Few who have read the twenty-second chapter of the book of Genesis with any amount of spiritual intelligence, have failed to see, in the scene described there, a figure of the death and resurrection of Christ. Abraham, at the bidding of God, binding his son Isaac a sacrifice, and preparing to offer him up as a burnt-offering to the Lord. The Lord staying his hand, which grasped the uplifted knife, and pointing to the ram caught in the thicket, the substitute of His own providing. And then Abraham receiving his son as from the dead in a figure (Heb. 11:19).
All this speaks, to the heart renewed by grace, of the wondrous story of the death and resurrection of God's Lamb, and the complete and perfect settlement of the question of sin which was wrought thereby. But when we read chapter 23., we find something more. We read of the death and burial of Sarah, Isaac's mother; and of his father Abraham having no portion in the land of Canaan, but must even buy a sepulcher; and is a stranger and a sojourner there. This, sequence of events, interpreted in the light of the New Testament, affords special delight to the soul. The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus is followed by the setting aside, for the time, of His nation Israel, figured in the death of Sarah, the mother of Isaac. And the result of all this, that the Jew, instead of being restored to his land under the Messiah, is a wanderer in the earth, having now no portion in the land promised to the fathers.
But when we open chapter 24., a story of wondrous exactitude and beauty unfolds itself to us. Isaac was dead and risen in a figure, and the parent stem is set aside. And now Abraham, Isaac's father, desires to get a bride for his son, a son who cannot return to the land of his people. And Abraham sent his servant, who ruled over his house, charged with this errand, to get a wife for his son Isaac. This wife for his son must be brought to him, for his son cannot return thither again: "Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again" (ver. 6).
So when Christ died and rose, and Israel (to whom the promises would have been fulfilled had they received Him) were set aside, and became wanderers, without a portion in their land, it was then we find for the first time the wondrous purpose of God, His "eternal purpose," revealed. And His purpose was that His only Son, JESUS, should have a "bride;" one to share with Him His throne of heavenly glory, and to be joint possessor, with and in Him, of all that the Father had bestowed. As long as Israel were the objects of the Lord's dealings, this could not be. Then He had an earthly nation, the center and platform, we may say, of all His dealings with the world. But now, once they had refused Him and the kingdom He had prepared, He has an earthly people no more for a time. And so, when Christ is hidden in the heavens, and glorified there, the Holy Ghost has come from heaven, charged by God as it were, with this wondrous mission, to gather out of Jew and Gentile a bride for His Son.
Of this wondrous mission the Lord Jesus speaks to His disciples when He was going away " Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth; for He shall not speak of [or rather ' from"] Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak, and He will chew you things to come. He shall glorify Me; for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father /oath are mine; therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you" (John 16:13;15). Just as Abraham's servant, explaining his errand, says, "And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly, and he is become great; and He bath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and man-servants,, and maidservants, and camels, and asses. And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old and unto him hath He given all that he hath " (vs. 35, 36). So we read also in John 3:35, "The Father loveth the Son, and bath given all things into His hand." Abraham's servant took some of his master's treasures and put them upon this chosen one, tokens of the grace of him for whom she was sought. "The man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold" (ver. 22). Thus the Holy Spirit takes of the treasures of ' wisdom and knowledge," and of the " unsearchable riches of Christ," and makes them known to the Church, espousing her as a " chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:2).
And now, when the espoused one is to begin her long wilderness journey in the charge of him who came for her, the servant " brings forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah." And thus we find that when Christ ascended up on high, leading captivity captive, He gave gifts unto men. And the Holy Ghost, the Church's Guide and Companion, takes up these gifts of Christ (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher), and uses them 'to strengthen her heart and guide her feet, and train her according to the heart of Him who will at last, "present her to Himself glorious, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing" (Eph. 5:27).
But now the world tries to prevent her from going on to meet her Lord. Rebekah's family says, "Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go." They would like to have her stay with them, and not separate herself to Isaac, obedient to the call of Abraham's servant. And so does the world. It likes not the thought that the Church is a heavenly bride, "espoused as a chaste virgin to Christ," because, if she walks in the power of her calling, she cannot sink down to its level, and, as it were, sanction its ways by her presence in its midst. She knows that her Bridegroom has nothing to do with the world now; that He has been here, and that He tried if it would receive Him, and that it only rejected Him and cast Him out. That her heavenly Guide has told her of His charge, " Beware, thou, that thou bring not my son thither again." She knows in her heart that He has no portion here, and therefore she can have none but the gifts and graces which He bestows.
She decides the great question herself: "We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth." Wilt thou go with this man? And she said; "I will go." Thus would the Church, if guided by the Spirit of God, ever reply. There would be no hesitation in her answer if she followed and was led by her heavenly Guide. There would be no indecision, no turning back, thinking of what she had left behind. There would be no divided heart in her, but where her treasure is there would her heart be also.
"And Rebekah arose,.... and followed the man; and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way." She was "forgetting those things that were behind, and reaching forth unto those things that are before." Her heart would ever be saying: "1 press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling [or rather, ` calling on high'] of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13,14). How sad if, instead of this, she was turning behind her, and longing after that which she had left behind.
But now we have the end of the wilderness journey brought before us in our beautiful Scripture.
"And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahai-roi (the well of Him that liveth and seeth me-Gen. 16);.... and he lifted up his eyes and saw..... And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac "-the journey was over, the wilderness was past, hope was changed to fruition, faith was changed to sight. The toil of the wilderness world, dear fellow-believer, is nearly over. We know not that before you read these pages the Church's Bridegroom will have come. We know not if, even as the lines are penned, He may not have left His Father's throne, to descend and meet His people in the air (1 Thess. 4). The Holy Ghost has, as Christ promised, abode with the Church forever. He has been with her all through, though she has been unfaithful to Christ. He has awakened her hopes, and enabled her to lift up her eyes and see Him by faith, and has put into her mouth that longing, inviting word, "The Spirit and the Bride say, Come," in response to the voice of Him who has just told her, "I am... the bright and morning Star" (Rev. 22:16,17).
And now, dear reader, can you not for yourself realize in some little measure the testimony of the Comforter, the Church's Guide in her wilderness journey? Surely, if ever He leads the heart to look behind, He can only lead it to one object, the death of the true Isaac, even Christ. He can point to that and unfold its varied excellencies, and glories, and wondrous efficacy, and its result, which is the believer's portion; as that through which his Lord has gone to the throne of His glory, through which he has redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He can unfold how the glory of God has, been established through it. But He never can, never does, lead to a doubting thought, an unbelieving fear. Nor can he ever lead the soul to earthly things, rather to those that are heavenly-to the riches, and glories, and Person of Him with whom -He fills the heart.
I ask you then, " Wilt thou go with this man?" Will you suffer Him (the blessed Spirit) to lead and guide you with unhindered, ungrieved power? Think on your association with the world if you are not separate from it, and above all, with the so-called religious world; and think of your walk and ways, and answer, this question, as before Him who sees the heart, "Are you grieving and hindering the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption?" (Eph. 4:30); or, are you "led of the Spirit?" (Gal. 5:18). Are the accents. of your heart even now, " I will go? " And remember this, "Our conversation [or ' citizenship'] is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body [or 'body of humiliation '], that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body [or ' body of glory'], according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself "(Phil. 3:20,21).