Open—Jim Hyland
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In connection with what our brother has brought before us, I'd like to go back to a story in the Old Testament that I trust will encourage us as to the resources that we have in connection with both preservation and restoration in the path of faith as we walk through this wilderness world. I'd like to go back and read a well known incident in the 17th chapter of the Book of Exodus.
Exodus chapter 17 beginning at verse 8.
Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rafidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, choose us out men, and go out fight with Amalek.
Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine 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 hand, that Israel prevailed, and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands 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 the going down of the sun. So 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, For I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
And Moses built an altar and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi. For he said, because the Lord has sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. Now hold your finger here, We're going to come right back to this place. But I'd like to read a verse or two in the book of Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy, chapter 25.
Deuteronomy chapter 25 and verse 17.
Remember what Amalek did unto thee, by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt.
How he met thee by the way, and smote behind her most of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou was faint and weary, and he feared not God.
Well, we've just had some excellent ministry in connection with self judgment. But perhaps there's some of us sitting here this afternoon and we say, well, that's wonderful. I realized there's a need for self judgment. As I often heard growing up from my older brethren, we need to keep short accounts with God and so on. But how am I going to do it? Because as we read in the book of Galatians, the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh.
And the two are contrary one to the other. And you say, I have this constant struggle in my life, and I just don't seem to be able to overcome. I come and confess it to the Lord, and I just get up and I go on. And I have the same temptations. I fall into the same problems and difficulties. But I suggest, brethren, that by type and illustration, here we have the resources that we need for our pathway.
We find at the beginning of this chapter that they came to refit them by the commandment of the Lord. The Spirit of God is very careful to record that because there were great difficulties at refit them. First of all, there was no water, and God gave them in the previous account. Here he gave them the water from the rock to refresh them. And then they're drinking from those refreshing waters. And over the horizon comes Amalek, a powerful enemy.
Now the children of Israel at various times faced various enemies depending where they were.
When they were in Egypt, they had Pharaoh and his hosts who sought to keep them in slavery. That's a picture of the enemy seeking to keep souls from coming under the good of redemption and deliverance. Tonight there'll be a gospel meeting preached if we're left here. And in these Pharaoh character of Satan, he's going to be busy to keep souls from coming, to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior, to keep them in the ******* of sin.
And then, if we were to jump ahead in their history when they entered the land of Canaan, there were a number of enemies, a picture to us, of the enemy seeking to keep us from coming into the enjoyment of our heavenly portion and all that is ours in Christ. I say that because Canaan is a picture to us of that which we can have an enjoyment of now. It's that vast panorama of heavenly spiritual blessings that are ours for present enjoyment.
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But in the wilderness, they had a powerful enemy here. His name was Amalek.
And if we were to go back and trace the genealogy, we would find that Amalek was a grandson of Esau. Esau was a man who sold his birthright for momentary gratification, And Amalek is a picture of Satan's working on the flesh to seek to hinder our walk with God through this wilderness world. Because Satan doesn't want us to walk with God for his glory and for our blessing as we pass through this world, wilderness, world.
He cannot take our salvation from us, but He can take our joy, and he can stumble and discourage us, and he can work on the flesh, and he knows well how to do it. He's had thousands of years of practice in doing it, and He knows well how to work on each one of us.
And so they face this enemy. We don't have time to mention all the things that are here illustrated in these verses.
But what I'd like to focus on particularly is the fact that Moses goes up on the mountain and eventually he sits down and two men, Aaron and her come and stay up his hands till the going down of the sun. And the Moses here is a picture of the Lord Jesus gone on high to fill all things. Isn't it wonderful that we have a man in the glory as we've been saying in these meetings?
One who not only died for us, one who is not only risen from the dead, but he is ascended and seated at the right hand of God. And that's the resource for us, brethren. If we're going to be preserved in our wilderness journey here, if we're going to go on, and when we fail, if there's going to be self judgment, it's to avail ourselves of the resource that we have in the person of Christ as a glorified man, living for us and interceding at the right hand of God, the place of power.
But I want to talk about these two men for a moment, because these two men represent to us two very important offices that the Lord Jesus is carrying on at the right hand of God this afternoon on our behalf. Because first of all, we have Aaron. Now I realize, brethren, that Aaron had not yet been officially put into the priesthood. That was until later on.
But I believe we see the picture very clearly. Aaron, on the one hand, represents to us the priesthood of the Lord Jesus, because as the book of Hebrews develops so beautifully, we have a high priest seated at the right hand of God. He's there at the right hand of God, to put it very simply, living for us, praying for us every hour of every day to preserve us in the path of faith and service.
And we have not an high priest, which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin. Isn't it wonderful to think that the Lord Jesus is praying for us? We think of how wonderful it is to be able to bring our own needs before the throne of grace, to pray for our families, to pray for our beloved brethren, wonderful privilege and resource that we have.
But just look up and realize there's one who's praying for you and He knows every need. He knows you through and through. He doesn't forget one need of each of his own. And not only is He sympathizing with us, not only does He know our our difficulties, but He is was in all points tempted like as we are. I want you to think about that, because there's nothing that you and I will ever pass through.
In the path of faith and service that the Lord Jesus hasn't felt as a man here on earth. That's why the Lord Jesus lived here on earth as long as he did, so that he could be a sympathizing and an empathizing high priest. You know, I might come to you in a difficulty, and I might say to you, brother, sister, I sympathize with what you're passing through, but unless I've been through a similar circumstance.
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I really can't empathize.
A brother was telling me who went through a very severe trial, he said, Brother Jim, you wouldn't believe how many people called me and said I know what you're passing through, he said. That was no comfort to me because he said they had never passed through a similar circumstance. But he said a brother finally called me and he said I know what you're passing through. He said that was a comfort to me because that brother had a few months before.
Been through a similar trial and so the Lord Jesus he understands, you say nobody knows.
What I'm passing through, nobody understands. Oh, just look up this afternoon and there's one at the right hand of God who was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin. And so I say again, He's living for us as our high priest to preserve us in the path of faith and service. But then we find, on the other hand, there was a man named her, and I suggest that her represents to us the Advocate.
Christ because it tells us if any man sin we have an advocate with the Father. I say that because hers name actually means purity and in that verse I just quoted from First John it goes on to say Jesus Christ the righteous. I have a righteous advocate because if his high priestly work is to preserve me in the path of faith, then when I sin his advocacy.
Is to restore me. But he does it on a righteous basis. You know, if I go against society and I'm brought up to the judge, and the judge listens to my case, and I get a good lawyer or I'm able to talk my way through it, he might let me off. But if he's a righteous judge or if I'm really guilty, I should say he's not a righteous judge. But we'll suppose, for the sake of illustration, that the judge says to me. Now, Jim, I know you're guilty.
And the penalty for going against society is thus and so. But I'm going to pay the penalty so you can go free. Now he's a righteous judge because the claims of society have been met, whether it's a fine or community service or a jail term or whatever it is. And when I sin, it's just as if the Lord Jesus in the presence of the Father, says I've paid for that sin. That's how he can be.
A righteous advocate.
Because he bore the penalty of sin for me on Calvary's cross when he bore my sins in his own body on the tree. And so he's a right, a righteous advocate. Just a little difference to notice between another difference between his high priestly work and his advocacy.
His high priestly work is with God because that's power. But his advocacy, it says we have an advocate not with God but with the Father. To me that's one of the clearest verses in connection with eternal security, because I have heard many people say that when they sin, they lose their relationship with God, they lose their salvation. If it said we have an advocate with God, we might well wonder.
But it says an advocate with the Father, showing that when I sin, in no way is the family relationship broken, but I do have to do with my father. When my children went against me when they lived at home, I never brought them up to the court of law, to the judge on the bench. But they did have to do with me as their father. And so we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.
But before we pass on, I would just say this, that in the measure in which you and I would avail ourselves of His high priestly work, we wouldn't need His advocacy. The Lord Jesus said to Peter, I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not, and if poor Peter had just availed himself of that resource, he never would have denied his Lord three times with those and curses. Thank God there was restoration for Peter, and there is always restoration.
Maybe there's someone here this afternoon, and you say I failed so bad. I've sinned so bad. Can there really be restoration? Remember this, brother. Remember this, sister. The restoring grace of God is as limitless and powerful as his saving grace and preserving grace. David failed in his life, and he failed grievously, but he could say with confidence he restoreth my soul. And so we find that these two men hold up Moses hands, and there he is, as it were, an intercession.
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On behalf of the people who were down in the valley of conflict.
And they held up his hands till the going down of the sun. Because, brethren, the hands of the Lord Jesus in that way will be held up as long as we're here in the valley of conflict. We sometimes sing Our great High Priest is seated at God's right hand above his hands.
His hands uplifted in sympathy and love, and so his hands are going to be held up. He's going to fulfill those two offices for us.
So that really there's provision for failure in our lives, but there's really no excuse for it. Brethren, we have all the resources that we need, and then very quickly we find another resource. Here we find Joshua leading the battle. Joshua's name is means Jesus, and he's a picture of Jesus on various occasions. And when I think of the incident here, on the one hand we have Moses seated on high, a picture of the Lord Jesus gone on high to intercede for us.
But the Lord Jesus, before he went back to heaven, he said to the disciples, I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. He was Speaking of the descent of the Holy Spirit. And isn't it wonderful that we have the Spirit of God, the power for our lives as we meet the enemy? We have a powerful enemy, it's true. But greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. And so we find Joshua here. He's the one at the forefront of the battle.
What is in his hand? A sword. Because the word of God is often referred to as the sword of the Spirit. It's illustrated with the Lord Jesus, so beautiful. And when he was in the wilderness, here were the people of God in the wilderness. The Lord Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted before his public ministry. And how did he meet the enemy? Oh, he and the power of the Spirit quoted a verse of Scripture. And I believe that the word of God is the power of the Spirit of God.
And it's the power for meeting the enemy when he comes to attack us and seek to hinder us in our wilderness, in our wilderness journey. I say again, it's not our sword. Sometimes I've heard people say I've got my sword with me, referring to their Bible, but it's not my sword. It's the sword of the Spirit. And when it's used in communion by the Spirit, that's when it has its power. You know, Peter had a sword in his hand on one occasion too.
But he used it without the sanction of the Lord and what he did and what happened. Someone said he just ended up giving the Lord more work to do. He only added to the situation He didn't help it. I'll give you another little illustration. You know water. Running water in scripture is usually a picture of the Spirit of God. Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. And this he spake concerning the Spirit contained water is usually a picture of the word of God.
God, but running water, a fountain, a brook, a spring, a well is usually a picture of the Spirit of God. And I think of David when he went to meet Goliath. What did he do? He went down to the brook, a picture of the Spirit of God. And from the brook he took five smooth stones.
And he stored them in his shepherd's bag. I suggest it illustrates to us the word of God, appropriated to our own souls in the power of the Spirit of God. And when the moment came, he was able to take one stone out and to use it effectively to meet the giant, the enemy of God's people. And so here we find it doesn't say that Israel disquieted Amalek. No, it was Joshua. It was not in their own power. It was in the power of one who speaks to us.
Of Christ, or the the Spirit of God and his sword, the word of God. And so, brethren, if we're going to meet the enemy, if we're going to.
Go on in our Christian pathway. If there's going to be self judgment, if we're going to get our eyes off ourselves and on Christ, oh, it must be in availing ourselves of the resources that we have. And he was to write this in a book. There was a victory and it was Jehovah Nissi. The Lord is my banner speaks of victory.
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You know, in the old days they raised flags when they had those battles out on the plains between various cities and and and factions, and they'd raise the colors and those on the wall, perhaps miles away, who were looking to see who had the victory. Well, when they saw the colors of the city or the colors of the army raised, oh, there would be great rejoicing because there had been a great victory. And brethren, we can only raise the banner as we have victory in Christ.
It's not going to be in ourselves. We've had a wonderful weekend blessed privilege to have this little Oasis, to be with the people of God, to be in the presence of of where? Of Christ, Christ in the midst, to have fellowship, to have the word of God before us, this little place of safety and and security for a few moments in a wicked world. But we're going to leave here. If the Lord leaves us here, we're in Satan's territory. He's the God of this world religiously.
He's the Prince of this world politically. He's there at every hand in the Amalek character. How are we going to have a victory? Oh, I say it's only in availing ourselves of the resources that they we have in Christ. And so they were to have.
A war with them elect from generation to generation, as has already been brought out. Brethren, we're not going to be done with Amalek until we get home to glory, as long as we're here in the valley of conflict, as long as we're here in this wilderness world.
The flesh is going to lust against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, and the enemy is going to work on the flesh to discourage, to weary and confuse and divide the people of God. But the resources that we need are all there in an ascended Christ and the resources that he sent down to to us on the day of Pentecost and the Word of God and so on. But I want to just say this in closing I read in Deuteronomy, because there we find another little comment made.
About this battle that we don't have in the 17th of Exodus, we find there that Amalek smoke behind her. Most of them, if I can put it this way, those that were farthest from Joshua, those that were farthest from the captain. You know, Peter had that sad experience. Really. The start of Peter's denying the Lord. It was a course of things. He followed afar off, He followed the Lord, but he followed afar off. And these ones here, they follow Joshua.
But Amalek got those that were farthest away. And if we follow afar off, if we want to keep part of our heart for the Lord, for ourselves and the world, oh it's going to end in sad ruin. Again, it can't take, we can't, He can't take our salvation. But we can become discouraged and weary, as he says, faint and weary. And the great tactic of the enemy today, I believe, is to weary and confuse the people of God.
To wear us down, even if it's just using the daily grind of life. But oh, I say again, let's follow close to the Lord Jesus. Let's walk beside him in the conscious sense of his presence with with us. Let's look up and avail ourselves of the resources that we have in an ascended Christ. He's living for us as our great High Priest. He's there as our advocate, He sent down the spirit of God.
As the power for our lives, and we have the word of God.
To guide us and direct us, To refresh us and to encourage us. Oh brethren, we can go on. I know it's difficult. I know some of you are going through circumstances that I've never been called on to pass through. But the resources that you and I have in Christ today are the same limitless supply that has always been available to the people of God.