THE WILDERNESS
[p. 30] THE WILDERNESS
I wanted to speak about the wilderness, for it has its place. In making that remark I am thinking of Revelation 12. The woman who brings forth the man child is said to flee into the wilderness, where she is nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. She is said to have in it a place prepared by God. Then it is said that there is war in heaven, but she is taken care of. The interests of the testimony are not specially bound up with her, but she is taken care of in the wilderness, in the place prepared for her of God. In that place she is nourished by certain ones whose identity is not disclosed.
Now it may be that, as in the wilderness, some may not know that it is the place divinely designed for our preservation spiritually and for our nourishment, and where we may acquire the knowledge of God as we could not acquire it otherwise. The thief on the cross had no such opportunity — to be in paradise with Christ is not to discover what Christ can be to you in a scene of contrariety. The woman’s son was taken up to the right hand of God, for the dragon had his eye upon him, as he had on Christ, but she was in the wilderness. Satan is not yet attacking her, for God will not lead the young believer into the conflict at once. Instead of that she is nourished every day for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, even though it brings its own test of the provision God makes. But the war goes on, there is no cessation of that, whether it be in heaven or on earth.
But though that is indeed true, let us be assured of this, that you and I are divinely cared for in the wilderness, just as it says here, they nourished this woman for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
[p. 31] We are preserved in some sense pending the Lord’s return, hence the protracted period of one thousand two hundred and sixty days, but we are cared for every day. Whether it be through Peter or James or John, each in his own way brings in the bread of life come down from heaven, and the nourishment is administered: the love of God is the divine provision for every one of our days. But then the war goes on. We hear but little of the conflict waged against the apostles after Paul is introduced in Acts, but the war went on, and you may depend upon it though you may not be a soldier in active service you will share the spoils. No good soldier of Jesus Christ is selfish, and the spoils of war are divided equally with those who tarry behind, taking care of the stuff.
The war went on here in Revelation 12. Michael and his angels fought with the devil and his angels, and Michael was victorious. Thus in the next instance (verses 13,14) the woman is given the wings of the great eagle. You are nourished first, but when the time arrives for the conflict you are given wings. He had borne them upon wings and brought them to Himself, but these were not the wings of God, but she is given wings of an eagle “that she might fly into the desert”. Revelation 12:14. When the time of attack comes we shall be furnished for it. The woman is protected from the face of the serpent, not for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, it is not a daily matter now; God would reduce it to limits, so it is “for a time and times, and half a time” Revelation 12:14 — that is to say, God brings the thing down to narrow limits when you have to do with the serpent; but when you have to do with God’s preservation it is a question of days. The war is in progress and it will go on, but God will reduce it to a limited compass. The one thousand two hundred and sixty days is love’s reckoning, but the time, times and half a time is the reckoning of the soldier. It is but a brief moment [p. 32] and the war will be over, but while it is going on you will be furnished with wings.
I come now to this passage in the Song of Solomon because it contemplates the believer as coming up out of the wilderness. The idea of the wilderness is limited, but the ways of God are not limited. Love belongs to eternity; it finds its home there. So we come up out of the wilderness to enjoy love in its own place. Alas! the believer is sometimes found in Egypt. You will recall how the Israelites come up out of Egypt, but they wanted to return to Egypt.
Now the Lord’s supper is for those who know where He is, and that He is not here. There are those who would not want to go back to Egypt, for they are born in the wilderness. There are some who have been born in Christian households; they do not go to theatres nor do they desire the world. They do not wish to leave the environment in which they have been brought up. Moses could say, “Come with us, and we will do thee good”. Numbers 10:29. You will recall that when the work of the tabernacle was in progress there was much more provided than was needed, there is wealth there. So it can be said, “Come with us, and we will do thee good”. Numbers 10:29. We are journeying to the place of which the Lord has said, “I will give it you”. Some Christians born of Christian parents have no thought of going on, hence Hobab says to Moses, “I will depart to my kindred”. Numbers 10:30. There are many such, they are children of the wilderness. But the end according to God of that journey is they were to go up out of it, leaning on One whom they had learned to love. The way into it is by baptism. Paul says, “Ye ... have obeyed from the heart the form of teaching into which ye were instructed”. Romans 6:17. The teaching brought in the mind of God, and they who believe obey.
After the children of Israel sang the song of victory, Moses led them into the wilderness of Shur; they [p. 33] went three days, that was the testing time. It is a question of submission. It is in the discovery of His love that you come to love. It is a wonderful time in the history of a soul when it can say of Christ that He is her beloved. “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?” Song of Songs 8:5. I will tell you who she is, she was brought up under the apple tree.
Moses led them three days and they found no water, and when they found water it was bitter. The will must be subdued, there must be unqualified submission to the authority of the Lord. There are failures at the outset, the failure of believers to submit to the authority of the Lord. You may see it coming out in the households. The Lord will bring out of that. There must be the acceptance of death. You must be tested. The Lord tasted it in his own way. The sin that brought in the judgment that fell on Christ is not going to be allowed in a believer. Happy is the soul who began in the abhorrence of it.
So he led them to Marah, and there the water was bitter. We shall have to accept definitely the judgment of God on the flesh, bitter of course it is, but how delightful when you can say, “Where thou diest I will die”. Ruth 1:17. Moses cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed them wood. It is a wonderful moment when the wood comes in; the judgment of God and discipline are very near together. He showed it to Moses, it was the light of the love that has been there. He has been there — “who loved me” — think of that; do you ever say that? Who loved me! I know of nothing so affecting. Paul says, “He loved me”, the Lord Jesus loved me when He died for me; think of the Lord loving me when He died! I can understand your saying, “He loves me”, but “He loved me”, says the apostle, “and gave himself for me”. Galatians 2:20. One can understand that the link formed there with Christ will never be broken. That precious fact [p. 34] will ever remain with us, that the Lord loved me when He died, and hence the change in me, in the light of the love of Christ, that has begun in the wilderness; multiply the forty years by three hundred and sixty-five days, every day brings in that experience of the love of Christ. What has He been to me today! Wilderness time is a most valuable time. What about it beloved — how are you spending it? If you were to take a calendar, every day brings its own tale of the love of Christ.
If I read the book of Exodus, I see Him die. He died for me. If I take the Book of Leviticus, what is Christ to me there? If I take the book of Numbers, what is Christ to me there? God has given instructions as to how they were to march, but when they marched, the ark of the covenant went before. Hear Moses’ word when the ark went forward “Rise up, Jehovah, and let thine enemies be scattered”. Numbers 10:35. Who is the ark? It is Christ going before us — it is love — it is Christ going before to find a resting-place for the saints. Will He ever fail us? Never!
Again I hear, “Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel”. Numbers 10:36. Having scattered all enemies the ark comes back. From the beginning to the end it is the love of Christ — every day.
And so this Song of Solomon contemplates it; it says, “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness?” Song of Songs 8:5. How are we to come up out of it? As coming into His obedience, coming up out of it as loving Him to be occupied with the love of Christ — they leaned on Him in coming out. While we are in flesh and blood condition, we always need support, and that is the arm of Christ. We are drawing near to the end, and the world is but a wilderness to those who love Him. It is a period in which the Christian is tested and in which the Lord is attracting hearts to Himself. Thus in the Song of Solomon we see His triumph in securing the love of the saints.
[p. 35] The aim of ministry is to present Christ in such a way that He becomes the Object of the saints here. He says, “I raised thee up under the apple tree”. Song of Songs 8:5. The apple tree refers to the service that the Lord rendered in the covenant; so whilst the cup is said to be the cup of the new covenant, it is the new covenant in Christ’s blood, it is the pledge of the love of God. Then the place the Lord Jesus is in has also to be borne in mind. It is in “the cup of the new covenant in my blood” that He makes the love of God effective. Everything is given to Him to minister, but one thing given to Christ that affords Him the greatest delight is to make the love of God effective in the hearts of the saints. In 2 Corinthians 3:6 the apostle says, “The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life”, then he adds, “the Lord is that Spirit”. 2 Corinthians 3:17. It is the Lord carrying out that service in the saints, making effective in them the love of God. It is the Lord’s doing, He never wearies. He never gives up a task. He has undertaken to make the love of God effective in the saints, and He will do it. The Lord asserts His authority in the soul, but it is to bring into effect there the love of God. “The Lord is that Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty”, 2 Corinthians 3:17; there is always room for that service. He claims room in your heart where the Spirit of the Lord is. The apostle says, “We all with open face beholding the glory of the Lord”. 2 Corinthians 3:18. Not as John saw Him with garments down to the feet. He says you cannot see any of those beauties, but we all with unveiled face. It is a love matter, you must come into it, and whatever happens, love has that in view; the Lord will bring into your soul the love of God. You may evade it, battle with it, but the Lord is stronger. I, He says, I brought thee up under the apple tree. It is always under His own blessed influence, “where thy mother brought thee forth ... that bare thee”. Song of Songs 8:5. The love of God that comes into [p. 36] the soul will lead to attachment to Christ, and in result she comes up out of the wilderness leaning on her Beloved. It speaks of the saints as leaning on the Lord as the loved One.
It says, “cometh up from the wilderness”. Song of Songs 8:5. The Lord has become so endeared to the heart in the wilderness, that you come up out of it leaning upon Him. Moses, as typical of Christ, says, I have been with you all these years, and I wish you to come into the land suitably. It is a wonderful land; you must be there in suitable dignity. So that the believer should be moved by the drawings of love. They were led by the hand out of the land of Egypt, but they are led by the heart of God into Canaan.