DIVINE WALKING
[p. 260] DIVINE WALKING
Zechariah 6:7,8; Revelation 2:1; John 1:35,36
I had in mind to speak about divine walking. It will be remembered that God, having placed man in the garden of Eden, came down in the cool of the day, His voice being heard, as we read, “they heard the voice of Jehovah Elohim walking in the garden” Genesis 3:8, so that, at that very early period of God’s relations with man we have this feature, and it runs through the Scriptures, as we find with Enoch and with Noah that they walked with God.
What I have in mind, beloved friends, is to show that this walking involves what is judicial — it involves government, then that it involves grace. I hope to speak of the subject in these two relations; and I have touched on it in Zechariah first, because in his prophecy the former idea is somewhat stressed, particularly as to these symbols of divine government — horses. You will observe that there were four chariots with their horses in this chapter. The idea is introduced in chapter 1, and, as we have been occupied, in this book, already today with the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4) — the medium of God’s direct action — I wish, for a moment, to dwell on the medium or mediums of His indirect action. Both activities on the part of God bear upon the testimony. In the presence of the Spirit here, we have the medium of direct action, but, in the existence of government, although in the hands of those who know Him not, God has agencies of indirect action, but, nevertheless, of immense importance to us as standing in relation to what God is doing directly.
So I have selected this final chariot — called “the bay” here — as the power with which the assembly has had to do, with which, indeed, our Lord Jesus [p. 261] Christ has had to do. It will be known that, in the gospel of Luke, John the baptist’s ministry is given to us in a historical setting, and the name of the Caesar is given — Tiberius Caesar — and all the governmental dignitaries of the time; chapter 3:1. These are not regarded, in Luke, as adverse, specially. They are regarded as adverse (at least, Herod was) in Matthew, but Luke presents them in relation to the testimony. They had their place in the government of God, and although symbolised by the horse, meaning that they have neither conscience nor heart, yet they are amenable to external pressure, and God has, not only in the presence of the Holy Spirit here, but in the presence of angelic power, His forces for operation. He has never withdrawn these forces from the area of the testimony, and so these creatures, although wanting in conscience and heart, are amenable to external pressure, and even to guidance and control. As a horse is kept in by bit and bridle in contrast to a man, so these powers are amenable to God through external pressure, and hence He forces them into His service with a view to the preservation of the testimony here.
So this fourth chariot, with its bay horses, representing what is strong, what is energetic, symbolises for us the great empire which, more than any other, has had to do with Christianity, first with our Lord, then with the apostles, and finally with the assembly as left here. These essayed to walk to and fro, and they were allowed to do so. The rise of that empire was not by divine initiative. The kingdom of God is by divine initiative; it was not ‘Lo here’ or ‘Lo there’ as in the great leaders of Rome; it did not come by observation. It came in as a babe, and so the Lord says, “The kingdom of God is in the midst of you” Luke 17:21 It was there unobtrusively, unpretentiously, but, nevertheless, there. It was there, as I said, by divine initiative, and symbolises the divine intervention [p. 262] in grace; whereas this chariot essays to move. The initiative was of man. It was man’s greed and lust for power, but God took it in hand and controlled it, and the ordering came from Him; so that He permits this great power to walk through the earth. The great roads in this country and throughout Europe, and throughout the East, are all a standing witness to the meaning of this verse. They betoken arteries of walk, so that the legions find a way to traverse the earth, to march through; but as under God; beasts though they were, they were under God, and they continue. The powers that be, we are told, are ordained of God, and they are to be respected: “for it bears not the sword in vain” Romans 13:4 We pray for them; we are enjoined to do so. They are ordained of God for our good, and so they walk through the earth in the way of ordered government, in order that there might be peace, so that the people of God might lead “a quiet and tranquil life in all piety and gravity” 1 Timothy 2:2 Well, now, having said so much about the walk of these horses, I desire to proceed to speak about the Lord in this same judicial character. You find Him, in the book of Revelation, walking, not then as the vessel of grace, but, as we are told by the apostle who turned to hear or see the voice, as in the character of the “Son of man” The Son of man is very different from a horse; it is He who came into this world as cast upon God from the very outset of His being here. No external pressure, indeed, in His case: “My food is that I should do the will of him that has sent me, and that I should finish his work” John 4:34 He is the Son of man. It is in His hands that judgment is. However much it may appear to be in other hands for the moment, yet all judgment has been committed to Him. Judgment is in His hands, because He is the Son of man.
Now, here in Revelation He is seen clothed with a [p. 263] garment reaching down to His feet, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. No longer that beautiful Form for love to outline, as in Canticles. It is not that. It is judicial. The outline cannot be traced here. He is not presented to affection here; He is clothed down to the feet with a garment, and His affections are pent up — they cannot flow out. His hair is like wool; there is the experience of an elder, qualified to judge. “His feet like fine brass” Revelation 1:15 and “Out of his mouth a sharp, two-edged sword” Revelation 1:16 and “his voice as the voice of many waters” Revelation 1:15 This is no indirect action; this forebodes direct action, but judicially; and so, in addressing the first assembly, He presents Himself as He “who walks in the midst of the seven golden lamps” Walking is deliberate.
We have running spoken of in Scripture, both in a good sense and a bad sense. We hear of many running to and fro, referring to the present time — to the rapid means of travel, but walking is deliberate, and so the Son of man is seen here, walking — not through the earth, but in the midst of the seven golden lamps, in the midst of those who have the responsibility of the testimony, but who have failed in it. A most solemn picture! His eyes are like a flame of fire, and as He walks about amongst the candlesticks nothing escapes His notice — no thing or person. He is dealing, beloved friends, judicially. Nothing is passed over, and so, in these seven letters or addresses to the assembly, He pronounces the results of His inspection. Let no one for a moment assume that He can escape these eyes. He sees all; and not only so, but what He sees that needs to be judged He has a means of dealing with. He is the Lord, beloved friends. “Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?” 1 Corinthians 10:22 — a most serious matter. He deals with us directly as in the Revelation. It is direct action. He has a sword; He has the means by Him to deal with us.
[p. 264] What I wanted to come to, however, is divine walking in grace, but I thought it would be helpful and perhaps needful for some of us to be reminded that there is judicial action at the present time. The history of Christendom is the result of this direct action of the Lord. Faith observes it. He has the means by Him of dealing with everything that is contrary to Him in the sphere of profession. He will deal with all presently, but at the present time this direct action progresses. “On this account many among you are weak and infirm, and a good many are fallen asleep” 1 Corinthians 11:30 is an example of this direct action of the Lord. That was at the beginning of it. Judgment has begun at the house of God, and if it has begun at us, “Where shall the impious and the sinner appear?” 1 Peter 4:18 It may be needful that, in a particular way, attention should be drawn to this — the Son of man in His judicial garb, walking in the midst of the seven golden lamps.
But I wanted, as I said, to speak particularly of His walk in grace. I believe that the present recovery of the assembly, the recent recovery of many of God’s people is due, in very large measure, to the indirect action of God, for He has wrought governmentally among the nations; and then, too, it is due to the direct action of God in the midst of the profession, with the end in view that there might be a walking in grace — that we might know what it is to walk as He walked. It says, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that announceth glad tidings, that publisheth peace” Isaiah 52:7 These are not feet going to and fro through the earth; they are the feet presented to us by Luke and John. I do not know of anything more attractive than the presentation of Christ by these two evangelists from this standpoint. Luke dwells, as if loth to leave the subject, on the feet of Jesus.
Jesus had come in of Himself — His own feet has [p. 265] carried Him. It was a deliberate undertaking; it was a deliberate walking in answer to Herod’s challenge. Herod desired to kill Him, but He could say, “Go tell that fox, Behold, I cast out demons and accomplish cures today, and tomorrow ... but I must needs walk today and tomorrow” Luke 13:32,33. How much that must implied! I must walk, and so, in that holy walk, in which grace was exhibited in every step, He arrives in the Pharisee’s house; Luke 7:36. He is invited by the Pharisee; He always accepted invitations. His walk, beloved, was in a thorny way. He knew full well there was nothing congenial in that house, but grace led Him to enter it. His walk was in that way. His feet had carried Him in, and the woman of the city arrives. She understood; she washed His feet with her tears.
One thinks of that moment of feeling. What depths of feeling those tears bespoke! Tears bespeak feelings within. They denote nothing external in the way of beauty; they rather disfigure; but they denote depths of feeling within, and those depths were there. These feet had carried grace to her. Grace had touched her to the very depths of her being. She washed His feet with tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Every hair of that head was precious; but she devoted them to the wiping of those feet, and she kissed them. It was no mere formal act. She kissed them “ardently”; the Lord’s own comment is, “She from the time I came in has not ceased kissing my feet” Luke 7:45 There were depths of feelings in her tears; there was depth of affection in her kisses. She had not ceased to kiss His feet. Would that our hearts could be moved thus! Depths of feelings! Superficiality, alas! is what marks the people of God even at their best, and I would not exclude myself. One is humbled about it. In meetings such as these, we are moved for a moment, but the effect passes away. What about tears? What about depths of feeling as [p. 266] the down-stooping of Christ comes home to us in power? As the apostle says, “Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” 2 Corinthians 8:9 Those feet carried it to that poor soul, so that she was no longer poor; she was rich. Those who love Christ are made rich, and so, finally, she anoints those feet.
This would give support and energy in consequence of that holy service rendered. Do you not think the Lord was refreshed? He was, beloved. He drank of the brook by the way. That was refreshment to Him, untold. He says, “Seest thou this woman?” Luke 7:44 Then He goes over all that she had done to Him, and His comment is, “She loved much” “her many sins are forgiven” Luke 7:47 As Christ had come to her, so He governed her, and so she ministered to Him. Thus it is that Luke gives us the feet, and so does John; hence, we find that Mary anoints them in John.
In Matthew and Mark He is anointed on the head, for it is a question in these gospels of His official dignity. We do well to notice that — that there is One, officially — there is one Man set up in heaven in whom all offices are vested. Every office is vested in Christ, so that Matthew and Mark relate that He is anointed on the head, while Luke and John record that He was anointed on the feet. We need both. The first two refer to His dignity — His official dignity, the second two refer to His personal greatness — Luke, what He is morally, John what He is personally. So that the woman, as Luke presents her, anointed Him as He comes into the world — in His service, in His walk; Mary, according to John, anoints Him, as He goes out of the world; John 12:3. He came in as having those beautiful feet on the mountains — publishing peace, and as anointed He walked to carry grace to men. In John He goes out. He is anointed six days before His burial.
I turn now to the passage I read in John 1. I desire specially to convey some impression to you of [p. 267] John, as I have sought to do of Luke. You find John the baptist “looking at Jesus as he walked” He did not come into this world, in any sense, to take His ease; it was a question of movement, and so, beloved, if we are recovered to the truth it is a question of movement. It is really in movement that light radiates, and so you find in this chapter that, as the Lord is seen moving, all those who are drawn to Him begin to move. It is the radiation of light. I think it is in movement that we begin to radiate the light that comes into our souls; it is not in settling down in a locality. The nearer we are to God the more universal we are, and the more ready to move, to walk, not to run to and fro, hither and thither, but to be deliberate — to have a purpose.
And so the Lord walked, and John looked upon Him and said, “Behold the Lamb of God” The idea of the walking is brought in. It is a divine Person here — “the Lamb of God” and so you find, throughout this chapter, that those who were drawn to Him, walked, they moved, as, for example, Nathanael. When Jesus saw him coming to Him He said, “Behold [one] truly an Israelite, in whom there is no guile” John 1:47 Light radiated there. There is an expression of something under the eye of God — “Truly an Israelite”! One would covet to be that; that it should be seen in one’s walk, in one’s movements, that we are not seeking after the things of this world, that we are not going to that city to trade and to get gain; but that our motives are pure, that they are unselfish, that they are governed by love, and that thus we answer to the Lord’s estimate of Nathanael, “[one] truly an Israelite, in whom there is no guile” John 1:47 It says of the Lord, He did not walk in Jewry. There were dangerous places. He walked no longer openly among the Jews, for they sought to kill Him. He selected His area; but He walked.
How one would love to trace those lanes of Galilee [p. 268] around Tiberias where those holy footprints might be seen, as He walked, as His love carried Him hither and thither to meet human need and to bless. In chapter 12 we find Him in Bethany; His journey is finished, and He is found in the house of an intelligent lover, for Mary of Bethany represents an intelligent lover of Christ. She kept the box of ointment for the occasion, and so she anoints His feet; and He goes on those six days before the Passover in the power of the anointing — in the refreshment of that worship carried to Him by an intelligent lover. Such was the walk of the Lord Jesus. His feet carried Him to death.
I mention all these things so that we might see what recovery is for. If we have part in it, it is that we might take up this, dear brethren, that we might walk. It is no matter of self-gratification. It is a matter of deliberate care for others, and of sacrifice; so that the walk of the Christian, as recovered, becomes expressive of God, hence, John presents the living water as available here. He presents the believer as possessing it, so that it flows out as rivers; and in the Revelation, “He that will, let him take [the] water of life freely” Revelation 22:17; that is to say, from John’s point of view, the thing is to be available — the thing is to be here. It is to be manifest, and available to need. “He that will” etc. It is the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit in the vessel in which He is. All this is bound up with a holy, deliberate walk, so that what men need is carried to them. It is made available to them, and thus there is a tangible representation of God in these last days.