Divine Manifestations

Progress in the spiritual life depends upon growth in our knowledge of Christ. It has been well said, *’ Tell me what you see of Christ, and I will tell you where you stand.’’ There can be no doubt that is a sound prinqiple.

But how is it that many -ef us who had blessed manifestations of the Lord Jesus Christ at .our conversion, and in the days that followed, are no longer enjoying those blessings, or have but a feeble sense of them to-day?

Before God can show Himself to us, often He has first to do a work in us. There are hindrances that come between Num. xiii. 26-33.

US and God, that act as a veil, and obscure the vision of His presence. It was so with the children of Israel. Before the Lord manifested Himself to them, there was a work of preparation that had to be done in them. What was their condition? Read Josh. v. 13-15. Their hearts were hardened. They were really unfit to receive either correction or instruction, either comfort or reproof. All the glorious unfoldings of God’s grace were simply thrown away upon them. They were in a state of disobedience. You know how and where it happened. It was at Kadesh-Barnea. Through unbelief they refused to obey God. They turned aside from the path of implicit obedience because they were afraid of men — of the giants that were in the land. They thought more of the power of the foe than of the omnipotence of God. So they refused to obey God. And we find from that time for more than thirty-eight years they wandered about in the wilderness or “provocalion.” Now we are not surprised to learn what followed. They neglected to obey one of God’s clear commands — keeping the Passover. It was God’s distinct command that they should keep the Passover year by year continually. But what do we find? — that from the time they left Sinai there is no record of their having kept the Passover for thirty-eight or thirty-nine years. There is no mention of the commemoration of the Passover during the whole of that time. We have three passovers mentioned, or rather one passover and two commemorations — first in Egypt, then at Horeb, and then here on the borders of Canaan. So that they were in a backsHding state; they had forsaken God. But God in His infinite love had not forsaken them. Still He could not unfold His treasures. He could not manifest Himself in His fulness to them,

That is practically the condition of many Christians to-day. There has been a point in their spiritual life when they feared man more than they trusted God. And so they turned aside out of the path of His will, and one act of disobedience led to another, all through unbelief, and where are they to-day? If God were to open the eyes of some of us, how amazed should we be to discover that we had wandered so far away from God! We are satisfied it may be with a cold orthodoxy; we read our portion every day, say our prayers, and, with the consciousness that our conversion was clear and distinct, we console ourselves with the thought that we hold sound doctrine. But how about our lives and our communion with God? how about the manifestation of His presence to our soul? You come to the word of God, but ydu no longer know what it is to hear His voice speaking to you. Here you are to-day, feeling cold and dead and formal. You want to lead a better life. You have struggled and striven; you have said, “I will now turn over a new leaf; I will ask God to give me more grace to enable me to overcome this or that temptation.” That is not the life that God wants you to lead. He calls you to a victorious, free, and spontaneous life. Something must be wrong somewhere, and it must be in ourselves. What do you need? Just as Israel needed preparation of heart, and to have the hindrances removed, before God could reveal Himself to them, so it is with many of God’s people to-day. Consider first —

Israel’s Preparation for the Divine Manifestation.

The first thing they had to do was to observe the two old Testament rites — Circumcision and the keeping of the Passover. What did that mean? The first meant separation from everything that was evil, from all iniquity; the second, taking up redemption ground before God. In its application to our-Acts XX. 21. selves it means the cleansing of ourselves from all that is contrary to the mind of God, and then taking up the ground of simple faith of our acceptance in Jesus Christ. In other words — repentance and faith.

There are some people who seem to look upon repentance as if it were an act done once for all at their conversion. But surely it is not merely an act but a condition of mind that is to be maintained throughout the whole Christian life. It means the continuous separation from, and renunciation of, everything that is contrary to the mind of God; and a deepening work, as God reveals more to you of yourself and the sinfulness of sin. An attitude to be maintained throughout together with simple faith in Christ. Have you taken up that position to-day? Take your stand upon redemption ground Mpon the finished work of Christ. Taking our stand there, then the Lord, in the stillness of our souls as we wait upon

Him, will manifest Himself to us as He did to Israel.

Consider secondly —

The Nature of the Manifestation.

Standing upon the border of the land, the wilderness past, and the land flowing with milk and honey spread out before them, what a happy moment this was in their history! Is that the position of your soul to-day — taking your stand there (the provocation over, the wandering over, the self life over), you have the land of promise, all the glorious promises of the word of God, spread out before you.

But there was something more. They had in prospect the subduing of seven nations mightier and stronger than they. They were called to a life of conflict. God had given them the land; and yet God says, “Go, and claim it.” And, if there is one word that God seems to be emphasizing in connection with this teaching, it is that little word claim.

^Z
Josh. i. 3;
xiv. 9.

Deut.xi.24

When you are brought into the right attitude of separation from all known evil, then the promise is yours. Do not simply look at it hesitating whether you may have it, but go up and claim it. “Every place that the sole of your feet shall tread upon, that I have given you.” How many promises have you claimed? How many promises have been translated into your experience, so that you can say, “I know the truth of that promise; 1 have found it a reality in my life; I have proved it “?

Take, for instance, the promise of God’s keeping. “I believe He can do it,” you say. “I believe that He is able to do it.” Yes; but can you say, “The Lord Jesus is keeping me just at this moment”? Now it was at this crisis that there was a fresh manifestation to Israel. What was the nature of this manifestation? Joshua went on to reconnoitre the place. He wanted to make himself acquainted with its surroundings. He did not yet know God’s mind as to ihc plan of attack. When standing there a “stranger appears, one in human form. Was he a mere man or angel? Was it a natural or supernatural manifestation y

What was the nature of it? Notice two or three things about it. It was Divine. It was the Lord Himself. It was none other than the Angel of the Covenant — none other than He who h id appeared to Jacob at Peniel, where the patriarch cried, “I have seen God face to face.” It was He who had appeared to Moses in the burning bush, and gave His name “I Am.” It was the second person of the Godhead, the Lord Himself. This is clearly shown by the fact that the ground upon which he stood was holy ground. It was none other than God Himself, for a mere angel would not have received the homage that Joshua gave. When the Apostle John would worship the angel, as recorded in the Book of Revelation, the angel said,” See

Gen. xxxii.

Rev.xix.io. thou do it not; worship God.” But here is Joshua prostrate at His feet, at this fresh manifestation of Jehovah to His people.

Then notice that it was progressive. It was part of a complete revelation, in advance of what had gone before, and preparatory to that which had yet to be revealed. The Lord appeared to His people not only at sundry times, but in divers manners. He did not unfold His character all at once, but in many parts, and each manifestation had its place in the Divine plan. There was a purpose and there was a design in the order of their occurrence.

He appeared in Egypt as the Deliverer, the Redeemer; by the blood of the Lamb and by the power of His arm bringing them out. He had appeared to Israel at Sinai as their Teacher. There they were gathered round His footstool, and He communicated His mind; He taught them. Then He guided them and provided for them, taking up His place in their midst. But here He says, “As Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come,” as Moses sang, “The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is His name.” He had come to fulfil the precious promise which we have: “Dread not, neither be afraid of them. The Lord your Cod which goeth before you. He shall fight for you according to all that He did for you in Egypt before your eyes.”

Once more, the manifestation was scasojiable. It was just at the right time, just what they needed — a new revelation meeting a new need — a new need being met by a new unfolding of the Divine Name. What was this new need? Not the bondage of a cruel master, not the scarceness of a barren waste, not the uncertainty of a trackless desert — but the peril of a fierce conflict. They were standing face to face with an entrenched and powerful foe. They wanted the Captain of the Lord’s host. So it is with

Josh. V. 14

Ex. XV.

Deut. i. 29.
l{M>i

Josh. V. 13.

the believer to-day. Spiritual progress means getting fresh views and unfoldings of the Lord Jesus Christ to your soul, and ths comes in the line of His will, as you are led along, and as the need’arises you are brought to experience more and more of your need, so you see how the Lord Jesus, by the power of the Holy Ghost, just meets that need. That is true progress.

Consider lastly —

The Fresh Claims The Manifestation Involved.

And what did the Lord now demand
of Joshua?

I. Absolute authority. He reveals Himself as Prince of the Lord’s host. He did not come out as an ally. Joshua said unto Him, “Art Thou for us or for our adversaries?” which meant: — Are you going to take their side or ours? And He said. Nay, I am not going to take this side or that side. I am not tH’

come to render you a little assistance. I am come to take the supreme command. I am come to supersede you altogether. The battle is not yours, but the Lord’s. I am come to take the whole responsibility of the conflict into My own hands. You must hand over to Me the command of the whole campaign. Joshua at once obeyed.

Here, then, there was a crisis. Have you been brought to that point? Have you put the government upon His shoulder? It belongs to Him. Have you fallen in with God’s mind in the matter, and has it become a reality in your own mind and experience? “What saith my Lord unto His servant?” I am Thy servant; command me.

And then you see what followed as a natural result. 2. Profound reverence. Beloved, if we are really making progress in holiness, we shall be making progress ill humility — that is, downwards — growing m grace. Did it ever occur to you what

A°

Rev, L if

Phil. il. »3- that meant — growing in grace? What is grace? I may give just two definitions of grace. It is the opposite of merit; it is the complement of need. It is the opposite of merit — getting what you don’t deserve. We are saved by grace. Now we have to grow in grace — not only to be saved by grace. What does that mean? It means growing in a sense of our indebtedness to the Lord. That is true humility; and it is just a view of the Lord Jesus that brings us down. “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.” It was so with Moses, Joshua, Isaiah, and with John at Patmos. “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” — a blessed spot — never quit it, for God is there, and there it is that He is working in you, both to will and to do. You are always to occupy holy ground, and therefore always to be in the dust.

3. The Lord required of him implicit trust. How foolish in the estimation of the world are some of God’s commands. I fancy I see some of those men in Israel smiling as they were told the way they were to take Jericho. Nothing could seem more absurd than marching round and round and using nothing but rams’- horns. But it was the Divine command — that is where the trial of faith comes in; and as they followed the path of God’s command, there was the victory. So it will be with us in the fight of faith. The principles and laws unfolded in the Old Testament are precisely those that are to be carried into practice in the New.

Now if indeed we have been brought to His feet, and brought to see something of ourselves, if we have been stripped of our self-confidence, and in the depths of our hearts have renounced every known evil way, taking our stand upon the completed work of Christ, and conscious of our acceptance in Christ before God — on redemption ground — then we are in the line of His blessing; and He will come to us just where we are. He knows our need, and He will manifest Himself to us in answer to that need.