HOW GOD PREPARES A DWELLING FOR HIMSELF AMONG HIS PEOPLE

^[p. 107] HOW GOD PREPARES A DWELLING FOR HIMSELF AMONG HIS PEOPLE

Exodus 1: 21; Exodus 2: 1 - 3; Exodus 15: 20, 21; Exodus 35: 25, 26

I believe that these women, mentioned in Exodus, give us a thought of the result which God will effect in our souls. In the Bible the woman represents the subjective side; that is to say, the work of God in our souls and the result of it. The objective truth is presented in Christ, and the subjective is the outcome of the work of God in us by the Spirit. In every book in the Bible we find some special feature of the truth, and I believe that in each particular book the women whose names are mentioned point out to us what these features are. We see this both in the Old Testament and in the gospels in the New Testament, as also in the Acts. God takes up things we can see before our eyes, in order to show us what He has in mind.

These women in Exodus give us a thought of what God will teach us in connection with the truth in this book. The first women of whom we read are the Hebrew midwives. We remember that Pharaoh had charged them to kill all the male children as soon as they were born. These Hebrew male children were in type sons of God. It says in the first chapter of this book: “These are the names of the sons of Israel who had come into Egypt”. They were viewed from the spiritual side, not only as the sons of Jacob, but as the sons of Israel. We have here the thought of a spiritual family; and the desire of the enemy is to destroy this family; he therefore orders the two women, whose names are mentioned, to kill the children. They disobey this order. A feature that we often find in women is that they hide their actions, and we find the same in these women when they refused to enter the enemy’s service. In certain cases it can be right to keep secret what one is doing. In ^[p. 108] Colossians we have the wonderful truth called the mystery, and in this epistle our life even is said to be hid. Thus in the service of God are found hidden things, and things that are revealed. We need wisdom to act in secret in order to frustrate the intention and work of the enemy.

We see here that the enemy’s purpose was to destroy the spiritual family. This family was called Hebrews, which indicated that they were suffering reproach. As those being born of God and having the Spirit of God, even we suffer reproach, and the enemy would destroy all such. At the present time it is not through literal death he seeks to destroy us, but through the influence of the world. God is carrying out a work in the hearts of His people, and this in view of preparing a shelter for the young and the newly converted ones. It is when the spiritual life in a soul begins to appear that the enemy endeavours to destroy it. Therefore the young converts need the greatest care. They do not know to what dangers they are exposed, but we, who are older, know. These two women received special blessing from God. One does not need special gift to care for the young, but more a spiritual instinct, wishing to protect the new life that is in them. God will specially honour and encourage such a service, for it says that God dealt well with them and built them houses. What a precious thought this is, that God will give spiritual increase on account of this service, as we, in spite of the enemy’s bidding, have sought to protect the spiritual life in the young, that there might be found an Israel of God according to the word of the apostle: “And as many as shall walk by this rule, peace upon them and mercy, and upon the Israel of God”. In the eyes of the enemy we are regarded with reproach like Hebrews, but in the eyes of God we are the Israel of God.

^[p. 109] In the second chapter we read of the mother of Moses that she saw him that he was fair. The midwives did not take into consideration whether the children were fair or not. They saved the male children, but for the mother of Moses it was the fairness of the child which was of such importance, as it says in Hebrews 11, that they saw the child beautiful. This was, of course, another reason why they should protect the child. All believers are fair and pleasing in the eyes of God, even if this trait has not yet come out in them, for God knows the end from the beginning. As those who are born of Him, we shall all be fair, for we shall all be like Christ. When Gideon asked the kings of Midian about his brethren they answered, “As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the sons of a king”. In the light of all this we see of what value the saints are, and how important it is that we should protect them against the enemy. This woman hid the child; she protected it from the enemy’s influence and power. We find in this woman the principle of preserving what is of God from the power of the enemy. Young believers are in a special way exposed to the enemy’s power through the influence of the world. In type the mother of Moses delivered the child to death. This corresponds to what we do when we let a child come under the water of baptism, the type of the death of Christ. When Moses was put into this ark of bulrushes which was prepared with such care, he was saved. We may say that even the daughter of Pharaoh had something of this woman’s spirit about her. She was in her mind quite unlike the others in her father’s house; she showed mercy.

When one goes about amongst the people of God one perceives what great lack there is of gift to preach the gospel and even of ability to serve the people of God. But if this secret womanly service that ought to characterise every one of us, brothers ^[p. 110] as well as sisters, is found amongst us, we should find that young people would grow up in our midst, and they would be furnished with gifts. Another thing that we find in Exodus is that they who served God did not fear the wrath of the king. It says of the parents of Moses that they did not fear the injunction of the king. They did not obey it in spite of the consequences. And it says of Moses that he did not fear the wrath of the king. This service requires courage.

The next woman we may consider is Miriam. She is mentioned by name for the first time here in Exodus 15, and she is called a prophetess. She was no doubt, Moses’ sister, the one who watched over him when he lay in the ark in the sedge of the Nile. Very early she commenced this service of which I have been speaking, but now we find that she is called a prophetess. It is obvious that she was an old woman here, older than both Aaron and Moses. We find even that she had grown in her soul. It is something remarkable that a woman should be a prophetess. God would not use any person to represent Him and make known His thoughts if he was not characterised by His features. Miriam had, no doubt, for a long time walked with God in secret, and therefore she could be called a prophetess, and not only this, but we read that she took the tambour in her hand and led the women in song. We see that she had a great influence over the other women, for they all went out after her with tambours and with dances. When we consider how many women there were in Israel then, we understand what influence she had.

It is of great importance to exercise a good influence over the people of God. They all followed her, and she did not lead them astray. It is, alas, possible for a sister or a brother to lead the people of God astray. It is most sorrowful when one having ^[p. 111] influence amongst the people of God leads them astray. But he who by his influence is able to lead the people of God in the right path is of the greatest value amongst the saints. We see here how all the women went after her. They followed her with music which speaks of something that calls forth response from our hearts. It is important to have understanding in the things of God, but it is great value to be able to call forth spiritual feelings in the people of God; and this was what Miriam did here. When we come together as we do at this time or in one another’s houses, our hearts are moved with spiritual things and spiritual feelings. This is a feature that enters into the peace-offering. There is a state of spiritual joy coming in amongst the saints, and the meetings are not dull but vigorous and characterised by refreshment and holy joy. The Lord gets His portion in all this. We see here that all the women are in this, and it says that Miriam answered them: “Sing to Jehovah, for he is highly exalted: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea”. So that in Miriam we find the ability of calling forth the best feelings, and she is also able to give an answer; she apprehends the position: “Jehovah ... is highly exalted”. Here we see the full result of the work which the midwives commenced, but now it is no longer a service in secret, it is a public service, for the enemy was conquered, and God was exalted.

The final thought I had in mind is found in chapter 35 where the great result comes out, that is, the tabernacle and the women’s part in the making thereof. It says, “And every, woman that was wise-hearted spun with her hands”. We come now to a work done with hands, a work that had the dwelling of God in view. All this, dear brethren, is something which ought to be found in every local place where the saints are, for if we save the saints from ^[p. 112] the enemy, and if we protect the spiritual family and call forth the innermost feelings of their hearts, then all this is in view of God having a dwelling here. Every woman who was wise-hearted spun with her hands, and she brought what she had spun. It was the work of hands, it was a personal service with their hands, and therefore they brought it, the blue and the purple, scarlet and byssus. Later it says: “Every man and woman whose heart prompted them to bring”. Here we see that it came from their hearts. The Holy Spirit sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts with the result that we love God, and our hearts move us so that we desire there should be a dwelling for God here.

From all this we see, dear brethren, how these women speak to us of the great result that is in view in Exodus. We find the family of God, saved from the world, preserved in spiritual life. Thus we see how the innermost feelings and love of the saints come out, and at last the work which we can do with our hands, so that God might have a dwelling amongst us as it says in Ephesians: “In whom ye also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit”.