came to John, and not to Annas and Caiaphas? It was because John the Baptist gave himself to a
period of separation. He heard the voice of
the Lord alluring him into the wilderness and responded to this time of separation. He left all that he might be alone with God. John began to hear the heartbeat of God as the Lord
began to speak His heart to him. I will allure her and speak my heart unto her. We do not know how long this took, or all that was
required of John. But, he was willing to give
himself to the Lord. Why did not the
priesthood hear from the Lord? A verse in
Jeremiah gives us some understanding of this. For my people have committed two evils; they have
forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns,
that can hold no water.
The
spiritual leaders of that day were drinking from broken cisterns. Somewhere, they forsook the Lord and broke
communion with Him. The rain had fallen at one
time upon the house of Israel and they were still drinking from that cistern which only
spoke of a former day. They were not ready to
hear a present word concerning the appearing of
the Lamb of God. We cannot rest in a past
visitation, or word from the Lord! There must
be that continual listening for a present word from the Lord. There must be a present receiving from the Fountain
of Living Waters! Only then will we be
qualified to minister the word of the Lord. When
the Lord begins to rain His blessing upon us, we hold up our cup until it is filled. If we remain satisfied with this, then five years
later we will still be saying, I received this cup of water from the Lord, would you
like a drink? Five year old water does
not taste at all good! However, if we
cultivate a link with the Fountain of Living Water, we will have water that will be fresh
each day.
John was
allured into the wilderness, where God spoke His heart to him. What was the result of this processing that took
place in the wilderness? And this is the
record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art
thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but
confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked
him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them
that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I
am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said
the prophet Esaias (Jn. 1:19-23). John
could have said that he came in the spirit of Elijah. Jesus said of him that he was Elijah that should
come. However, in hearing the heart cry of the
Lord, John found that his identity had been consumed.
He lost himself in the burden of
the Lord. Psalm 69 tells us, For the zeal of Thine house hath eaten me up. While John was alone in the wilderness, the
spark that quickened his heart concerning the burden of Gods heart grew and grew
until it consumed him and he became simply the voice of one. John said, I heard Him alluring me into the
wilderness and I went. The Lord birthed within
my heart the cry of His heart and it consumed everything that was within me. I have become the expression of the voice that you
have not heard for hundreds of years. He was
still crying and I went out and listened.
The Lord
desires to bring each one of us to the place where we will be able to hear this cry. We can be content with, or so busy with the program
within the temple, that we do not hear His alluring call into the wilderness. Annas and Caiaphas knew the written word of God,
but did not hear the voice of the Lord. John
the Baptist probably did not know the written word of God as well as they, but he allowed
the Lord to separate him unto Himself so he would be able to hear the very heartbeat of
God. The Lord is calling out a people who are
willing to be separated unto Him! The
wilderness is not a physical place; rather it is an attitude of heart. He was
taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut
off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken
(Isa. 53:8). There is a challenge here. Are you willing to be one who is cut off
from the land of the living separated unto Him in the wilderness that you might
become one to declare His generation? The Lord
is looking for a company of John the Baptists.
He is not looking for ability, rather He is looking for availability. Each one of us can be a part of this corporate body
that is being prepared to express the Word of the Lord in our day! end quote.
Another has
penned these challenging words. The
story of the Hebrews journey out of Egyptian bondage is a wonderful illustration of
spiritual development. The Bible tells us that
Moses spent forty years exiled in the desert, tending sheep, before leading the children
of Israel out of slavery. That might not
appear to be the best training for a great leader! Yet
during those years, he was growing spiritually. As
his understanding of God developed, he overcame personal doubts about his ability to
follow divine direction. Eventually, he led
the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage. Yet
they, too, spent forty years in the wilderness before making it to the Promised Land! It wouldnt have required that long to travel
the few hundred miles between Egypt and Palestine. But
in reading the Bible one gets the impression that the real journey involved spiritual progress, not physical distance.
What a mental distance between thinking and living as slaves, and
thinking and living as the Spirit-led people of God! In
the wilderness the children of Israel were learning the difference. It wasnt at once that they understood Gods
Voice or saw what it meant to obey Him. Ignorance,
immaturity, and fear held the people back. They
made mistakes, took detours, and had to retrace some steps. Still, they recovered and kept going.
Although
their route wasnt as direct as it might have been, spiritual progress was going on. Their
experiences were teaching them what it means to have only one God, to trust Him, and to
have their lives corrected and governed by Him. They
were learning lessons they needed to learn! Did
it take forty years? It seems that spiritual maturing,
not time, was the issue. And thats of
particular interest to us when individually or collectively were going
through a wilderness time. In the
midst of the pressures, strippings, and purgings, have we ever wondered, How long is this going to take? Is there a faster way? When we go back through the accounts of the Bible,
we see that spiritual progress doesnt allow for skipping steps we need to take or
avoiding the spiritual lessons we need to learn. There
is a right path and a way for us to stay safe
in it, going in the right direction
end quote.
Steve
Wilbur adds these insights. THE WILDERNESS Did you shudder when
this title caught your eye? Was the surface of
your consciousness ruffled by this disturbing question: Will God take me into the
wilderness? The wilderness! A word calculated to inspire fearsome awe without further
qualifiers. Yet Moses qualifies it with the
terms great and terrible (Deut. 1:19). The word occurs over three hundred times in
scripture. Under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, let us explore something of the meaning of the
wilderness.
First,
it is unfriendly. It is selective, working to
favor some things, yet militating against others. Gods
man finds that in the desert some things die while other personal qualities are
accentuated. The wilderness is unfriendly to
the carnal, the personal, the worldly, but constructive to the development of those
eternal qualities the Lord is seeking. The
desert is the place of specially adapted life. The
Lord desires to cultivate what man disdains or neglects to cultivate the spiritual life. This
calls for a hearing ear. It means you delve so
deeply into the wilderness that you hear no other voice speaking, but the voice of the
Lord. This was so with Moses, who finally
turned aside at the burning bush.
We next
notice that the wilderness is dry. There is no
evident blessing or revival. In Numbers
chapter twenty, the children of Israel demonstrated against Moses and Aaron. Verses three through five tell us they reproached
Moses and accused him of bringing the Lords congregation into the wilderness to die
of thirst. They describe their environment as
evil, saying, It is no place of seed, or of
figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates, neither is there any water to drink.
We learn
also that the wilderness is uninhabited. God
deals with His people both corporately and individually in the wilderness experience. The Bible abounds with examples of a single person
being brought face to face with God. Consider
His dealings with Enoch (Gen. 5:22). Enoch walked with God (alone). Abrahams separated walk involved numerous
encounters with his God. Consider Josephs
specifically tailored trials; Elijahs crying out in the wilderness, I, even I only, am left (I Kings
19:10). Jeremiahs agonizing, I sat alone because of Thy hand (Jer.
15:17). And
Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day
(Gen. 32:24). And finally, Matthew 14:23
declares of Jesus, He was alone there. The wilderness is a place where very special things
happen! The people of God tumbled
helter-skelter out of Egypt, but the wilderness brought them into divine order. They became an organized army that marched in ranks
into Canaan. Psalm 103:7 tells us that God
made His ways known to Moses. His ways are ordered ways.
The
wilderness is also the place where the power of simple instruments is revealed. In Exodus 4:2 the Lord asks Moses, What is
that in thine hand? And Moses replies,
A rod.
The unique power of Moses would forever after be associated with a
common shepherds staff. When Samson was
assaulted by the Philistines, the Word says, they shouted against him. But Samson found a jawbone of an ass, and with it,
he slew a thousand men. This instrument, found
often enough in the wilderness, was at the same time both common and powerful. What a contrast between Gods ways and mans
ways! Mans method of salvation is by
costly and complicated machinery salvation by mechanics. Gods means of salvation is by vital energy
salvation by dynamics. Here the
simplest of instruments suffice.
Finally,
the wilderness is the place of drastic reduction. To
reduce is to convert to simpler form. For
example, Acts 7:22 describes Moses before he was forty years of age, as being, learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and mighty in words and in deeds. Forty years later, we find him at eighty years
of age confessing, O my Lord, I am not eloquent
but I am slow of speech, and of
a slow tongue (Ex. 4:10). It is to
this man Moses, so reduced that he asked sincerely, Who
am I? (Ex. 3:11), that the mighty I AM reveals Himself. Moses excess baggage cultural,
intellectual, social had been dropped during his forty-year journey through the
wilderness! How far will God
reduce us? We could conjecture that when Moses
approached the burning bush that day, he had his garment, his rod, and his shoes. Not much. Yet
one third of even that had to be set aside before he could draw near to God! Put off
thy shoes. The prophet Amos
graphically depicts Gods people reduced to
bare necessities. Nothing is left but two legs
and a piece of an ear just enough to HEAR A WORD AND WALK IN IT! (Amos 3:12).
If our
guided tour through the wilderness has had its proper effect, a transformation of
consciousness should have taken place. Although
at first we had instinctively recoiled from it, as though it were ominously threatening to
our sense of self-preservation, we will now really embrace the wilderness as a great
friend and servant. We will have the inner
sense that only when the Lord Jesus gets what He wants from our lives will life finally
stabilize. Thus we know that those who emerge
from Gods wilderness are indeed the thoroughly processed members of which the
unblemished Body is composed. Their coming
into view provoked the astonished exclamation, Who
is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved (S. of S. 8:5)
end quote.
In closing I
would share these confirmatory words from the pen of David Minor. Many men have been sent to the desert. This is a place that every one of us would like to
avoid if we could. We find it unpleasant when
God cuts across our path and says, I want you to go to the desert. Every life that God uses has this desert
experience! The desert experience is an
absolute necessity in the lives of Gods people.
He does not choose to perfect His vessels in the city, but rather in the
desert place. You can tell when a person is in
the desert because you hear him say, I feel so dry. I
dont feel any life. I dont
understand what is happening to me.
We are so
interested in ministry and in multitudes! We
want to be going. God is saying to you, Son
(or Daughter), I want you to come aside. I
want to draw you away from the crowd. I want
to separate you. I want to get you out here
alone under the stars in a solitary place where I can talk to you. I want to give you a message. I want to burn a word into your soul. I want to get down
into your innermost being. I want to do a work
in your heart.. The solitary place is a
place we dont want to be! We cry, But
I dont like the solitary place. I like
people around me. I like people to know what Im
going through. I like people to sympathize
with me. I like people to understand me. I like companionship. But God says, Im bringing you to the
desert place because I want to meet you there.
I want to
talk about this desert. Thank God there are
streams of water. Thank God there are
mountains. But in the life of every man and
woman of God there is an appointment with destiny. Everyone
who comes forth with a burning message, every prophet that comes before the face of a
nation, is a person that God has led to a solitary place; its a desert place
a lonely place a place of midnight darkness a place where there is no
moisture, and where God speaks and deals and shapes and fashions and forms. Then God sends that man or woman from that desert
with life-giving water. If youre coming
to Gods people with signs, wonders, and miracles, and youre going to carry a
rod that brings deliverance, you must meet a burning bush in Gods desert place. Dont think that someone is going to call you
out of a congregation, lay hands on you, and impart a ministry to you that is going to
bring men and women out of the prison-houses. Dont think that youre going to attend Bible
School and somebody will hand you a diploma that will qualify you to deliver creation. If youre going to bring people out of the
bondage of Egypt, youre going to meet God at the backside of the desert! God will take away the pleasures. He will take away the comforts. He will take away the things that youve
trusted in and He will drive you from men to a solitary place where its you and God. There you will meet Him on the backside of the
desert of human experience. Every prophet has
his desert.
Then you
can say, God, I understand now why everything is as it is. I understand now why Youve let these things
happen and You didnt send any rain into the desert place of loneliness, heartache,
despair, rejection, privation and misunderstanding. It
was You that brought me there! I didnt
understand at first. I questioned,
Why? What does God have against me? What have I done?
Where have I failed God? Why
hasnt God opened the door? Why am I in
this situation? Youre there
because God is preparing a man or woman to take the message of His everlasting love and
unfailing grace to humanity. Hes going
to sustain you. Youre going to embrace
this desert experience. Youre going to
thank God for it! The sweetest hour youre
ever going to know is where God comes down in that desert place and a burning bush appears
in that lonely, solitary place. When youre
homesick and weary, then suddenly the angel of God comes and you cry, Bethel! Its Bethel, the house of God! I thank God for this lonely, windswept mountain. Then God will lead you out of the desert place to
touch men and women with the power of mighty supernatural deliverance! end quote.
To be continued
J. PRESTON EBY