Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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Like to turn tonight to Exodus chapter 17. And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of sin after their journeys according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in rapidum, And there was no water for the people to drink. Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. Moses said unto them.
Why charge you with me? Wherefore do he tempt the Lord?
And the people thirsted there for water, And the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this, that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt to kill us, and our children, and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready to stone me. The Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take will be of the elders of Israel.
And thy rod wherewith thou smartest the river, take in thine hand and go.
I will stand before thee there upon the rock in horrible, and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel, and he called the name of the place Massa and Meredith, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us or not?
Then came Amalek and thought with Israel in her fitum, No, the son of the Joshua chooses out man, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron and her went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hands, that Israel prevailed.
And when he left down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
But most of the times were heavy, and they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat there on, And Aaron and her stayed up his hands, the one on the one side and the other on the other side, And his hands were steady until going down to the sun. And Joshua discomforted Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua, or I will utterly put.
Remembrance of Amalek from under heaven and more of us build an altar and call the name of it Jehovah Messi, for he said, because the Lord has sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
While I was thinking of this portion tonight, brethren, because it follows immediately the 16th chapter, where we have the children of Israel eating of the manna, the blood that came down from heaven. And I believe the Lord has richly fed our souls in these days that we have been together. It has been like the manna to our souls, and with like the children of Israel, they found that which satisfied them in that manner that God provided.
But it wasn't long after till we find the Lord brought them to a place where there was number water to drink. And there isn't any past experience in your life or mine that will keep us, or that will be the assurance that when fresh difficulties arise.
Will be able to meet them unless there is a constant looking to the Lord we can be in the enjoyment of himself and his things, and yet an experience may rise very shortly in our lives and unless we see that he has made provision for us for to turn to him in these trials and difficulties. Just like I'm like attacking Israel.
So we'll be overcome.
So here we find the opening part of our chapter here.
That the children of Israel came to this place where there was number water, and it says it was according to the commandment of the Lord. We might think that this was perhaps a mistake, that they came to such a place where there was no water to drink. Sometimes when we get into a situation where there doesn't seem to be refreshment and blessing, we might say, what have I done?
Not the circumstances arisen in my life.
Well, it may be that the Lord is speaking to us about something, but sometimes, I believe, as we have here, He brings us to such things that He might test us, and that He might teach us to our own nothingness, our own helplessness, so that we might look to Him and to Him alone. What is often said that the children of Israel had two lessons to learn in the wilderness.
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They had to learn their own utter insufficiency.
And they also learned God's all sufficiency tells us that when they look back on the wilderness, they were to remember how the Lord humbled them and proved them and showed them what was in their hearts. That was learning themselves, learning their own helplessness. They're the evil of their own hearts. But that it also says in the same chapter how the Lord fed them, how he gave them water to drink, how he.
Caused the third clothes in the world and their shoes didn't wax. Old God provided for them.
So I say they learn those two things. And brethren, we learn those two things too. We have to learn our own nothingness. We have to learn our own weakness.
How blessed it is in learning this when we learn the all sufficiency of God. And so if He has brought any of us to a point where there's no water to drink, if He has brought us to a point where the streams of refreshment that we have enjoyed seem to have failed, it isn't because His resources have failed. But He teaches us in this way how we should turn to Him.
So here it tells us wherefore the people did chide with Moses.
Isn't it natural to us when things go wrong in our lives to want to blame someone else? Oh how natural to think what someone elses fault this person did that this person did the other thing, and if they hadn't done that, why everything would be all right. So here they were blaming Moses.
I remember a brother telling me how someone who had left the meeting came to him and said, well, you know, I'd still be in the meeting if it wasn't for brother son.
Well, brother, I thought the Lord gave him wisdom, and the answer he gave, he said that the Lord put that brother there.
Well, instead, if it hadn't been for him, I'd still be in the meeting.
And he said, the Lord put that brother there and sad to say, this dear man never came back to the Lord's table because he was blaming someone else. Now it's true that that brother may have failed. I no doubt he did. But the Lord allowed it as a test. And the Lord allows these things rather than to come in your life and mind to test us. And so here when they didn't have any water.
How they blame most.
And they chatted with him and said, give us water that we may drink. Not as they expected something from him. But the Lord was the one who had provided the manna in the chapter before here. If we go back farther, wasn't he the one who had provided shelter from the judgment? Isn't he the one who had met their needs when they came to the bitter waters at Mara?
Over and over again, they had found a sure resource in him.
But when this occasion arose, they seem to forget that and don't we do the same?
Look back on our lives and see how wonderfully the Lord has undertaken. Situations have arisen and the Lord has undertaken for us. First of all, he saved us when we didn't deserve it at all. And then in our pathway there were the children of Israel on the banks of the Red Sea, the enemy behind them and the Red Sea in front of them. Everything looked so impossible.
But the Lord opened away.
So I say over and over again, He showed that he was sufficient. But when a new circumstance arose, they began to doubt again. They began to blame someone, to blame Moses. And Moses said unto them, Why chij with me? Wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? And let us stop and remember that when we find someone else to blame.
Is it not that we're really blaming the Lord because He allowed the circumstance?
He allowed what came in, and so if we would just take it from him and think the prophet by it, there would be blessing. Because we were noticing that verse yesterday that in tribulations and trials, in all these things, we can be more than conquerors. We can not only have the grace to overcome, but we can talk about this feeling the Lord allows.
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On the people face together for water. On the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this, that thou's blood is up out of Egypt to kill us, and our children and our cattle were first.
Notice now many of us, they're turning back into Egypt. I have no time more dangerous in our lives than when we begin to question God's Word, when we begin to blame others for circumstances in which we're a place. That's a very dangerous position.
And here we find, as I say, and their hearts are going back into Egypt. And they say, why did we come out of Egypt? They didn't say, why did we ever take shelter under the blood? And no doubt they were very glad that they had taken shelter under the blood. Under the blood they had been delivered from the judgment that God brought upon Egypt, and their first born had been spared.
But you know, it's one thing to be under the blood, it's another thing to leave Egypt. That's another thing to find our joys and our resources in Him. And so there while no Christian would ever turn his back upon Christ.
No person would ever turn his back upon the blind. There is a possibility, and our hearts get cold, of turning back to the world, turning back to its pleasures or its ******* or something that it has to offer, like the children of Israel, the lake from the onions and the garlic.
They're almost riders have the slavery of Egypt and to the earth there in the wilderness where they were entirely depending upon God and where they were learning their own hearts. And so here they actually said.
Why have you brought us up to kill us and our children and our cattle were first themselves and their children, then their cattle, it seems to me, to speak of their business.
Is enough that he interested in our family? Sometimes I've heard a point say, well, I wouldn't mind, I could take it. But if some was my children, my children can't take things like that. It hurts them. Yes, Here we find that they first thought of themselves and then they said in our children and then they thought of their business, their interests, their living our cattle.
And how easy it is for us.
When we get away from the Lord to start complaining and then begin to wonder if the path of following the Lord is too difficult for us, too difficult for our children. Too difficult if we're going to try and earn our living in our crooked world like this, where there's so many times at all that the Lord is sufficient for ourselves, for our little one, and for all our subjects.
Think of that little running as they left babbling, and there they started back to the land of Israel. Perhaps they realized something of what would face the man. Everything knew that there were enemies in the way, and they looked at them. They asked the Lord to provide the right way.
For themselves, and for their little, and for all their substance. And it says they faster than they prayed. And the Lord was intrigued of them. The Lord was entreated of them, and his difficulties arise. And if we see things in the way, if we see obstacles in the way, for our children steal our resource within the law.
Let us cry to Him and if it means fasting, if it means giving us something on our part.
That they might go on.
It's really all worthwhile, and so here we find other people coming out.
And Mervis cried under the Lord. Mervis moved to whom he could turn. If they blamed him. They don't find him. They would speak retaliating on this occasion. Alas, on another occasion he did. He lost his patience with the people. On a similar occasion later on, he called him rebel.
But here we find these turns to the right person.
When I see you and I get blamed wrongfully. If someone blame this for something and we know that we're not to blame, did we get annoyed or should we turn to the law?
Then we have, I would say it's very difficult not to get annoyed. You remember I've often thought about dear Moses, he lost his patience once, just money. Have you lost your patience once? Have I lost my patience once? Always been one man, I'm afraid. But the Lord and the Lord tells us that Moses only lost his patience once with the people and called him rebels and.
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The Lord said before that he couldn't go into the land.
Or may the Lord help us to go on with his people, and before his people, patiently speaking their good, and when circumstances such as this arise, that we might do what Moses did hear, and he cried under the law.
And he said, What shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready to stone me. This was a very unpleasant situation for Malibu, to say the least. He realized that all these people whom he had brought out of Egypt, and who just a short time before had been singing on the banks of the Red Sea, rejoicing that they were delivered, had now turned against him.
And were blaming him and were even almost going to stone him.
Billy asked the Lord what should he do and what did the Lord say? Isn't it lovely? And the Lord sent under Moses, go on before the people. Aren't these good words, brethren, for us to remember when these circumstances arise, and they do arise from time to time in our lives when things come up and that really try our faith and and try our patience. Let us hear the Lord saying.
Go on before the people, go on, don't leave the meeting. Don't give up serving your brazen. Go on before the people. Oh how sweet it is and how meaningful for us. More of us forgot it later on. This was to be written in a book and we heard so that they wouldn't forget how they got victory over Amalek. But we do forget sometimes. But at least we can say that at this time.
Mervyns found Grace to meet this difficult situation and he had that lovely answer.
Go on before the people and take with thee of the elements of Israel. I think this is nice too. The Lord didn't say, well, no, this you and Aaron go. He said take windy of the elders of Israel.
And on earth he still identified himself with assailing people of God. He didn't disassociate himself from him. He identified himself with them and took with him of the elders of Israel. And thy rod following this beautiful too. And thy rod, all this lie it tells us, you know all that law that was lifted up.
That opened the panties through the Red Sea so that the people could go through.
There were two rods, you know, and there was the rod that was used to smite the river, and there was the priestly rod. In this case it was the rod that was used to Mike the river and here to smite the rock, Old brethren, that leads us back to the ground of all blessings. It leads us back to Calvert.
How could God ever bless you and I so failing things that we have been since His grace picked us up. What is the ground of it all?
He would fear not his own son, but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not with him also freely give us all things? So the Lord said to Moses, Take that love, that rod refused to smite the river, that rod that brought the people out of Egypt. Take that rod in your hand, and take the elders of Israel.
Well, again I say, the ground by which God can belong with his people is the cross. It's what Christ has done. The question of sin has been fully taken up and met their calories, and now God can go on with his people and can bless them according to his heart of love for them.
And behold, I will stand before thee there upon the lock in horror.
Yeah, the Lord would stand before him. And as he took those elders and as he went with that rod in the town, the Lord said, I'll be before you, I'll stand there before you. And it's to have the Lord before us, not, not the people.
Not our brethren, but the Lord. We need to have him before thousand. 16th Psalm. I accept the Lord always before me.
Because He is at my right hand, therefore I shall not be moved. We know that song prophetically speaks of the Lord Jesus. It was always true of Him. And if it were true of us, we wouldn't be moved. There'd be a steadiness in our path that would be glorifying to Him.
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And there, and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink, Thou shalt smite the rock. You remember on a later occasion, as we remarked, Moses was told to speak to the rock.
This time he was to smite the rock.
The reason he was to speak to it the next time was because the Rock only needed to be smitten once. The Lord Jesus only needed to die for sin once, and His death there for our sins has opened up the way of blessing. And now, when there's a time of need arises, the Rock doesn't have to be smitten again. We can speak to the rock.
He asked the Lord Jesus is that rock and we can look up and turn to him.
But Moses, on the next occasion he smoked the rock twice.
He seemed to forget that.
The Lord.
Had provided water from that rock before, and he failed in maintaining how the glory of the Lord in the midst of His people.
Well, it tells us Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel, and he called the name of the place Masa and Merida, because of the chiding of the children of Israel and because they attempted the Lord saying, is the Lord among us or not? Yes, there was a name given to that place. And as I say, they came back and they were tested there again. And there are times in our lives when.
Teaches us things, but sometimes we have to learn again. We have to come into situations again, and there ought to been the remembrance of how good the Lord had been to them in the past.
But now we come to this eighth verse. Then came Amalek, and thought, with Israel in refinancing. Now these, these Amalekites as they were, they were a picture to us in the word of God.
Of the flesh of Satans power through the flesh. They were really descendants of Ishmael and.
The we know that Ishmael was born after the flesh and so am like pictures to us. How?
Satan works upon that fallen nature within us. I'd like to connect it with passage in John Chapter 7 and verse 37. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.
He had believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake He is the Spirit which they would believe on Him should receive. For the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified.
I believe in this water coming from the smitten rock. We have a picture of what is spoken out here in the 7th chapter of John that is.
The Lord spoke about the Spirit and it tells us in Galatians chapter 5 the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary, the one to the other, so that she cannot do the things that she would.
And so here, as soon as the children of Israel had a drink of this water that came from the smitten rock, why then Amalek came out? And the moment the Spirit of God leads our souls into the enjoyment of some precious things, why Amalek gathers his forces and attacks us through the flesh within.
Isn't that true? Over and over again, when we have just come to a fresh enjoyment of some portion while we find Amalek right at the doors, as it were, He's gathered his armies together and he's come to attack us. And so here the children of Israel were, sorely fresh by this water that came out of the rock, and they look and here are the armies gathered against them. What could they do?
Well, we don't find here that the children of Israel were responsible, so to speak, for this victory. It says, and Moses said unto Joshua, Notice he didn't speak to the people here. He said unto Joshua, Oh, I think this is beautiful because the battle is the Lord. He is the one who came down into this world and defeated Satan's power.
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So that Satan has no power over the believer.
Keeps the flesh in the place of death. But if we allow the flesh to act in US, then Satan has power. But the Lord Jesus not only put away our sins, not only sheltered us from judgment and brought us into a new position, but before God, that old nature, that old man was crucified with Christ, and we are to put it in the place of death.
But here Amalek comes out and saw Moses.
Joshua, Now Joshua figures to us Christ in the power of the Spirit.
He was the one who led the people into the promised land, and so there was a leader for the people as they went out in conflict against Amalek. And the only way that you and I can overcome when Satan seeks to tempt us through the flesh is to be walking in the spirit. It says walk in the spirit.
And ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
And so if the if you and I are enjoying the precious things of the Spirit that the Spirit of God would bring before us.
Of Christ, and that means love, and of our portion in Him.
One of them, the world, doesn't have very much attraction to us. But if we've lost the enjoyment of this, then Satan comes and works upon the flesh, and here we find he comes and he attacks the people. Well, as I say, they had a leader, and if you and I would keep upon our eyes upon Christ when Satan attacks, there would be victory.
If the children of Israel went out counting upon Joshua.
The one who was leading them there would be victory for them. Well, I think this is a very practical lesson for us because we often get in positions through our own self will and then we wonder why the Lord doesn't give us victory. It's something like this. Supposing I said, well, I'm going to some worldly entertainment, but I'm sure the Lord will keep me. You might well say, and you know it tells us in another place that the.
Who Amalek actually killed were the very hinder most of the people, the ones that were farthest from Joshua, like Peter, he followed the Lord, but he followed him afar off. And those are the ones that I'm like actually attacked. He didn't come to the front because Joshua was in front of their armies, but he came around the back. And those ones that stayed a long way from Joshua fell under the attacks of Amalek.
And so, you know, if you and I get away from the Lord, why Satan knows where there were stragglers. He knows whether we're away at the back like for Peter following afar off, and then he knows just how to tempt us. Peter was following a far off he he lost sight of the Lord. He got into the palace there and started warming himself with those around that fire and the high priest.
And the next thing was he was denying his law.
And so here there was a leader provided and they were to go out.
But it's nice to see also.
What Moses did, and it says in the end of this ninth verse, tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him and fought with Amalek.
And Moses, Aaron and her went up to the top of the hill. So you see, there was a leader down below. And again, I'd like to say to each one of us here, especially to those of us who were young, be sure you don't go to any place where you can't say. I believe I came here to please the Lord before you go out for an evening before you go any place.
Always get down and ask the Lord.
If it's his will that she should go because unless you and I have him as our leader.
Why, we may be just like those who are at the very back, so far away that they weren't protected by their leader. And so let us remember this. And if some person comes and asks you, will you go here or will you go there? Ask the Lord what you should do. Makes me think of a little incident that I heard of a man who visited a small town.
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And they were having a dance, sort of a, I think it was a street dance they were having.
And when he came, some of the people saw him kind of pushing his way through the crowd and getting up to where they were dancing and asked him if he'd like to take part in the dance. Well, he said, I have a friend and I'd like to ask him what he thinks about it. Well, he said, that's all right. So right there, whether we're all dancing, got down on his knees.
And he started to pray out loud, and he told the Lord right out loud that these people had asked him to join in the damned.
And he wanted to please him should he do it. And when the ones that were putting on the music saw this man on his knees, they stopped playing. And so the people stopped dancing. And so he got up off his knees and he said, well, I think the Lord's answered my prayer. I don't think it's his will that I should join in the dance. And this gave him an opportunity to be a testimony for the Lord Jesus.
Well, I believe if we would ask the Lord what He would have us do.
Why we find that he would show us. And so again I say the people had a leader here.
They had Joshua, and then up on the top of the hill Moses went up, and it tells us here in the 11Th verse. And it came to pass when Moses held up his hand that Israel prevailed, and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. Well, we've noticed about Joshua leading the people. Now what about Moses up on the top of the mountain?
Well, I mentioned before that Joshua brings before us Christ in the power of the Spirit.
But Moses on the top of the mount with his hand up, I believe that brings before us Christ up on high as our great high priest. If you turn with me to Hebrews, I think we'll find a little about this Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 14, seeing them that we have a great high priest, that is.
Passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God.
Let us hold fast our profession, for we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmity, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come barely under the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Now in the 7th Chapter.
And the.
24th verse.
But this man, because he continueth, ever hath an unchangeable or if you have a margin, you'll notice it says which passeth not from one to another priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest he came up who is whorely, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and.
Higher than the heaven. Well, I feel we can see in these verses the one who is passed into the heavens. Just as Moses went up on the top of the hill, so there's one who has gone up on high for us, and as we sometimes sing it for us, his hands uplifting in sympathy and love. And so there the Lord Jesus is up there and.
He's touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
Now notice the priesthood of Christ is not connected with our sins. The Lord has settled the question of our sins. His advocacy has to do with our sins, but His priesthood is connected with our infirmities.
Well, I believe when it speaks of our infirmities, it means something like this, that we we feel the trials of the wilderness. Perhaps we have weaknesses of body. Perhaps you wake up in the morning with a headache.
Takes a lot more grace to be patient when you have a headache than when you're feeling well.
You woke up some morning and you only slept half the night. Well, I'm afraid we're liable to be more disagreeable when we didn't get our proper sleep, so we need someone to help us on a day like that, don't we? Before we ever run into the difficulties and snags and trials of the day, the Lord looks down, he said. I know it's going to be difficult today. You didn't sleep very well last night. You've got a headache.
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Now you're going to need my help in a special way today.
And if we don't ask them what happens, well, a situation arises and it's too much for us. The enemy comes. And because of that miserable flesh within, just like the Lord said to the disciples, they were tired and they fell asleep when they should have been watching. And the Lord said, the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. And so here we find the children of Israel.
And they face the enemy with a leader.
But they also needed one who was up and high, holding up his hand for them. And we face the enemy. But there are times, special times in our lives, when we feel our infirmities, when we feel the way is especially difficult. And the Lord looks down and He says, let us come boldly under the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. So if that.
Need a little more than other days. Why the Lord is there to supply that little extra. And if I don't ask His help, then what happens? Amalek prevails. Amalek prevails. When Moses hands were down, the hand was down.
Because.
The thought in his hand going down is that we failed to ask the Lord's help and so when Moses hand went down, Amalek prevailed.
And now it tells us in this 7th chapter where we read.
But this man, because he continueth, ever hath an unchangeable or a priesthood which passeth not from one to another. Well, you know, I, I think this is very beautiful. Perhaps you have a family doctor and he's known the family. He knows all the physical weaknesses of the family.
But he dies.
All you feel if I get a new Doctor, you'll never understand this the same because that doctor just knew all about us. Well, the one who is our high priest, he, he has a priesthood that doesn't pass from one to another. He knew your father, he knew your mother. He knows the whole family history. And whether we like to admit it or not, we all have family weaknesses. We all have things that we have to contend with in a special way.
Isn't this lovely that here this one is a has an unchangeable or an intransmittable priesthood, and he knows all about us? And you remember how when Hannah came into the House of the Lord and was praying, why the priest looked at her and thought she was drunk?
Well, your high priest will never misunderstand you.
Jesus will never misunderstand the situations that face us. Sometimes they may be very oppressing and trying. The Lord understands perfectly. Isn't it wonderful to have such a high priest? And so it says he's able to save them to the uttermost. This is not the salvation of our soul that is referred to here. I mean when we are saved.
Saved from judgment to come. But here it speaks of saving us from failure.
It's the same thought as in Romans 5 when it says if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. How are we saved by His life? It was his death that saved us from hell and judgment to come. But it's His present life up there as our high priest that saves us from defeat, from dishonouring him, from doing things.
Would rob Him of glory, rob us of our testimony and our joy in Him.
And so he is able to say to the uttermost and never say, I couldn't help losing my patience, I couldn't help doing this or that because the circumstances were so trying. But the Lord says no matter how difficult they are, that He is able to save them to the uttermost, who come unto God, by him never.
Did Amalek prevail? As long as Moses hands up and never will the enemy be able to get the victory over you and I, unless we fail to seek help.
From the Lord at the moment that we needed, Oh, you say, I did ask him in the morning, but it says grace to help in time of need, in time of need. And that might come 100 times in the day. We need to form the habit of just looking up to the Lord like Nehemiah did.
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When the king asked him a question, before he answered the question, it says, so I prayed unto the God of heaven, and I said unto the king, King asked him a question, and he didn't even answer the King's question until he had sent a swift prayer up to the Lord, because he knew it was a very difficult situation in which he was placed.
So such a high priest became us who is holy, harmless, unbefiled, separate from sinners. And I believe the reason it says this is such a high priest became us who is holy. That is, sometimes when we lose our patience or say something we shouldn't, we go to some friend and we seek sympathy for our failure.
We say, well, you know what he said to me and we tell our story and then we tell what we said and we want the friend to say, well, I don't blame you. That's just what we'd like the person to say. But when the Lord, when we go to the Lord and we tell him about how trying it is and what they said to us, He says, I'll give you the grace. I'll give you all the grace you need.
And so that's the kind of help we need, isn't it? Our friends may not help us in time of need. They may actually hinder us.
For for Naomi, she really was a hindrance to Ruth and encouraged her in difficult circumstances to turn back to her people and to her gods.
But all how blessed that there's one we can go to and no matter how trying it is, he'll always supply the help that we need and never encourage us to do what's wrong because he's there so that we would triumph over Amalek.
But then we notice here that Moses had two hands when the one hand went down.
Why am I like prevail? But it tells us that there were those two hands and on one side Aaron, who was afterwards the priest in Israel and her, which means purity. That's the meaning of the word, was on the other side. And so they stayed there and held up Moses hands until the going down of the sun.
Well, we learned two lessons that when his hand went down, it was really failing to ask his help.
The Lord's health, but the fact that his hand was steady means that the Lord.
Is going to be there as our high priest right until we're called home. He'll be the priest all through our wilderness pathway. But the other hand, it never says the other hand went down. Notice the accuracy of Scripture. It says when his hand went down, Amalek prevailed. But it never says the other hand went down. It says all the hands were steady. Why didn't the other hand go down?
Well, that's the advocacy hand. And when we fail?
It's not up with us.
It isn't over with us when we fail, the other hand is still up and so although we allow the flesh.
Isn't it lovely to know that even when we do let the flesh act, we shouldn't, but we have an advocate with the Father. Let's notice that in the.
First John, First Epistle of John and the first chapter.
Eighth verse.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in US.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and justice to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in US. My little children, these things right I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Well this is the other hand I believe. And notice the verse doesn't study. If any man confesses sin, we have an advocate with the Father. It says if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father.
Because that hand never goes down and the Lord Jesus is our advocate.
Before the Father on our behalf, the very moment we sin, even before we confessed it. The confession of sin has to do with restoration to communion. But His advocacy maintains us in a perfect standing before God at all times. And so even a failing Christian is still as to his standing wholly and without blame before God in life.
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We may not be enjoying it. We can't be until we confess it.
It's something like this, supposing you had a very good lawyer.
An advocate at the law, and he's looking after your affairs.
Anesthesia makes some slip in your business. You're not aware of it just yet, but he thought, and he immediately, as a good advocate, as one who's looking after your affairs, he immediately undertakes to take care of you and to protect you in that error that you made. We'll say a couple of weeks later, you notice that you find out about it and you come to him and say, well, I'm afraid I'm going to get into trouble over this. I didn't realize I made.
Here all he said I've already acted on your behalf. You were uneasy until you had come and told him about it, but he had already acted and isn't this beautiful that we have that advocate and so just as her, which means purity. So the one who is there it says Jesus Christ the righteous. If I broke one of the laws of the city of Detroit.
And I hired a lawyer to get me off. How could he do it?
Well, I'm afraid he couldn't do it righteously. He couldn't do it righteously if I was guilty. But here I've sinned and I have a righteous advocate before the Father. How can he do it all? How blessed. And every sin, every failure was once fully met at the cross. And the Lord Jesus fully, completely glorified God. And so when He maintains our cause, it's because.
He has settled the whole question of sin to God's glory once and for all of the cross.
Or how good it is to know that we have such an advocate.
But on our part, it isn't trying to say that we haven't sinned. Why It says if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. If we say we haven't sinned, we make him a liar. We know that there are groups that say that you can live. That's because they don't understand the advocacy of Christ. We only deceive ourselves if we say we don't have a fallen nature. I know I've got the flesh inside of me and I know Satan.
To work on that flesh too, and a life I failed too. I wouldn't dare to stand before you here and tell you that I hadn't failed as a Christian. But how good it is that my standing is before God in Christ, perfect because of what he did. And there he is as my high priest to keep me from failing. As my advocate when I have failed.
And So what is the believer then to do?
When he has failed, his standing is maintained before God. What is our responsibility now if we confess our sins? He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And notice it doesn't say if we ask forgiveness. I've heard some Christians say, well, I asked the Lord to forgive me when I fail.
No, you and I don't need to ask forgiveness, because to ask forgiveness is to raise the question.
However, God has a righteous basis to forgive us.
If I did wrong to somebody and then I go and say will you forgive me? I'm raising the question whether he's going to say yes or no.
He said to me, Well, in my heart I've forgiven you, but I would like you to say you're sorry.
Oh what a different feeling I have now. Oh, isn't it lovely that when the believer comes that he can come and we confess our sins, Have it all out with the Lord, tell him what it was that we did and get to the root of it and why we did it with Peter. It was because of self-confidence. It was because of following afar off. And when we confess, then we need to get to the root.
That unjudged flesh in us, we need to own before the Lord that self-confidence, that pride, and perhaps something else that might be the cause of our failure. So it says if we confess our sins, he is faithful and he's just, He's just because as I said, it was already settled at the cross and we enjoy the forgiveness when we've confessed it and.
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Because that hand never goes down. That hand of advocacy is always there. He, he was there before the Father on our behalf, before we came to confess it. He's faithful and he's just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And just like, say a little word about that and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
In the 19th chapter of Numbers we have about the red heifer and when a man was unclean.
It says that he was sprinkled with the water on and in this water there was the ashes of the red heifer and, and scarlet and hyssop and cedar all together in the in the ashes of the in the water. And this was sprinkled upon the man. And that's why I speak about getting to the root of it, for the ashes of the heifer speak of Christ dying.
For sin. But the cedar and the scarlet and the hyssop, they speak of man's greatness. The scarlet speaks of human glory, and the hyssop speaks of man and his littleness, and all these things reduced to ashes.
Because I believe those are the things that cause us to fail. We may think we're somebody big like the cedar. When you drive through the Redwood forest out there in California, you can realize something of how those Cedars speak of pride. There are those mighty trees.
You're almost overcome with awe as you go through those great trees. Well, must be a great thing when one of those trees come down. But the cedar had to be brought down and burned along with the ashes of the heifer. And some of us are so important, so big, so great, we think we could never have a fall. And the Lord has to see us. Let us see that we could.
And then there's the the scarlet. The scarlet, I say, speaks of human glory.
Maybe, like Peter, we don't want to be laughed at by some friend. We want the world to think well of us. And so we dress and act and everything to please the world because we wouldn't want the world ever to look down on us and say, well you, you act that way because you're a Christian. And so there's something of the human glory, the element that we don't want to be despised by the world. And Peter didn't want that girl to laugh at him and so he denied.
And then what about the hyssop? You say, isn't it good to be small? Isn't it good to be nothing? Well, you know, sometimes we can be so much occupied with our own nothingness and with our own littleness that were occupied with that instead of Christ. And sometimes you'll find a person and he says, oh, I can't do anything right. Everything I do is wrong. Is nobody. No use asking me to do anything. Other people can do things so much better than.
And so that's another form of self. Well, it was thrown into. And so when this man was sprinkled with the water there, it had the ashes of the heifer and the cedar wood, and the scarlet and the hyssop reduced to ashes, mingled with the water, and it was sprinkled on him on the third day.
The third day, well, I believe the thought of the third day brings before us.
Lord Jesus had to suffer not only for our sins, but to put away.
Shall I say to bring the end to our old Adam standing before God, For he not only bore our sins, but he died under sin. It was the end of all that we were before God. And so if you and I, when we judge a thing, really get down to the root of it and judge it before God.
Now I believe there is a real restoration and so when the man was sprinkled on the third day, it says he was clean on the 7th, which is the perfect number, but it distinctly says that if he was not sprinkled on the third day that he would not be clean on the 7th.
Perhaps I could make it a little simpler by saying like this.
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If I were to tell a lie and I tell the Lord, I'm sorry, but I I sort of have the thought in my mind that everybody fails sometimes. And after all, it wasn't so bad as all that.
I don't believe I'll really get the star. It's a nice thing to own it, but I don't believe that I would really get restored.
Because I haven't really got down to the bottom of it and realized how God abhorred that sin.
But supposing when I confess it, I see the Lord Jesus dying there upon the cross.
Bearing the agony for my sins and putting an end to my old Adam standing before God.
I see the end of that before God. Oh, it's a solemn thing. Then I don't think lightly of that lie. I don't say, oh, that's only a little thing because the Lord Jesus had to suffer so to put it away, and to put away before God that nature that produced those sins. And so as I get to the sense of that, why then there's a real thorough judging of the thing before God.
And there's a real restoration.
And so it says. And to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So when we confess, then let us not be light about it.
But let us realize that sin is a serious thing. It robs the Lord of glory, it hinders our testimony, it robs us of communion, and it just opens the way for Satan to get further victories for Amalek, as it were, to come and attack us.
A little more the next time.
And so here the children of Israel then learn these wonderful lessons that way. I don't suppose they entered into them in a spiritual way, but they learned that they could not meet the enemy without Joshua as their leader and Moses up on high holding both his hands.
And so the Lord said, now Moses, write that in a book.
And tell Joshua about this over and over again. I may have spoken on this subject before. Perhaps some of you have heard me speak on it, but I think I have the warrant of Scripture. You're taking it up again because the Lord said here you write it down and repeat it in the ears of Joshua. He might forget, He might forget. And we do forget, brethren, we do forget.
Our weakness and the need.
Of the advocacy and the priesthood of Christ in our pathway here. And then it says here, I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. Oh, I think this is beautiful. There's a day coming when we won't have to worry about Amalek again. There's a day coming when God will completely put out the remembrance of Amalek and when we get home to glory.
We'll not have these conflicts. The flesh will be gone.
We'll be able to enjoy His presence, and when we rest the not blessed at home, as the little hen says, we'll look within and see no stain. But it says in the 16th verse.
For, he said, because the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
Yes, as long as we're here from generation to generation, we're going to have this conflict. But let us remember, the Lord didn't say you will have war with Amalek. It says the Lord will have war with Amalek. The Lord, Yes, the battle is his. He's the one who alone can overcome all. You say that flesh within me so miserable. I feel so helpless.
Always in the bless of the sea the flesh lusteth against the Spirit. The Spirit of God who dwells in you, is the power to meet those to meet the attacks of the enemy.