THE EARLY WILDERNESS ENCAMPMENTS (2)
THE EARLY WILDERNESS ENCAMPMENTS (2)
The third month marks a certain spiritual history in which the believer reaches the place where he is prepared to listen to what God has to say. At the outset the believer limits himself to what applies to himself. The nobleman at Capernaum believed what the Lord said about his son, because it referred to himself, but when the servant came to meet him the word was confirmed and he received the word, and “he believed, himself and his whole house”, John 4: 53. It is said in Deuteronomy 33: 3, “Each receiveth of thy words”. It is not only what applies to myself, but to God and His counsels; I receive it all. You first trust God for His deliverance and now you commit yourself to Him and to His love. Jehovah’s words are precious, the saints “sit down at thy feet”. It is like the position today. We are encamped to listen. Paul said, “I have not shrunk from announcing to you all the counsel of God” (Acts 20: 27); there was an ear for it. Mary of Bethany represents this position, prepared to listen. Jehovah spends ten months at this encampment unfolding His mind to them, a wonderful series of meetings where God unfolded one thing after another. It is not God speaking “in Son” as in Hebrews 1. Peter says, “Let us make three tabernacles”; he is ignorant of the situation; there never had been three tabernacles. The tabernacle is one; the divine thought is unity; Peter was out of accord; then there came a voice out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son: hear him”; He is the true tabernacle. First it is God’s affections; He discloses His heart, then His mind. Deuteronomy is to include family manners, that they might go into the land [p. 274] with family affections, but this encampment is for the wilderness, it is more military. This is the most important of all the encampments where God opened up His mind in regard to the universe, as well as to a people and a nation. We get to the end of three months and see what follows. In Exodus 16 the manna is given, and in chapter 17 the water from the rock: it is the Spirit from the divine side, not yet as a state in us. Directly the Spirit is recognised conflict ensues, the conflict of the flesh against the Spirit. Chapter 17 teaches us that it is a perpetual warfare; there is no let-up in this conflict; the flesh must never be allowed the upper hand. At once we realise the value of intercession; this warfare is a secret matter; we often make a good front but this secret thing is going on and success in the conflict depends on the intercession of the Lord. Aaron and Hur hold up Moses’ hands; it is authority, not exactly priestly function — God’s rights in my soul, the Lord’s rights in redemption recognised in my soul.
This is a distinct point reached; here you learn how to fight. Joshua for the first time is to fight a battle. He learns how at this juncture, for he is to be in supreme command later on but as yet is only in command of this battle. Moses’ hands, expressive of authority, are upheld.
The power of Amalek is broken, but never disappears, so the conflict is perpetual and Amalek comes up again where there is spiritual decline; fresh victories are gained but the conflict never ceases: “Jehovah will have war with Amalek from generation to generation!”
Amalek is the flesh in me. The Philistine is the man in the land, the religious feature, what men are as built up in divine privilege and light without having gone through death; but Amalek is Satan in the flesh harassing you. The elder son is the Philistine;
[p. 275] he wanted to keep the prodigal out of the Father’s house.
Joshua is yourself; you have got to fight. Joshua is the man who comes up later, you cannot take your place in the land unless the flesh is subdued. The enemy makes an attack when alone with defiling thoughts, but then Joshua comes to light, who enables you to fully and finally triumph. We delight in the law of God after the inward man and will not allow anything to the contrary. Romans 7 is the conflict of Amalek and Joshua; it goes deeper; it is from the divine side. We “thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord” and the Lord delivers. Amalek would stop believers from going into the land. Before this in Exodus 17 we get the complaining about the water. It is met by the Lord’s authority; the rod represents His authority (verses 1 - 7). Amalek came to fight without saying why; it is brought in here to show it is the attack one may expect. The triumph is celebrated in an altar, “Jehovah-nissi”, ‘Jehovah my banner’. It is the power of the Lord, presented from the side of authority. I say, against this thing I enlist the Lord; it is a matter of prayer. I pray to the Lord; it is a serious conflict and victory comes in prayer. When the enemy is overthrown there is a fresh appreciation of Christ. As it works out in the believer it develops a spirit of prayer — he looks to the Lord and does not enlist flesh against flesh; and this is a constant thing. We look to the Lord as Paul did, after he had been in the third heaven, he prayed that “a thorn for the flesh” might depart from him, but the Lord said, as it were, ‘This is the very thing you need, for the flesh is so powerful in you it will take advantage of you’. He prayed three times, and then stopped, for the Lord sent the thorn, as though He would equip him for the most serious trouble. “My grace suffices thee”. Romans 7 leads to Numbers 21. Amalek has [p. 276] to do with internal enemies. Romans 7 is Samuel hewing Agag in pieces.
The Lord has taken the initiative Himself: ‘Jehovah my banner’. He will blot out from under heaven all the work of this enemy. We are sure of final triumph. Joshua is the believer in this particular time, he is the man himself who has to fight, “Write this for a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens”. It is ‘My banner’, not ‘our’, each one has to raise his own banner.
The battle is to hinder one from coming to the house of God. Martha was harassed in spirit, not free for divine disclosures. Mary was free. Unless this battle is settled, we are not free to sit down as Israel sat before the mount in this encampment. When you begin to make much of Christ in the soul the flesh resists. There must be discernment, an analysis must be made by the believer; it begins at Marah, we make an analysis of what the forces are now. Marah means bitter water; the flesh revolts, wood is cast into the waters, and they become sweet; I see the Lord as having died for me; I appreciate the fact that it is my privilege to be associated with Christ in death; the flesh revolts against death, but Exodus 17 is having received the Holy Spirit, now Satan comes into view and I must make an analysis to see if it is the flesh. If so I must refuse it; there must be prayer; victory in the conflict depended on Moses’ uplifted hands, not those of Aaron the priest but Moses’, the authority of the Lord. Satan is not allowed to attack until the Spirit is received; the Lord is now with you, so you give God a place, and that is the altar, ‘Jehovah my banner’. Moses’ hands were upheld “until the going down of the sun”; a battle to the end. Resurrection is the final victory; the Lord’s authority will have a link with us to the [p. 277] end as long as we need it, to the end of the period, for it is a provisional period.
What is the difference between Amalek, Ishmael, and Esau? All three are types of the flesh.
Ishmael disputes what is spiritual; the object is Isaac. Ishmael occupies the house many years but when Isaac comes in Ishmael resists; there is religious persecution. Ishmael has a certain status. Esau is the great man of the world, a man of the field, an athlete or hunter; he has kings; he builds himself up first. Esau was the firstborn and he builds up his kingdom before there is any kingdom in Israel, but he must give way to what is spiritual. There is competition among the great men of the world; college men with attainments, degrees and titles, the ‘twelve dukes’. Esau is the grossness of the flesh as developed in Egypt. Amalek is the “old man”, but the “old man” is a collective idea; there is only one “old man”. Satan can take up the character of Amalek or Ishmael, both to oppose Christ.
Manna comes in before all this conflict; in everyday circumstances I must consider food; what am I to eat? Christ is the food, I love Him and I want to live in Him. This is manna, what He was before His death; you want to feed on Him once humbled here.
Esau would not let Israel pass through his territory; the journey to the land was only eleven days by mount Seir. Esau’s position is recognised; he is not to be touched, though he would not let them pass through; you must keep to the things the wilderness speaks of. Esau is of the family, a twin brother; he is recognised by what gives man a distinction in this world, prominence and titles; you give up religious advantages to get to the other side. Esau sold his birthright; he did not esteem it of great value. There is no place left for Esau in the world to come. He is the great college man; he [p. 278] develops the features that give man a place in this world, in contrast to brotherly love; there is some other influence at work beside the Spirit. We shall only dwell in the millennial day amongst brethren; the brotherly spirit will pervade. Jacob was the despised man, but after his name was changed he met Esau as a prince with God, and in time he realised it. Jacob had the brotherly spirit, he would consider for the little ones and for the flock. Esau was a fast driver, he would overdrive the cattle. Esau would take care of the great ones, but Jacob would look out for the weak ones of the flock; he was content to stay behind.
Exodus 18 is a millennial picture, what all is leading to is complete adjustment, not only in my soul, but in the whole world. Moses sat to judge the people; it looks forward to the One who will hear every case; the believer is content to wait for that One. The believer has found his banner; he is already sure of every need met and all being adjusted. In the world to come there is One who will judge in righteousness, and perfect adjustment in everything.
Moses’ father-in-law represents the nations; the elders eat bread with him “in the presence of God”; it is the adjustment of all matters before the “king in Jeshurun”. Finally the sphere of the peace of God is reached; they encamped at the mountain of God. Moses’ wife is introduced; the bride gives grace to the scene. Gershom’s name reminds us that the Lord had been a stranger in His own land and Eliezer speaks of the complete deliverances; now they could sit down at the mountain of God. That scene is an encouragement to us. Morally this was mount Zion; this leaps over dates to the world to come, the mountain of God; there are a hundred and forty-four thousand with the Lamb on mount Zion (Revelation 14: 1).
[p. 279] Horeb is the covenant; Sinai is divine demand. Horeb is the covenant mount, where Israel served God. What is sown in Horeb is reaped in Zion. Moses kissed his father-in-law there: that is the brotherly spirit.
We would like to see saints delivered from worldly pollution, but the Lord adjusts all that as King in Jeshurun. There will be an adjustment of all these matters; you need not have anything to do with the world. Now see what a world He has; the tabernacle signifies the unfolding of the wisdom of God, the God who loves us. Deuteronomy is the spiritual side. He opens up His heart and His mind. He is King in Jeshurun: it is the Lord having come to acquire a place, not now through authority, but in affection; they are “my willing people” (Amminadab).
At the encampment in Exodus 19 Jehovah is bringing Himself before you. “I have borne you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself”. He would have you to know that He loves you, and would have you to love Him; so they encamped before the mount to learn there to know Him and His heart and mind.
The idea of priesthood was to spread over the whole nation (Exodus 24: 5 - 8). The youths offered bullocks to Jehovah. Moses sprinkled the blood on the altar and on the people; the priestly function is exercised by the youths; God gathers up the first-fruits of their affections. He said, “Every firstborn is mine”, the energy of youth. Youthfulness is very nice, and suggests that God would have freshness. Reuben is “the first-fruits of my vigour” (Genesis 49: 3), but there was a development of lustful vigour abhorrent to God; when Reuben comes in on the spiritual line it is, “let Reuben live and not die” (Deuteronomy 33: 6); the Spirit takes that place and the Spirit is life; the Holy Spirit cries “Abba Father”; it is the Spirit of God’s Son crying in our hearts. So the bride in [p. 280] Revelation never loses her youthful vigour; she is always a bride. The virgins go out to meet the Bridegroom; they did go out to meet Him pure and perfect at the outset, and eventually they come back to that, so bridal affection will mark the end.
A needed word to the young believers: “But youthful lusts flee, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart”, 2 Timothy 2: 22. “Be not drunk with wine, in which is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit”, Ephesians 5: 18. “My heart is welling forth with a good matter: I say what I have composed touching the king”, Psalm 45: l. It is my heart: I will speak of the outgoings of spiritual energy to the Lord; the vigour, energy and freshness of youth is delightful to Him.