LECTURE 5. — Exod. 16. and 17.
WE will read 1 Corinthians 10:1, 2, as our warrant for thus looking into these scriptures. So early as these days of Paul, we see warning instructions needful to be drawn from all parts of the Word of God — the Word of God is quick and powerful — to say nothing of the dignity put on us as His children preserving it for our instruction.
We were occupied on the last occasion with the manner in which the manna was gathered — communion in fact (John vi.) — God instructing them how to maintain it — how to eat of the true manna. No such thing after we are brought into fellowship with God and His Son as going by ourselves; no such thing as taking the leading of the Spirit without the word — all delusions spring from this; heresies arise from men acting outside the Word — no such thing as truth without the Spirit. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Truth, and the Spirit of Truth is the Holy Ghost.
Rephidim. First they had no bread, now they have no water. The people the moment they were in trial fell out with God’s servants, and fell out with God Himself. So Christians forget redemption. They ought to know that all is confirmed in it, and even to the end. The cause of failure is that Christ has not the beauty in our eyes He should have. The Christ of God is ever precious to God: hence our security. God having respect to Christ, cares for us by the way. The people break out into murmuring and rebellion and hard thoughts of God, and fall out with trouble by the way, forgetting the cross comes before the crown. So now, no sooner do trials come connected with the cross, than people wish they had never known it, forgetting they are the marks of the family.
Well are we taught from one end of the Word to the other that all is vain until taught by the Spirit, as our Lord witnessed, “Ye must be born again.” When God Himself speaks — God the Lord — He will speak peace to the people and comfort to. His saints. The Holy Spirit in the Word tells one unvarying unchanging story of God’s eternal love to us in Jesus Christ.
“They be ready to stone me” (ver. 4). What a character! Yet that is our nature. We do the same; flesh is flesh, ever judging unkindly of God. The history of the past shows us the present. Enough to lead us to despair; but blessed desperation if it leads us to the gospel of Christ, to Him and to the Bible, there to find what God is towards us: alas, we have found out what man is towards God: our evil is brought out fully in the cross of Christ. “That Blessed” man laid hands on and put to death. We have not need to learn it practically, the cross brought an end to all expectation of the flesh. All that we have to do daily and hourly is to judge the flesh and walk in the Spirit: conformity of thought to Christ, conformity of walk with Him our daily work; no longer as a question of getting to heaven, that is settled already. We have to walk in the wilderness, to endure buffetings from Satan, and harassing’s of our own hearts. We have to hold fast that which has been committed to us; this is not a light thing, in fact the very hardest; constant need of dependence on God for that thing given of God to be kept alive by God. Often Christians suppose that because they have life they can sit carelessly down and have no more to learn; this is true in one sense, but we need His power to live. Nature can never again be trusted. Every thought must be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; yea, make a prisoner of every thought; lock it up, and keep it subject to the Word (2 Cor. 10:3-5).
Reasoning! Satan is an adept at reasoning; put it aside; Satan is an overmatch for the most skillful; “the Serpent more subtle,” &c. (Gen. 3., 3.). The Proverbs were written to teach subtlety to the simple and to give young men knowledge and discretion (Prov. 1:4). How did God meet the outbreak of the flesh? Before He brought them into the wilderness He knew them, and what they were. He who brought such redemption was not going to turn aside because the flesh showed itself. He knew what was in man, and He who gave His Son was not going to give us up because what was in came out. All our springs and hopes are beyond the grave now (vers. 5, 6, 7). Compare 1 Corinthians 10:4. How touching Paul’s comment! How confirmatory to the faith of our souls this day! How simple the testimony and sure that nothing could meet our need but the cross of Christ! the rock flowed water to Israel. Thus all that Christ is flows for us. We cannot enter into conflict until instructed how to eat and how to drink. Conflict can only be carried on in counion with God. A blessed conflict it is, and this book is precious as showing us all the way of redemption.
Now for the battle, the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Exod. 17:8-16). Moses went armed with the rod of God. No thought of bringing the flesh into this battle. No power but the Word for fighting with Satan. No remedy in the midst of these evil times but the Word; there is the triple aspect of evil, Cain, Balaam, Korah (Jude 11); the more the darkness prevails the more need of keeping yourselves in the love of God (Jude 21); if iniquity is abounding, the remedy is abounding grace; the antidote to the evil around us is the love of God and faith of Christ, the panoply of truth with which we began, and we are kept by the same unto eternal life praying in the Holy Ghost.
And Joshua “fought with Amalek.” Moses on the top of the hill upheld between Hur (royalty) and Aaron (priesthood). Whilst praying and looking up all was well; so with God’s people to-day. But who is to sustain in the power of prayer? Who but God? When we cease to pray we fail; but Christ’s intercession and royal priesthood are still our stay. Seated on the stone, a type of the Rock, Christ, kingship and priesthood sustained Moses till the sun went down. The end of the believer is bright, settled and stablished on this Stone; Christ as Priest sustains us on the right hand, as King protects us on the left. So He who begins the good work will carry it on to the end (Phil. 1:6), confirming in the grace of the blessed gospel. How happy to know the Lord Jesus Christ ours for every circumstance. Joshua discomfits Amalek, blessed result of prayer of faith, the enemy daunted: who is able to sustain but God: blessed provision!
Sometimes we say we cannot pray, but to put ourselves in His presence and say we cannot pray is oftentimes the best prayer: the most urgent prayer we can make is when our lips can’t speak — the Spirit makes intercession. Our fluency in prayer often takes us off our hearts’ needs, the attitude of dependence is oftentimes the best prayer. When saints meet in a body, no utterance may be given; yet prayer is the greater when the need is acknowledged. God has respect to the soul’s position before Him.
“I speak as to wise men: judge ye what I say.” “Write this for a memorial” (ver. 14). How He causes His people to triumph! tell it over and over again, we need constant reminders. Oh, what power should we get over him did we see it as God’s enemy, to remember God reckons your enemy His. I’ll fight it for you; our corruptions are too strong for us, a straw will turn us out of the path. Many a time is God’s child crying out. Oh that I were rid from remorse, harassings, distresses. But if they did but remember that God has promised to overcome in them and for them, how soon would victory be won! He has given a banner to them that fear Him to be displayed. He would have you unfurl your banner in face of your foe. Christians often fail to put up their banners after victory won and acknowledge God in it. The banner is never to be furled, because God will have war with Amalek from generation to generation (ver. 16).
In chapters 16. and 17. God patiently teaches them what there is in Him, and shows up to them what there is in themselves. What a contrast! Murmurings, chiding, rebellions, even desiring to return to Egypt, in them. Nothing but unfolding of grace in Him. We must be humbled and bow down before God. The knowledge of grace is the alone key to the character of God. What are our works? We have nothing to say to our good ones; we must with the blood of Christ silence our bad ones.
To be where Christ is owned is our happy position, holding fast faith and grace. Our evil? We must judge it, but we must not, we dare not allow it to be that which God will judge us for. Our evil just moved God towards us and brought Christ down to die. Evil was judged when Christ died on the cross. He was judged for it. No judgment for us, except to judge ourselves; our business this side of the grave is to judge ourselves: on the other side acquittal and blessing. It was because we were evil that Christ died, and that ends it.
Let us in the sense of acceptance and dependence on the Spirit strive by that Spirit to obey and walk in nearness to God!
JOHN WILLANS.