FEATURES OF DIVINE INFLUENCE
[p. 153] FEATURES OF DIVINE INFLUENCE
Ezekiel 47: 1 - 5; Revelation 22: 1, 2, Genesis 2: 10; Psalm 46: 4
What is exercising me at the present time, and has been during the day, is the thought of influence; and I have selected these four scriptures, in each of which reference is made to a river, believing that the idea of a river in Scripture is largely that of influence. Other features stand connected with it, for a river is a resource, particularly the Nile, which may be regarded as typical of human resource and influence. It is alluded to in Scripture from that point of view. Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is spoken of as lying “in the midst of his rivers, which saith, My river is mine own, and I made it for myself”, Ezekiel 29:3. The Nile stands out therefore as typical of human resource and influence. The very existence of Egypt as a country depends on it. But the Nile is not the only river which may be regarded as the representative of the world in its resource and influence. Indeed, in the book of Revelation, the special judgment of God is poured out upon the rivers of the world and the fountains of water; meaning those influences by which men are darkened, by which the light of God is excluded from their minds, by which men are maintained in independence of God. The world depends on them. The great centres of education, the great sources of thought, these come in for the severest of the vials of divine wrath; and they exist, beloved friends, at the present moment as never before. Whether in large volume as represented in the Nile, Amazon, or Mississippi, or in the smallest streams in distant and comparatively unknown parts of the earth, the same dire influence is at work to shut out from the minds of men the light of God, the light of His love.
I want to occupy you, by the Lord’s help, with [p. 154] what is positively of God in the way of resource and influence. I want to dwell on these four scriptures as containing four features of this positive divine influence that is operative at the present time, and has been operative for well nigh twenty centuries in this world. I want to dwell on the book of Ezekiel first, because it connects what I have been speaking of with the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. No influence can be beneficial, can be pure, can be life-giving, can be edifying, save that which begins with the death of Christ, and I want to show that all that is good, all that is beneficial, all that is life — giving, must come that way. And so the Holy Spirit occupies us in this passage in chapter 47 with the setting, as I may say, the geographical setting, of the source whence this river issues. I want you to follow, as Ezekiel followed the man with the measuring line; for to understand Ezekiel, particularly the closing chapters, we have to keep our eye on him. We have to be shown, in other words; and God is showing. He is constantly showing us things, and it is of the greatest importance, that every christian should have a right understanding of the setting of the source of this simple type, this river.
He says, as you will observe, “And he brought me back to the door of the house”. Now the idea of the house of God should not be beyond the simplest believer. There are many things about it that you may not be acquainted with, but you certainly, as a believer in Christ, should know something about the door. If you are in the fellowship of God’s people you certainly should know something about the door. So he says, “And he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward”. Now you may have been occupied with the Lord’s people, having some knowledge that they are the house of God, for they are. That is to say, they are the house of God [p. 155] as indwelt by the Holy Spirit. It does not refer to them as merely professors of Christ. It refers to them, of course, as professors, but it refers to them as having the Spirit. No one is in the house of God save as he has the Spirit, and every one who has the Spirit is in the house of God. He may not know his place in it, but he is in it from the divine side as possessed of the Spirit of God.
Now I want to occupy you with the setting of this house. As I said, you may have been occupied with the saints and perhaps have found things to complain of, but there is nothing to complain of as the man with the measuring line leads you to the door and shows you water issuing from the house. We have not here, therefore, the house as the subject of discipline, for judgment is to begin at it, we are told. A very solemn thing indeed! Not that anyone truly of the house shall come under judgment, but judgment begins there, and as Peter says, “if first from us, what shall be the end of ... the impious and the sinner?” 1 Peter 4:17,18. Where shall he appear? So that the Holy Spirit is not occupying us here with the house from that point of view. He is occupying us with it as the source, as it were, of this river; and He goes on to tell us, “For the front of the house was eastward”. I am dwelling on this because I am impressed with the importance of it, that every believer here should understand the setting of the house. It is toward the east. Now the east points to Christ. It refers to the coming of the Lord, the Sun of righteousness. And so at the outset, as the Holy Spirit came down from heaven and filled the house with His sound and with His presence, every heart was turned toward Christ. Were you to visit that company in Jerusalem you would not find any one there occupied with worldly affairs. Every heart was turned toward Christ; the whole company was turned toward Christ. The outlook was Christ, and [p. 156] the coming of the Lord as the day — spring from on high. As Peter exhorted the disciples later, “until the day dawn and the morning star arise in your hearts”, 2 Peter 1:19. That was the outlook. If you look abroad at christendom today, is that the outlook? Not at all. The idea of the coming of the Lord is well — nigh lost. There are those who hold the teaching of it as a mere doctrine; others there are, thank God, who hold it as a blessed hope, but the great mass of nominal believers today has given it up. They are not looking toward the east. They have turned right about, as it were; they are looking toward the west. What hope have they? None. The west is the point of the compass which is without hope. It is the going down of the sun. It is the ending of things, and if you analyse the writings and speakings of the leaders of nominal christians you will find that they have no such hope before them. They are not looking toward the east, and hence there are other influences that are issuing forth from them.
Well, you will find further, “And the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, south of the altar. And he brought me out by the way of the gate northward, and led me round outside unto the outer gate towards the gate that looketh eastward; and behold, waters ran out on the right side”. Now what I want to point out next is this movement northward. It has in view that we should be humble. It is the aspect of judgment. Whilst the coming in of the Holy Spirit into the assembly was the great result of the occupation of the saints with the coming of the Lord, whilst that was the immediate result, the danger of getting away from that was ever present, and it was not long before there was a bearing away from it and a forgetting of the sufferings of Christ. Ah! beloved friends, we need to have the sufferings of Christ constantly in view. All that bitter wind from the north involving the judgment of [p. 157] God came upon Him! There could be no river issuing from the house apart from that.
And then the altar. The water issues, it says, “from the right side of the house, south of the altar”. Having in mind the sufferings of Christ, keeping that steadily in view, we can take in something of the south and the right side. But so sure as the north is forgotten, so sure as the altar is overlooked, we shall weaken and the idea of the south and of the right side of the house must disappear. But all these features were there at Pentecost according to Acts 2. The sufferings of Christ were present. The Lord had appeared to His disciples, as it says, “after he had suffered”, Acts 1:3. He came in amongst them. After He suffered He was present in their midst with the tokens of His sufferings. And then Peter, in his address, calls attention to His death. It was emphasised. There could be no issuing forth of that mighty influence, of that mighty power, the Spirit of God, and the grace of God, and the love of God, carried forth upon that current, without the sufferings of Christ.
And then, the right side. The south side, I apprehend, is the favour of God. As the north points to the judgment of God, so the south points to His favour. The favour of God shone upon that scene, as it never shone upon a scene before. His countenance was lifted up upon them and the river issued forth. The right side, as I apprehend, points to the energy that marked them. The whole heart and soul of the saints were thrown into the movement. There were no half — hearted measures in those days. There was no forsaking of the assembling of themselves together. The heart and soul of the people were one, and it was thrown into the movement. It was, as it were, the right hand of power; the very best from heaven was exercised for the benefit of man. Such beloved friends, is the Holy Spirit’s [p. 158] anticipative description of Pentecost and what followed it. No doubt this prophecy will have its more literal fulfilment in connection with Israel in a coming day; but, as I have been saying, it has a present bearing, as almost all Scripture has. And now, what I would say to everyone here is that all this that the Holy Spirit shows here is presented to us as the expression of divine abundance. Thus let no one say that what is in the house is not sufficient. We began with the source. God takes us to the source of things, and we traverse the river downward, so to speak, from its source, and what you find is that the further you are taken, the further you progress in that way, the more ample you find the supply. We begin with waters to the ankles, then to the knees, then to the loins, and finally a river to swim in, “that could not be passed through”. Let no one talk of the poverty of the house of God. Those of us who know what it means know its wealth. We know its fulness. We know the more we understand it, the deeper, the more extensive, the more magnificent it is. God in it, beloved friends, satisfies the desire of every living thing. Every living thing lives in it, as the passage goes on to show. All outside of it is death. What a wonderful thing to be in it! To be swimming in it, and thus in the very midst of its fructifying power! The world is left behind for ever as you prove the extent of this wonderful influence. And what I allude to is the Holy Spirit come down from heaven, but not only the Holy Spirit but the grace of God, the love of God, and, I may say, the love of the brethren. All these things were carried forward by the power of the Spirit for men. There was never an influence like that in the world, and it remains here. I want the youngest christian to get hold of it and to see that he has something greater than the world.
Now I proceed to Revelation to show you the same thing but from the standpoint of the government of [p. 159] God. The river this time does not issue from beneath or from the south side of the altar. Nor indeed is it said to issue from the house at all. It is from the throne of God and the Lamb. We christians respect government as it is in this world. We pray for those in authority, but we well know the influences that are at work. We know that none of them can be represented by the “river of water of life, bright as crystal”. We know what lies behind governments; selfish motives often govern the politicians. The end of government is to preserve order and promote the well — being of the people, but the underlying element of selfishness and ambition remains. And so we are directed to the perfect, pure river of the water of life issuing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
The Lamb is the suffering Christ as He is known today, but He has a throne, and from that throne issues forth the river of the water of life. It is, as said, “clear as crystal”, so that in the government of God amongst us (and it is directly amongst His people) everything is transparent. There are no dark parts, no secret counsels; things are open. The mainspring of everything is love. Every one is made to feel that the very best is being done for him, and there are no preferences; preferences are most baneful. We read also of ‘the street’, one street. There are no special classes. The government of God knows none; it recognises, beloved friends, only the saints of God. There is just one street; we are all on the same footing from this point of view. I am speaking not of the indirect government of God, which takes account of different positions in this world. I am speaking of the direct government of God which goes on in the house of God. There is only one fellowship, as I may say; one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one body, one Lord, one faith, one baptism. There are no special classes provided for, no reserved spots here; as in the city, so here there is but one street. And in [p. 160] the midst of the street, on either side of the river, available to everybody, is the tree of life bearing twelve manner of fruits, each in its month. Think of the variety! Think of the government of God issuing and culminating in this variety of fruits! There is nothing harsh about this government. As submitting to it you are fruitful. Then in the profession of the saints, that is to say, the leaves of the tree of life, there is healing power. Now it is not so where there is no life, where there is no fruit. You all remember how the fig tree was cursed. It had leaves but no fruit, a type of christendom at the present day. There are leaves, but there is no fruit, and no healing of the nations in their leaves. Look at the League of Nations, an endeavour to get things right. But is it getting things right? Christianity in a way is brought into it; all that is best in the world is taxed to make it a success. I am not decrying it. It is not my business to decry what represents government, but to call attention to the futility of mere profession. What can it do for the nations? Look at this fruit, look at this tree; the very leaves, it says, are for the healing of the nations. The very profession of true believers has healing in it. What a wonderful position christians occupy! This passage, of course, looks on to the millennial world, but the features present are here now by the Spirit in the assembly.
Now I go on to Genesis 2, to show you another feature of this divine influence, for the Scriptures are one, beloved friends; whether of the Old Testament or the New, it is the same thing. It is the word of God. And what I dwell upon now is this mighty influence is issuing forth from the place of supreme privilege. “A river”, it says, “went out of Eden, to water the garden”. That was the function of this stream of God. The best spot on earth was that which He had just planted for Adam, containing every tree that was good for food and pleasant to the [p. 161] eyes; it was planted by the hand of God. I like to think of God planting. Is it far away from us? Not at all. It refers to christians. “Every plant”, says the Lord, “which my heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted up”, Matthew 15:13. All that He Himself has planted shall stand. His own hands have done it, He has set us in perfect wisdom in relation to the place of privilege. And now He says, ‘Here is something to water you, the refreshment of heaven’. The river went out of Eden, the place of delights, to water that spot, the brightest spot on earth. “And from thence”, it says, “it was parted, and became four main streams”.
I want to show you in a few words that this influence is universal. The more we understand Colossians and Ephesians the more universal we shall be. We have already, as understanding these epistles, come under the mighty power of this river. It is the Spirit of God coming from heaven to refresh the saints, to maintain the saints in the full light of their calling. How few of us are in the full light of our calling! And why? Because of not understanding the provision of this river. It was to water the garden. It is the Spirit of God giving us understanding which is brought out in the epistle to the Ephesians. The Holy Spirit is only mentioned once in the epistle to the Colossians, which is significant, because He is occupying them with His own work, what He effects. He has quickened us together with Christ, and as quickened together with Christ we need this river. How shall we stand in the full light of our calling, beloved brethren, without it? It is the Holy Spirit, as Peter says, coming down from heaven; He is here in us to maintain us in our heavenly status, in our heavenly privileges, and as in the enjoyment of these privileges the river becomes parted from us and becomes four main streams. That is to say, it issues to all parts of the world. The believer in the light of Ephesians is never [p. 162] local; he is never insular. He is universal. He has love for all the saints; he is interested in all men; he is evangelical. And so you find in Ephesians the gospel presented in its fullest height: “The glad tidings of the unsearchable riches of the Christ”, Ephesians 3:8. Who can speak of the unsearchable riches of the Christ save as he is maintained by this water, by the Spirit of God come down from heaven?
Well now, I end with the psalm, and what I have to say about it first is that the source of the river is not given. We have the source of each of the other rivers, but the source of the river in Psalm 46 is not given. And what I understand by that is that it tells its own tale; the effect of it is its commendation. “There is a river the streams whereof make glad the city of God”. It is the gladness that it brings, beloved, that is its testimony. Christianity is never dependent on history. It is never dependent on human evidence, however great this may be; it carries its own credentials with it. This present subjective power is its evidence, is its credentials. It makes glad the city of God; what more do you want? How much do you understand, beloved, of this river, the present living ministry of the Spirit of God in its varied channels (for there are various channels), “the streams whereof make glad the city of God!” The idea is that it comes to you; it is not that you have to go to it.
I am reminded of a passage in 1 Corinthians 14 as illustrative of this truth. The apostle is commenting on the saints being together for ministry, and he lays down the principle that things are to be governed by spiritual intelligence. So he says, in effect, ‘You are together, and an unconverted man, an unbeliever, an ignorant person, comes in. When he sits down in your meeting and you are prophesying the river is flowing, the power of God is active in prophetic ministry. He falls down, and acknowledges that God is in you of a truth’ (verse 25). He needs no historical evidence as to the origin of this meeting, the assembly of God in Corinth. God will never give you such evidence as that; it is beneath Him. The thing carries its own evidence, beloved friends. Learned men spend their lifetime and their means in the east to discover evidence for or against christianity, but God never condescends to do that. “There is a river the streams whereof make glad the city of God”. They carry their own evidence. The believer knows, and he never wastes his time digging into the earth for confirmation. He will dig into the Scriptures. He will turn to God and enquire from God. The Scriptures, beloved friends, afford all the evidence, and then the blessed Spirit of God is here. The Holy Spirit carries His own evidence with Him, as we see at Pentecost. Do you think any of those people at Pentecost would put a spade into the earth to find evidence of what they saw and heard at Pentecost? The thing is absurd. Peter gives an account of it. He says, “Having therefore been exalted by the right hand of God ... he has poured out this which ye behold and hear”, Acts 2:33. Those who believed were speaking by the Spirit of God; the river was there. You want to see that. We want to prove for ourselves in the present living ministry that God is with us. And so at Corinth the man would fall down and say, “God is indeed amongst you”. Is that not enough? I think so, and every believer here should know it for himself. “The river of God is full of water”, Psalm 65:9. There are riverbeds sometimes empty, and sometimes they are full and overflow their banks. But the river of God is never empty. The river of God is full. It is the mighty influence of God in the Spirit to minister to His people, to hold His people, to maintain us in independence of the influences of this world.
May God bless the word to us all!