APPEARINGS OF THE GLORY IN THE WILDERNESS
APPEARINGS OF THE GLORY IN THE WILDERNESS
Numbers 11:16; Numbers 11:24,25; Numbers 14:10; Numbers 12:5; Numbers 16:19,42
This is pre-eminently the wilderness book. Indeed, its primary title was, In the Wilderness; and so in the opening of it we have Jehovah speaking to Moses “in the wilderness of Sinai”. Numbers 1:1. Our position in it is thus assumed; and God reminds us at the very outset that He is thinking of us as there. He thinks of us in every position where we may be legitimately, as required by His will in this world. So in this book ( Numbers 33) we have the journeyings of the people and their encampments recorded, as if God would impress upon us that He follows all our movements with intense interest.
Now the wilderness, though a familiar word amongst us, is perhaps not so well understood as we may imagine, nor is it definitely accepted, as divinely presented to us. The idea of it appears in Exodus, God sending His message to Pharaoh to let His people go that they might serve Him in the wilderness. It may seem a matter of small moment that the words “in the wilderness” are added Exodus 5:1. It might seem to be enough to say to Pharaoh that God wished His people to serve Him, which indeed was the purport of His first great message, “Let my son go, that he may serve me” Exodus 4:23; but afterwards stress is laid on the place of service, God was to be served in the wilderness.
In Christendom today the nominal service of God is not carried on in the recognition of the world being a wilderness; it is carried on where there are abundant worldly resources. The world is taxed to provide the ways and means, whether it be the buildings, the salaries of the servants, the choirs, the furniture or what not, whereas God notified Pharaoh at the outset that the world cannot provide the means of [p. 2] divine service. He intimates plainly that it was to be carried on where there were no visible resources. In other words, that the world and its resources are wholly ignored, and all the provisions come from above. Hence you find that before the means and order of service are proposed, Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel are invited to go up to Jehovah; Exodus 24. The principle is that things have to come from thence. “And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink”, Exodus 24:10, 11.
They are there in God’s realm, we may say, as “nobles” and they are there without fear. So that when in the next chapter He proposed to them to build Him a tabernacle, what is required is understood; at least, a general impression has been conveyed, though the details awaited instructions received by Moses during the forty days on the mount. Moses is detained, called up higher (verse 12), and there a pattern is unfolded to him, “a figurative representation of things in the heavens” Hebrews 9:23. God is in no way dependent on this world for the means of His service. We are shut up to God and to heaven, so that divine thoughts may come into evidence. Who that knows God in any way does not prefer to have God’s design for His place of worship, rather than those of the greatest ecclesiastical architect?
A young believer begins to see that he has to do with God; and with God where there is no light and no material save as God Himself brings it in. I do not say the people did not have material, because they did; but spiritually it was from God, and the wilderness brought it out. Four hundred years before it was announced to Abraham that they should go [p. 3] out of Egypt with great substance. No believer is of any value in the assembly morally unless he has got some substance.
The exercises of coming from Egypt imply that I acquire substance; I do not come into the wilderness a pauper. I am there with a measure of substance, but God will order and direct as to the use of it. It is to fit into a divine scheme. Think of having something which God can use, according to a pattern which He has ever had in His mind! I should not like to be out of that; I should like to have something that God can use. “See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount”, Hebrews 8:5.
That is the position in the wilderness with regard to the service of God, and I am concerned with it as set out in Numbers. Exodus gives us the tabernacle set up; Leviticus God dwelling in it, calling us to Him in His own abode — a most touching thought, and everything is provided for in the priesthood. Numbers contemplates what has been set forth in these two books, so that we can face the world as contrary to us. Having the light of Exodus and of Leviticus, we are here in the wilderness not as individuals, but in relation to the tabernacle.
“The wind is contrary” Matthew 14:24 to that; as you will remember, in Matthew 14 the Lord, having sent the multitudes away, and having compelled His disciples to go into a ship, was alone on the mountain praying, but the wind was contrary. That is the position. Let no one assume that the wind will change in this respect, it will always be a contrary wind. But Numbers is to prepare us for it, and to show the provision which has been made.
Now I wanted to deal first of all with individual service. Moses is the great type of this; he is said to be a servant, and faithful in all God’s house. There are those who are like specialists, but scripture [p. 4] hardly countenances anything like that; the idea of service is to extend to all God’s house. Each has his own gift, his own measure; but every truly commissioned servant will have the whole house in his mind. Even if he is not able to help actively he can pray, or she can pray. One may be bed-ridden or crippled, but he can embrace all the saints in his prayers and affections.
Chapter 10 contemplates the tabernacle set up and in movement and as movement begins the power of the “wind” is felt. And, alas! we find here in Moses, as often appearing in ourselves, a spirit of complaint. Not rebellion; I suppose the nearest point he reached to rebellion was when he called the people rebels. We are not far off rebellion when we say that the people of God are rebels. But in this chapter Moses is not saying that, he is telling Jehovah of the burden, the excess that is laid upon him, and that he had not “conceived all this people”. Numbers 11:12. That is to say, the complaint was against God, because He had as Moses thought, put upon him more than He should have done. Moses on that occasion saw the Israelites, every man in his tent door, weeping. They were the tears of murmurers, they were not tears of humiliation. So it is, beloved, that we are tested in the service of God in these circumstances.
I want to show you that, although a man in this position, honoured of God, may for the moment fail, yet how graciously God stands by him These appearings embody the divine provision for these failures; that is to say, God came in in a visible way to meet the opposition. For us, of course, it is for faith, but nevertheless real, so that the servant should not lose ground. It is as sure as possible, if I begin to complain that there is too much upon me, and that I am not cared for, or considered enough, I shall lose ground with those whom I serve.
Now the first appearing here is to maintain Moses [p. 5] at the full height of his service. God says, as it were, I will act according to your suggestion, but in doing it I will preserve your dignity, I will preserve you in honour. I speak thus, dear brethren, so that in service we may know what resources there are; how tenderly, how compassionately, the Master stands by His servant, even although he had brought the circumstances upon himself. So He says: You gather these seventy men. For God will never pass by His servant, save He is obliged to by permanent unbelief, or will. So He directs Moses to select the men who were to help him in his service, trusting him to know that they were reliable, really leaders of the people. What beautiful confidence Jehovah placed in His servant, although failing at this moment!
Moreover, He says, Gather them to the tent door and I will come down and speak with you. And “I will take of the spirit which is upon you, and I will put it upon them”. Numbers 11:17. How Moses would feel that! It was as if God were saying, I have thought this matter out, and I have not put any weight upon you that you could not bear; so in adding others I am going to take from you and give to them. But I will speak to you in doing it, I will maintain your honour. And incidentally it would be an advantage to the people; for God turns even the failures of His servants to advantage. There are seventy-one personalities now in the service instead of one. The power is not increased; but the personality is increased, and that is something. Jethro had suggested that Moses should delegate his authority, which he did, but now he has got divine consent, and the power is actually transferred; so that we have seventy persons in addition to Moses with the same spirit or power that Moses had.
Two of them prophesied even in the camp; Numbers 11: 26 - 28. Joshua says, “My lord Moses, forbid them”, Numbers 11:28 as if he would restrict ministry to one man [p. 6] like many a young brother who would stand up for some selected leader, as we see at Corinth. Moses says to Joshua, “Enviest thou for my sake? Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets”. Numbers 11:29. What a beautiful spirit! one that should mark every servant of Christ. No one who serves in the spirit of Christ can detract from you, or from me. “Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them”. Numbers 11:29. What a camp Israel would have been if all had been like that! It was greatly enhanced by the fact that there were seventy more with the spirit that was upon Moses.
The next thing is, in Numbers 12, to see how God stands by His servants; and woe be to him who envies or traduces them. Miriam and Aaron were jealous of Moses. “Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us?” Numbers 12:2. Well, that was true, but why assert it? Moses was not saying anything different. Moses had just said, Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets. Think of the wickedness that would rival a man like that, that would impute to him such a wicked motive as arrogating to himself the whole service of God! He had no such thought. The service of God is never a one-man affair; it is a question of personality and increase of personality under Christ, but all in the power of God, all in the anointing.
We see in this chapter the seriousness of envying one whom God uses, one indeed whom God had honoured in such a signal manner as to come down and speak to him on several occasions at the tent door, and recently in the presence of those seventy men on the mountain. The Holy Spirit immediately says, “Now the man Moses was very meek”. Numbers 12:3. It is not the servant Moses — we want to see the man. The man must underlie the servant; indeed, one is very loth ever to use the word “servant” in any official way. We want to see the man behind the service.
[p. 7] What kind of man is he? What is he in his house, in his business, if he has one, or in his workshop? but particularly what is he in his house? Moses had married an Ethiopian woman. Why should he not do so? He was not accountable to Miriam for that. And so the Holy Spirit brings in at once His estimate of “the man Moses”. Numbers 12:3.
One is reminded of the greater than Moses, “the man Christ Jesus”. 1 Timothy 2:5. Luke gives us the Man. We have to study Luke in order to understand Mark; in Luke it is the Man, but in Mark the Servant. Now here you see God takes this matter in hand and it is important to notice that He spoke “suddenly”. Numbers 12:4. We see here how God distinguishes between servant and servant “If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” Numbers 12: 6 - 8.
Now this is important instruction for us. It is very confirmatory to those who serve, but it is a solemn warning against rivalry or jealousy, and to opposition founded on jealousy against any servant of the Lord. It is so important a matter that the Lord comes down Himself. He shows that while there is great personality in the service, there are also distinctions of service and one is honoured more than others.
In chapter 14 we have another appearing. This is in relation to the gospel in its heavenly character, as alluded to in Hebrews. It is the gospel of the land of Canaan, the gospel that witnesses to heaven and the heavenly calling. The spies had brought back an [p. 8] excellent report, and, they had brought the grapes from Eshcol.
This is a most serious matter, indeed Hebrews shows that it was the great turning-point, and that apostasy is in view, and dealt with from this point onwards. That is to say, it leads to the habit that has been observed from that very day until now, of taking on a lower line when God is emphasising the higher line. This is a great feature of opposition — that when God emphasises certain features in a ministry it is opposed by certain of the people. Not that one accuses any, only that the warning should come home to every one of us, lest we take a lower line, or oppose what God is emphasising.
There was hardness of heart in unbelief. This was to be a test; twelve men were sent up to bring back a report of the land; and there it was, the grapes of Eshcol told their own tale, and the twelve all witnessed to the wealth of the land. Then the enemy began to work, and only two out of the twelve stood their ground in connection with what God had emphasised. So Caleb stands up and witnesses to the good land, and to the power of God to bring His people in, because He had delight in them. How wonderful is this, the sense of God having delight in us, and because of that delight giving us the very best He has got, and exercising His power to bring us into it against all opposition!
You see what is at work — opposition to that which God emphasises as the very best thing for us; indeed the people are about to stone these two faithful men, when the glory appears. “And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel”, Numbers 14:10. We see now what is to be contended with; not two weak men like Caleb and Joshua, but God shining out in all His glory. No one need fear but that He will stand [p. 9] by the truth! Think of the glory coming down at such a time and appearing to all the congregation! We need not fear, dear brethren, to stand firmly by what God emphasises. The glory will appear in some form; God will come in unmistakably and show where He is, so that the thing stands.
Following on this in Numbers 16 we have the great rebellion. It is not now Miriam and Aaron in personal jealousy, but a general uprising against Moses and Aaron by the leading men of Israel. There were two hundred and fifty men, princes of the congregation — a most powerful combination — Korah leading. And so the glory appears; that is to say, God will stand by the whole position. It is not now simply a question of one servant or of two servants, but the whole position of Christianity, typically, is assailed in this chapter. “And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the congregation”, Numbers 16: 19. They are gathered together around the door of the tabernacle. It is an attack on the whole position, as I said; they have come up boldly to the door of the tabernacle.
This marks Christendom at the present time; there is an attack on the whole position — Christ in heaven and the Holy Spirit down here. The “door of the tabernacle of the congregation” Numbers 16:19 is where the attack is being made. Can it be met? It is being met — it has been met — by the glory. Can God be overcome? Never! It may mean martyrdom, it may mean separation, reduction, reproach, but the truth stands; it must stand. While Christ is in heaven, and the Holy Spirit is here, Christianity can never cease to exist. It stands, and we may stand courageously by it, for the glory stands by us: “And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked [p. 10] toward the tabernacle of the congregation; and, behold, the cloud covered it”, Numbers 16:42.
The cloud is covering the whole testimony. Can we doubt that this applies at the present time? There is not a doubt that God has preserved the truth, the whole position of Christianity, implying that Christ is in heaven, with all power committed unto Him in heaven and on earth; and that the Holy Spirit is here and that the priesthood exists in virtue of the Holy Spirit being here; and that the church exists, and the glory covers it — indeed that all is preserved.
This leads me in closing to emphasise that we have the whole idea presented for us. If Satan cannot rob us of the whole, he will endeavour to rob us of a part, but the glory covered the whole tabernacle here. As I was saying elsewhere, the recovery of the Lords supper in our time (it had been in captivity, so to speak) introduces and maintains before us the whole thought.
The Lord in instituting it says, “This is my body”. Luke 22:19. We commit ourselves to that; and “we, being many, are one body”. Romans 12:5. You have the whole thought ever in view, and the glory covers it. How often we have proved that! How precious to be together with the light of Christ as Head, His body here, and the glory coming in and covering all! It is no local matter; the breaking of bread, although done locally, is universal in its bearing. Who can take it from us as we recognise the position and stand by it? We must maintain what is local, but the thing is that in what is local we should maintain strenuously what is universal — one whole testimony of God.
And so “the Spirit and the bride say, Come”. Revelation 22:17. As soon as the Lord announces Himself, all is there in active response. So He says to Philadelphia, “I will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world”. Revelation 3:10. The Lord Jesus has never anything less than the whole thought before [p. 11] Him. David in slaying the lion and the bear preserved the lamb. In Amos 3:12 you have the word, “two legs, or a piece of an ear” taken out of the mouth of the lion. That is something, but David had the whole thought before him. However weak a saint is, I must look at him in relation to the whole, he belongs to the church and to nothing less.
So in the face of the greatest rebellion that ever took place against God and Christ, and I refer now to the antitype, that is, to the history of Christendom, we have the appearing of the glory as it covers the tabernacle, the figurative representation of things in the heavens, where God meets with His people. That indeed is preserved, the glory covering it. May we not courageously stand by the whole truth, maintaining the whole thought and nothing less, in the face of all opposition. May God grant this!