THE HEAVENLY MAN IN THE WILDERNESS

THE HEAVENLY MAN IN THE WILDERNESS

The calling of the saint now is heavenly; but as he is on the earth, his experiences are necessarily how grace forms and separates him from what is simply natural to him, and enables him to be true to his new standing in a scene to which he once so entirely belonged. Hence there is first the entering into the liberty wherewith Christ has made him free, before he enjoys for himself his new calling, or can truly walk according to it here. For that very progress in grace which introduces him into heavenly joys, demands and empowers him to be true to it in his walk here. But as he is still on the earth, where the world is directly against God, the more heavenly he is, the more he feels that he is in the wilderness. The real character and nature of what the world is to the Spirit of Christ, is made known to him, so that unlike the type, Israel, as he passes out of the wilderness to Canaan, which simply represents the heavenly man on earth, he learns that the more fully and truly he is a heavenly man, the deeper and fuller experiences has he of the real character of the wilderness. The one really heavenly Man on the earth, was “led of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil”. It is only as one is really of God, and knows what good is, that one can apprehend the contrast, even the evil here, and thus one suffers more from it, though through grace one is better prepared for it.

The consequences of Israel passing out of the wilderness into Canaan to dwell altogether in the latter, led eventually to their captivity and deprivation of the land. They became so elated and independent because of the bright and pleasing circumstances of Canaan, that they forgot God, and proved themselves unworthy of the promised land. Now in the antitype there is this immense difference, that the more the saint is really in the new ground, answering to Canaan; the more is he placed in circumstances here to keep him in dependence, that is, this scene is more a wilderness to him. The wilderness means whatever are my ostensible circumstances, or occupation as a man, and is a place where nothing contributes to me, and where all my resources are in God. Many on first reaching the liberty and rest of the heavenly standing fail, and are carried away into captivity to the world, because they have not continued in dependence on God.

The great teaching of the wilderness is dependence on God. The really heavenly man must in a scene like this be the most dependent man; and whenever anyone learns his calling truly, and walks according to it conscientiously, he ever finds that new circumstances or trials occur, to keep him dependent; so that the truest heavenly man is the best wilderness man.

True, immense light with joy is made known to the heart, as it learns and advances into the portion of a heavenly man; but the saint, who because of this great moral elevation, should be deceived into the idea that he is from henceforth out of the wilderness trials, and therefore less dependent on God because of what he possesses, would become the prey either of some religious ^[p. 121] delusion, or heresy, or in some other way would fall into the snare of the devil. It is not after the manner of God to raise us through grace to a great moral height, and to suffer us to be less dependent on Him who has so elevated us, and less opposed by the flesh which is enmity against God.

In Scripture we find, and our own experience is corroborative of it, that the more one enters into the height to which grace has called him, the more is he subjected to trials here, if he be conscientious, in order to check the boastfulness of the flesh, because of an assured moral exaltation. The blessed Lord was the perfect heavenly Man on earth, and yet no one was so exposed to every kind of opposition and contradiction here; not, of course, that the check was needed with Him, but He was to be as perfect as a wilderness Man as He was as a heavenly Man. He was perfectly solitary here; no one could reach to His moral eminence, and yet they saw no beauty in Him, but said, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him”. They hated Him without a cause, refuge failed Him, no man cared for Him; indeed, all forsook Him and fled. He was alone, the Father was with Him. He was His hope from His “mother’s belly”. When He entered on the path of service here, He was led of the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. The greatest heavenly Man is the best wilderness Man; and hence, He replies to Satan’s first temptation that He should turn the stones into bread, by quoting from Deuteronomy 8, “Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live”. This described the grand result to be effected by wilderness experience. The Lord is perfectly educated as a wilderness Man, and He is invincible, for “blessed is the man that trusteth in thee”.

In Deuteronomy 8 we are told the difference between the wilderness and Canaan; and we are warned against the snares which the sense of possession would expose one to; and simply because there would not be then a call ^[p. 122] for the dependence which was the great education of the wilderness. Hence in the type, Israel passed right out of the wilderness into Canaan; and when they were altogether in Canaan, they soon forgot the teaching of the wilderness, because there was not the same need for it. But as I have already remarked, with us the Lord takes care that the lesson of the wilderness shall never cease, and therefore the more a saint is in the spiritual Canaan, if he will hearken to the voice of the Lord, the more will he find here very unexpected trials, to ensure his dependence. Dependence is the essential characteristic of the new nature, and when the dependence is true, obedience follows because the really dependent one is absolutely guided by the word of Him on whom he depends. Hence in Deuteronomy 11 when the contrast between Egypt and Canaan is presented, and where the judgments which opened and secured the way into Canaan are detailed, we are told that if the people were not obedient to the commandments of the Lord, they would soon forfeit the blessings of the land - “the early and latter rain”, and be worse off than they were in Egypt, where there was the river at any rate. The true order is dependence and obedience. Some try to be obedient without being dependent, and they are legal, and not doing the will of God from the heart; whereas when I am really dependent, I know rest of heart, in leaning absolutely on Him who cares for me, and to whom it is due; and the more I appreciate this dependence, the more carefully do I take heed to every word which He may say to me, for every word helps me and encourages my confidence in Him.

Paul in 2 Corinthians 12 shows us how a man after enjoying the most wondrous exaltation in which grace could set him was subjected to the most unexpected and the most afflicting trial, the messenger of Satan to buffet him, and all lest he should be puffed up above measure. The very height to which he was raised, required to be balanced by a new trial and that the severest he could ^[p. 123] have here. It seemed so strange to the apostle that he prayed three times, which he relates as if such a repetition were unusual, that it might depart from him. The Lord does not remove it, but tells him, “My grace is sufficient for thee”. He must be kept dependent; and as he had reached higher than anyone else, his check, or the means to keep him dependent, are more unusual and severe than to anyone else. If he is unprepared for the exaltation that was given here by the revelation to him of what it was impossible for man in himself to utter or comprehend, he is (concurrently with the great revelation) subjected to a most unexpected and untoward humiliation in the flesh, which is, as it were, correspondingly distanced and blighted, as the man in Christ is exalted. It is only consistent that I should be made sensible of the workings of the old man, as I enter more into the wondrous position of the new. As I advance in the one, I am sensibly more dependent because of the other.

Now many are not preserved as Paul was from being lifted up. If Paul’s flesh could have been puffed up after all he had learned of the Lord, how much more those who know so much less of the power of the Spirit of God? Everyone, according as he is enlightened, if he walks in the light, would see that he was called to new exercises and that he required help from the Lord in a way unknown before. If he becomes indifferent to these new trials; that is, if they have not the effect of continuing and promoting his dependence, he is allowed to discover his weakness by some open failure. Jacob returns to Canaan, and while he is dependent, is greatly succoured there; but as soon as he is relieved of the presence of Esau, he essays to settle down and enjoy himself, as if the rest had fully come. He is not irreligious, nor does he surrender any truth which he had learned, but he is not dependent; he loses sight of the true way for a heavenly man on the earth, which is continued dependence and not calculating that the day of trial and exercise is over, and that he can now derive everything ^[p. 124] from the earth. This last is not the way of a heavenly man on the earth, but Jacob so calculated, and, in consequence, he was subjected to the deepest sorrow at Shalem. The wickedness of the flesh in its worst forms was disclosed there, and the heavenly man has to exclaim, ‘I shall be destroyed, I and my father’s house.’ From the depths of weakness and humiliation, he has to cry unto God, and when he has reached Bethel, greater sorrows, but more personal ones, await him. Thus we see, that according as we advance into the greatness of our new position in Christ, the more, as we are really honest and happy therein, are we subjected to trials here, to keep us in dependence which is the true condition for the children of God.