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  WRITINGS OF MICHAEL HARDT
  by Michael Hardt
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A collection of theological writings, sermons, and essays by Michael Hardt,
compiled for study and devotional reading.

  Chapters: 23

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS
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    1. 00A.00 Lessons From Ezra
    2. 00A.00i     Introduction
    3. 00A.01     Ezra  1
    4. 00A.02     Ezra  2
    5. 00A.03     Ezra  3
    6. 00A.04     Ezra  4
    7. 00A.05     Ezra  5
    8. 00A.06     Ezra  6
    9. 00A.07     Ezra  7
   10. 00A.08     Ezra  8
   11. 00A.09     Ezra  9
   12. 00A.10     Ezra 10
   13. 1.00. Shadows of the Church
   14. 1.000.     Table of Contents
   15. 1.01.     Isha
   16. 1.02.     Enoch
   17. 1.03.     Rebecca
   18. 1.04.     Asenath
   19. 1.05.     Zipporah
   20. 1.06.     Aaron and His Sons
   21. 1.07.     The two leavened loaves
   22. 1.08.     The Tabernacle
   23. S. Lessons on Discipline from the Book of Jeremiah

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  CHAPTER 1: 00A.00 LESSONS FROM EZRA
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Lessons From Ezra For believers today

Michael Hardt

Contents

Introduction

Ezra 1:1-11

Ezra 2:1-70

Ezra 3:1-13

Ezra 4:1-24

Ezra 5:1-17

Ezra 6:1-22

Ezra 7:1-28

Ezra 8:1-36

Ezra 9:1-15

Ezra 10:1-44


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  CHAPTER 2: 00A.00I     INTRODUCTION
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Introduction

Ezra means ’help’, or ’helper’. There is no doubt that Ezra, personally, was a
great help to his people. The account of his mission which is described in Ezra
7:1-28, Ezra 8:1-36, Ezra 9:1-15, Ezra 10:1-44 proves the point. Not only did He
teach the people as a ready scribe but he also humbled himself under their sins
and shortcomings (Ezra 9:1-15). This was echoed by a confession of the people
and it let to a great restoration. But the book of Ezra can also be a great
’help’ for Christians today. Let me explain why. Ezra gives us a historical
account of the return of some of God’s people to Jerusalem. Many of the events
that happen are fitting illustrations for God’s people today. As we go through
the book, we will discover many parallels between the time it speaks of and
ours. In this sense, Ezra is very up to date and pertinent in relation to many
issues we face in our Christian testimony today. This old book sheds so much
light on many questions which Christians ask today, such as - How should
Christians gather?

- Can a minority be right?

- The unity of the church, what does it mean for us today?

- What do we do when many turn their back on biblical teaching?

- Separation from evil and the unity of the church, a contradiction?

- How can we recognise a true revival?

- Etc. The book of Ezra describes a wonderful revival which occurred after 70 of
the darkest years of the history of God’s people. What had happened? In 722 BC
the 10 tribes had been led captive into Assyria (2 Kings 17:6). Over time, they
vanished completely, and we still do not know where they are today. Only two
tribes, Judah and Benjamin, were left in the country. Just over one hundred
years later, in 606 BC, Nebucadnezzar came and took the vessels of the temple,
as well as the most promising young people as captives (2 Chronicles 36:6-7). A
captivity of 70 years followed, just as Jeremiah had predicted (Jeremiah 25:12;
Jeremiah 29:10). Here they were, far from Jerusalem, without temple, without
sacrifices, without their national feasts, and unable to sing the songs of Zion
(Psalms 137:1-4). At the end of these 70 years, a Persian king, Cyrus, conquered
the Babylonian Empire and founded the Medo-Persion Empire. This new king made a
proclamation stating that all the Jews who wished to do so were free to go back
to Jerusalem and to build the house of the Lord there.

About 43,000 people responded to this call and went up to Jerusalem. Their
experiences are extremely instructive for believers today. Their return to
Jerusalem encourages us to return to first principles, that is New Testament
teaching, not modified by the ideas of men. The faith of those who returned,
their failure, their work, their ’ups and downs’ all speak volumes to the
believer today. To the extent that we, similarly, are not satisfied with
’Bablylon’ but have a heart for the place God has chosen, we will be able to
derive much ’help’ from this book of Ezra.


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  CHAPTER 3: 00A.01     EZRA  1
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Ezra 1:1-11 When hearts are stirred up by God. The very first verse leaves us in
no doubt. Something was seriously wrong. The time of events is given as "the
first year of Cyrus, king of Persia.", quite different from the books of Kings
and Chronicles where the time was given according to the years of the kings of
Israel and Judah. Why this change? The throne of God had been removed from
Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 29:23). The ’times of the Gentiles’ had begun (Luke
21:24), and had been running for 70 years now - and they will continue to run
until Israel is restored to the Lord, after the tribulation period. But God
still acts. Through Jeremiah He had told the people in advance that the
captivity in Babylon would be limited to 70 years (you will recall that it had a
profound effect on Daniel when he read about this and found out that the time of
captivity was almost over (see Daniel 9:2 ff)). Now that the time was come, God
uses a heathen king, Cyrus, as His instrument to bring about the promised
return.

King Cyrus is an extremely interesting character. In secular history, he is
renowned for his humane way of dealing with those he conquered. His objective
was to bring peace to mankind. He set out his policies in a famous decree -
which later became known as the ’First charter of Human Rights’. Today, the
famous ’Cyrus Cylinder’ - made of clay - can be admired in the British Museum in
London. Allowing captives to return to their home land was very much in line
with his humane policies. This is the secular, or human, side. God’s side is
much more interesting. Long before Cyrus was born, Isaiah prophesied about this
king, even mentioning him by name! ".that saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and
shall perform all my pleasure, even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built;
and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid" (Isaiah 44:28). We are not
implying that Cyrus had living faith in God, but God in His sovereignty used him
as an instrument. Cyrus had opportunity to read Isaiah’s prophecy, and it
appears that he was conscious of his mission. Hence he says "The Lord, God of
heaven, hath given me., and he hath charged me to build him an house at
Jerusalem." (Ezra 1:2).

It is remarkable how God works. First He ’stirs up the spirit’ of this heathen
king, so that he passes a decree inviting the Jews to return to Jerusalem. He
then stirs up the spirit of those who did so (Ezra 1:1, Ezra 1:5). Whatever men
do, a true revival is always a work of God. So the call goes out "Who is there
among you of all his people? His God be with him, and let him go up to
Jerusalem... and build the house of the Lord." In a sense, king Cyrus is still
alive. The same call still goes out. Who is there among you? Who is there, who
is not content with Babylon? Who is there who values Jerusalem? Who is there,
who takes an interest in the house of God? To see the significance of this call,
bear in mind that places speak of principles.

’Eden’ is Paradise

’Sodom’ is moral depravity

’Egypt’ speaks of the world in its enslaving power

’Sinai’ the place of the terror of the law

’Jordan’ is the river of death

’Gilgal’ is the judgement of the flesh.

And so on. Many more examples could be given. It is extremely instructive to see
the meaning of places in the Bible. So how about Babylon and Jerusalem?

Babylon, if we can identify it with the Babel of Genesis 11:1-32, reminds us of
two things: firstly confusion, as the languages were confounded there. Secondly,
of idolatry (see Zechariah 5:5-11). This is very much like Christendom today.
There is much confusion, all sorts of teaching, general deviation from the sound
doctrine, in fact, as Paul said, people no longer bear sound teaching (2 Timothy
4:1-22). All sorts of teaching can be found on prophecy, on the church, and on
Christ Himself. There is idolatry as well: worship directed to that which is not
God, namely to so-called ’saints’, to ’Virgin Mary’, etc.. What is the believer
to do? The answer to this question takes us to the meaning of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem was the place God had chosen, out of all places. Deuteronomy 12:1-32
makes the point again and again, Jerusalem was ’the place which the Lord your
God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there’. It was only in
this place that the temple could be built, the people had to assemble, the
national feasts had to be celebrated, the sacrifices had to be given, the
offerings had to be brought. And it was in this place that the people would
rejoice before the Lord.

Today, there is still a place He has chosen to ’put His name there’, to be
present in Person. This is, of course, not a geographical place but a spiritual
place. The Lord Himself disclosed it. He said to Peter that He would build His
church (Matthew 16:1-28). A little later we read that, where two or three are
gathered unto His name, he would be in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20).
Gathered ’unto’ his name is more than ’in His name’. Whatever a believer does,
he should do it ’in His name’, even eating and drinking (Colossians 3:17). But
when two or three are gathered unto His name, they make Him the centre, they
give Him the authority, the attention and focus is on Him. His authority is
recognised, His rights are respected, His will is done. This spiritual Jerusalem
still exists today. It is still open, even to small numbers, to enjoy His
presence. So how about you? Have you returned from Babylon, the place of
confusion and idolatry, to Jerusalem, the place where Christ is honoured and
where His rights are recognised, where He is the centre? The proclamation of
king Cyrus still goes out today: who is there among you.?

Those whose spirits were raised up, were to go up (Ezra 1:5), and others who
would not go up themselves, are told to support them through material help (Ezra
1:4) and it is beautiful to read that they did so (Ezra 1:6).

Even the king contributed, and in a very significant way: "Also Cyrus the king
brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had
brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods" (Ezra
1:7). This matter of the vessels is extremely important. There had been three
deportations, one in the days of king Jehoiakim (2 Kings 36:6), then in the days
of his son Jehoiakin (2 Kings 36:10), and finally in the days of Zedekiah (2
Kings 36:11-21). The last of these three was the most significant one in terms
of the damage done. The temple was burnt, and very large numbers led captive.
But the 70 years of captivity count from the first, relatively insignificant (we
would say), deportation. Why was this first one the important one in God’s eyes?
Well, it’s because of the vessels. Nebuchadnezzar had taken the vessels of the
Temple, took them to Babylon, and even put them into the house of his idols.
Such a thing had never happened before. True, some kings had taken silver from
the treasure and even from the wings of the doors of the temple (Ahas and
Hezekiah) to appease the king of Assyria. But the holy vessels had never been
touched.

Without vessels, it was impossible to bring sacrifices as prescribed. No
vessels, no worship! This is the tragedy. Does it not remind us of the sad fact
that the concept of worship, especially collective worship, has been lost in
wide parts of Christendom. Meetings for worship have been replaced by concerts,
performances, and all manner of things. Do you know a place where you can meet
with Christians in full liberty of collective worship to the Father and the Son?
This is the one thing the Father ’seeks’: worshippers.


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  CHAPTER 4: 00A.02     EZRA  2
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Ezra 2:1-70 This very long chapter mainly consists of lists of names, most of
them completely unknown to us. But God is pleased to take account of those who
took this great step, those who went up out of the captivity, to Jerusalem (Ezra
2:1). No doubt is was a very difficult decision to take. Much spoke against it.
Just think about these arguments:

First of all, there was the comfort argument. You might also call it the
argument of tradition and custom. It runs as follows:

"We are settled in Babylon. We have been brought up here and, for some of us,
our parents have been brought up here. We have got used to things. How can we
leave everything behind, just to go to what is a strange place to us?" But is it
comfort and custom that should tip the balance, or should we ask what God’s will
is?

Then there is the minority argument. This argument is still very popular today,
especially in large religious institutions:

"How can a minority be right? When Israel left Egypt, they were 600,000 men plus
families. When they entered the land of Canaan, they were about the same
number[1]. Since then, the people must have grown. And now there were just
43,000 who think Jerusalem is the place to be". But faith does not look to the
numbers for guidance, but at God’s word. The unity argument sounds particularly
spiritual. It runs along the following lines:

"You cannot leave in the name of unity. It is clear that not all will go to
Jerusalem, some just can’t and some just won’t. Therefore, if you leave for
Jerusalem you cause a division."

Well, we will see later that the unity of the people of God was expressed at
Jerusalem. The first priority is to do God’s will. If everybody does, there will
be unity. If some don’t, then those who are in Jerusalem still take account of
the whole people (they offer 12 he-goats for 12 tribes although only two tribes
were represented, Ezra 6:17 and Ezra 8:35). The unity of the people of God is
most valuable, but this objective does not justify disobedience to Christ. The
’why Jerusalem’ argument, again, has a voice for our time. This is how it goes:

"After all, what is so special about Jerusalem? Nowadays, it is just a place of
ruins, full of rubble. It would be far easier to start from scratch, somewhere
on a green field site."

Admittedly, this argument has a lot going for it. It sound so logical and
pragmatic. Things have gone badly wrong, so why not start a new church, why not
found an organisation that does not suffer from the same shortcomings? But is
this the voice of faith? If God has chosen Jerusalem, then faith does not
attempt to find something ’better’ or ’easier’. Likewise, it may seem easier
today to start ’something new’. But God’s thoughts are unchanged and all He
wants us to do is to return to the old principles first set out by Him, even if
there is much ’rubble’ in the way. But for those whose spirits God raised up,
all of these arguments were defeated by the faith argument: God has chosen
Jerusalem, and that is where we want to be!!! And God took note carefully of all
those who overcame the many counter-arguments and who went up. It is good to see
that there were priests among them (Ezra 2:36), and also Levites (Ezra 2:40). It
is good to see a recovery of priestly activity among the people, as well as of
levitical service. But Levites always seem to be in short supply. Here we find
just 74 Levites for about 4,000 priests (and we will find an even greater
shortage in Ezra 8:1-36). Those who are willing to be engaged in practical work
for the benefit of the people of God are notoriously few. But praise the Lord
there are some!

There were also singers (Ezra 2:41), so that praise could be given to God, and
porters (Ezra 2:42) who would be responsible to keep everything out that would
interfere with the Lord’s glory. And God even takes account of those we might
have forgotten: the Nethinim (Ezra 2:43) and Solomon’s servants (Ezra 2:55).
These may not have been of Jewish descent, and they were occupied with lowly
service. But God is pleased to mention all the names of the fathers of those who
went up to Jerusalem. Similarly, in the body of Christ, members have different
tasks, duties, and abilities, and the most prominent ones may not be the most
important ones (1 Corinthians 12:1-31).

Then a difficult situation arose. There were priests who sought their registers
(Ezra 2:61) and who were not able to prove their descent. Without genealogies,
they were not able to prove that they were entitled to be priests. What was to
be done?

First of all, it is important to see that this sort of problem would not have
arisen in the early days, the reason being that, back then, everyone knew who
the priests and their families were. It is only because the exercise of priestly
service had been interrupted for 70 years and because of all the confusion that
had come with the Babylonian captivity, that this problem could arise. In other
words, it was a consequence of the ruin of the people (and, of course, a certain
negligence on the part of these priests - if indeed they were priests - to keep
their documents together). An added difficulty was that they no longer possessed
the Urim and Thummim, as they used to, which would have allowed them to find out
the truth.

It is essential to realise that the church, as far as its practical testimony
and state go, is in ruins today. We no longer live in the early days when no
’strange elements’ would have dared to try to join themselves to the Christians
(Acts 5:13). We no longer live in days were 3,000 are converted by one sermon
(Acts 2:41), or in a day where God confirms the message through sign gifts
(Hebrews 2:4). Under the circumstances, the best course of action is to take
account of our weakness and not to pretend to have what we do not have (Ezra
2:63). It must have been hard to refuse those priests but doing so just
demonstrated that they put God first, not human feelings.

It is beautiful to read in Ezra 2:68 that "they came to the house of God". What
house, one might ask. The temple had been burnt many years ago and nothing had
been rebuilt. But they had come to the right place, and in God’s eyes this is
where His house has to be and is. And when they got there, "they offered freely"
(Ezra 2:69). This is another feature of this revival. There is a genuine
interest in the things of God, in His work. And we read that "they gave after
their ability" (Ezra 2:70).


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  CHAPTER 5: 00A.03     EZRA  3
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Ezra 3:1-13 The first day of the 7th month was a significant date. According to
Numbers 29:1, this was the time of the feast of trumpets. In fact, we find three
feasts are relevant to this chapter:

the feast of trumpets (Ezra 3:1 - compare with Leviticus 23:24)

the feast of new moons (Ezra 3:5), and

the feast of tabernacles (Ezra 3:4).

It is beautiful to see the significance of these feasts. Wonderful unity is
displayed, all the people gather together in Jerusalem on the first day of the
seventh month. This is exactly the meaning of the feast of trumpets. It
foreshadows a time when the people of Israel, now dispersed all over the globe,
will be gathered together again.

Second, there was the feast of the new moon at the beginning of that month. Oh,
how the moon of Israel had ceased shining during the 70 years of captivity. What
sort of testimony had they given? God had brought them out of Egypt to the
Promised Land, and they left Him and gave themselves up to idolatry. But now, we
have a new beginning. It is not yet the time of the full moon, but a thin stripe
appears on the firmament - the new moon (Psalms 81:3).

Finally, the feast of tabernacles is celebrated (Ezra 3:4). This was a feast of
joy. It involved dwelling in huts made of fresh twigs and leaves. It was
impossible, of course, to celebrate this feast in the wilderness. Where should
they have obtained the fresh branches in the desert? Clearly, it was a feast
that was connected with the land of Canaan. And this joy of the land is restored
to them. Even today, God wants to grant us a revival of our heavenly position:
seated with Christ in heavenly places - are we enjoying the feast of tabernacles
in this way?

It is interesting that the first thing the returned remnant did was not to build
themselves houses, or to build a big city wall, not even to rebuild the temple.
Their very first priority was to rebuild the altar (Ezra 3:2). Building the
altar speaks of the recovery of worship. How empty their lives must have been in
Babylon, without altar, without sacrifices for their God, and without worship.
And again, this is a feature of revival, and God wants to restore this today to
anyone who has lost the privilege of worship. In Christendom, as noted earlier,
many have replaced worship meetings through performances and so forth but it is
still possible today to approach the Father, and to speak to Him of the things
concerning Christ which we have learned to appreciate.

Note another feature of this revival: the repeated confirmation that everything
was done according to the Word of God:

their aim was to offer burnt offerings ’as it is written’ (Ezra 3:2)

they celebrated the feast of tabernacles ’as it is written’ (Ezra 3:4)

they offered daily sacrifices ’according to the ordinance’ (Ezra 3:4)

and even their worship is conducted according to the old pattern ’after the
ordinance of David, king of Israel’ (Ezra 3:10)

What is needed among the people of God today is not so much innovation, but a
return to the fundamental principles which were there from the beginning, a
return to the Scriptures (although this may well be an innovative idea to us if
we have got used to traditions or to types of ’worship’ that aim to please
people, not God). If there is a genuine revival it will be marked by the
discovery of the Scriptures (Josiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, etc.). Not that the
Scriptures could not have been known before, but through negligence they had
been forgotten. The altar was set ’upon its bases’ (Ezra 3:3). There was only
one place where the altar could be, according to the mind of God. It was where
Abraham had offered his son Isaac (this is how God viewed it, Hebrews 11:1-40),
the threshing floor of Ornan where the judgement was halted after David’s sin (1
Chronicles 21:15-18; 2 Chronicles 3:1), and the place where around 550 years
after the time of Ezra 3:1-13, the ultimate sacrifice would be offered.

Setting up the altar in its place was the right thing to do, but why was it a
good defence strategy? It says "they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was
upon them because of the people of those countries". The only protection of this
weak remnant (without army, city wall, etc.) was full confidence in the God Whom
they built the altar.

It is beautiful to see that they began on the very first day with their
sacrifices (Ezra 3:6). There were continual sacrifices and also free will
offerings. The beginning was made. They had an altar, but not yet a temple, not
even the foundation. But their generosity extended to the preparations for the
building of the house as well (Ezekiel 3:7). At the same time, the remnant
humbly relied on the decree made by the heathen king Cyrus. In the second year,
the Levites were appointed, the building work started, and finally the
foundation of the Temple was laid. What a recovery God had granted! After 70
years in exile, they had now recovered worship (the altar) and the foundation
for the Temple was laid. There was singing, there was praise for God. But at the
same time there was weeping. So much so that ’the people could not discern the
noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people’.

How could this be, and who was right? The younger ones were shouting for joy
because they saw what God had recovered to them. But the older ones, who
remembered the magnificence of the Temple of Solomon, were saddened by the
comparison of what they saw now with that which had been in the old days. Are
not both feelings justified in their place? Considering the glorious beginning
of the church on the day of Pentecost, thinking of the thousands converted then,
and the powerful testimony of the early believers (Acts 2:1-47, Acts 3:1-26,
Acts 4:1-37), are we not saddened by what we see today? On the other hand, we
have the right and duty to take account of the things God has recovered to us.
There is much ruin, fewness of numbers, etc, but the altar is there (we can
worship), the new moon is there (we can give some light), the feast of
Tabernacles is there (we have a heavenly position to enjoy), and the foundation
of the house of God is there (we can gather to the Lord’s name). Truths which
had been forgotten about for centuries have been re-discovered from God’s Word,
e.g.

- the truth of the rapture - the truth of the unity of the body of Christ - the
distinction between Israel and the church - the literal interpretation of Old
Testament prophecies

- etc.

Bearing this in mind, there is indeed cause for joy, even today.

Years later, Haggai confirmed the merits of both, weeping and rejoicing. On the
one hand, he said regarding the current building in progress ’is it not as
nothing before your eyes’ (Haggai 2:3). On the other hand, he pointed out that
this same house would be filled with greater glory than the first (Haggai 2:7 -
New Translation). The millennial glory of the temple would exceed that of
Solomon, and in God’s eyes there is only one house of God. Likewise, the future
glory of the assembly (Revelation 21:1-27, Revelation 22:1-21) will exceed its
first glory in the days of the Acts. And the weak testimony we see today is
identified with this church which Christ will present glorious unto Himself.


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  CHAPTER 6: 00A.04     EZRA  4
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Ezra 4:1-24 When positive work goes on, the opposition of the enemy will never
be lacking. At first sight, one wonders why these people are called ’the
adversaries of Judah and Benjamin’ (Ezra 4:1). They seem rather friendly and
supportive: ’Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as ye do’ (Ezra 4:2).
What more could one wish?

However, their next phrase betrays them: ’and we do sacrifice unto him, since
the days of Esar-Haddon, king of Assur, which brought us up hither’. A
comparison with 2 Kings 17:1-41 will show what had happened. The 10 tribes had
been deported to Assyria, and the king of Assyria repopulated the land of
Samaria with people from Assyria. But God sent lions who killed some of these
people. Having taken advice, the king of Assyria sent them a priest to instruct
them in Jewish ways, hoping to appease the God of Israel. The result was a
strange mixture of the divinely established worship and idolatry. The kind offer
therefore had to be rejected, and so it was. Now the adversaries drop their
friendly mask and start ’weakening’ and ’troubling’ those who were building.
They hired counsellors against them, and this went on during the reign of three
Persian kings: Cyrus, Ahasuerus, and Darius (Ezra 4:5-6). In other words, there
was constant opposition.

Until today, the work of God must be done by the people of God. If the world
offers co-operation we have to refuse. If we do, then those who made the offer
will soon show their true colours. But if we don’t we will soon spoil the work.
We end up being governed by the world’s principles in the work we wanted to do
for God.

Incidentally: I recently heard of a group of Christians who were offered money
from the local Council for their ’good work’. They gladly accepted the
contribution. A little later the Council informed them that, to remain eligible
for this ’grant’ they would have to consent to the Council’s policy regarding
"same sex marriages". They quickly learned., and returned the grant. In a
measure, the same principle applies to co-operation with believers who do not
gather according to Scripture and with whom we cannot have fellowship in the
Lord’s Supper. If I cannot have fellowship in the Lord’s Supper, can I really
co-operate with them without running a serious risk of having to compromise the
message I bring? The remainder of the chapter is tragic. We learn that one of
these many attacks was fruitful. During the reign of Ahasuerus, a letter is
written against the Jews and Jerusalem. As it happens, some negative evidence is
found and adduced against them. Now the enemies had full authority, and they
used it. They ’made them to cease by force and power’ (Ezra 4:23). The
consequence was fatal: ’then ceased the work .’ (Ezra 4:24).


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  CHAPTER 7: 00A.05     EZRA  5
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Ezra 5:1-17 On the face of it, the interruption of the work described in Ezra
4:1-24 was due to circumstances beyond the builders’ powers. What could they do
if they were stopped by force, and with authority? And yet, in the light of the
prophecies uttered by the two prophets referred to at the start of Ezra 5:1-17,
especially Haggai, we learn that there were reasons beneath the surface. The
people had actually lost interest in the house of God and started concentrating
on their own houses. Haggai had to deliver a stern message, addressing the
consciences. Only after this could he deliver a message of comfort, assuring the
people of God’s presence and support (Haggai 1:1-15). So Haggai and Zechariah
prophesied (Ezra 5:1), and the result was that the building work was resumed
(Ezra 5:2). This did not mean that opposition would cease. Again, the enemies
come, ask questions, require justification for the building work. The leaders of
the people give a beautiful answer, stating that

they served the God of heaven

they were under God’s discipline because their fathers had sinned, and that

Cyrus had passed a decree entitling them to build.

They were firm but humble. The enemies write another letter, this time to King
Darius. What would the result be?


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 8: 00A.06     EZRA  6
========================================================================

Ezra 6:1-22 The opponents had written to Darius with the ultimate objective of
stopping the building of the temple and of the city. But their strategy
backfires. Through God’s providence, the old decree of King Cyrus is discovered
at Achmetha, somewhere in the province. This decree also stated that expenses
for the project should be paid for out of the king’s treasure. As a result of
this attack on the work, the work is facilitated. Darius passes a decree
strictly prohibiting that anyone should interfere with this work, or hinder it.

Again, Ezra 6:14 allows us to look behind the scenes: ’they prospered through
the prophesying of Haggai, the prophet, and Zechariah.. And they builded, and
finished it’. The prophets had reached the consciences of the people. A divine
work happened in their hearts. And once their hearts were right, God also
ensured, governmentally, that the work could not be stopped through the enemies.

If one looks at Ezra 4:1-24, Ezra 5:1-17, Ezra 6:1-22 as a whole, an important
lesson emerges: where there is no exercise, God may allow circumstances to make
the work impossible. Outwardly, it will look as though the work ceased due to
"Force Majeure", but the deeper reason is that there was little or no exercise
in the hearts of God’s people. On the other hand, God intervenes, for instance,
by sending prophets who speak to the heart of the people. Then, when hearts turn
to God, He will also take care of the circumstances. And then nobody will be
able to stop the work, until it is finished, ’according to the commandment of
the God of Israel’. So we come to the moment when the house of God is finished
and dedicated to God with sacrifices (Ezra 6:17). One sacrifice arrests our
attention in a special way. They offer ’for a sin offering for all Israel,
twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel’

There they were, a minority from two tribes out of 12. And yet they are
conscious of the whole people. They offer 12 he goats, making the point that the
people was composed of 12 tribes and that all the 12 tribes had sinned and that
the only way for God to bless and forgive them would be on the basis of the sin
offering. The fact that 10 tribes were completely absent and the fact that many
who belonged to Judah and Benjamin had remained in Babylon did not prevent them
from remembering the whole people before God. Does this not have a voice for
today, does it not give orientation in a time of ruin? We cannot undo the
dispersion of God’s people, we cannot force everyone to return to the
fundamental principles that Jerusalem stands for (although we want to encourage
as many as we can to do so). But we can act on the basis that the people of God
is one. We do not form churches, introduce memberships etc. but simply take
account of the fact that there is one body. When we receive someone for the
breaking of the bread, we do not receive him or her because he or she is a
member of an organisation, but we do so because (i) he or she is a member of the
body of Christ and (ii) not disqualified from this privilege by things that
dishonour the Lord. This latter aspect is also seen in the way they celebrated
the Passover here. All of the priests and the Levites were purified (Ezra 6:20)
and those who had separated themselves ’from the filthiness of the heathen of
the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel’ ate of the Passover. Nothing that
dishonours God was to be associated with the feast which reminded them of that
night when God spared those who were sheltered by the blood of the Passover lamb
(Exodus 12:1-51). No wonder that the feast of the unleavened bread was kept, and
was kept with joy (Ezra 6:22) and the king of Assyria was supportive of the work
of the house of God. It is a timeless principle: obedience brings joy and
blessing.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 9: 00A.07     EZRA  7
========================================================================

Ezra 7:1-28 The second part of the book of Ezra (i.e. Ezra 7:1-28, Ezra 8:1-36,
Ezra 9:1-15, Ezra 10:1-44) deals with Ezra’s mission. To appreciate the
significance of Ezra’s journey to Jerusalem, we need to bear in mind that 80
years had passed since the first return from Babylon (Ezra 1:1-11, Ezra 2:1-70)
and about 60 years since the reconstruction of the temple had been finished. We
are now in the days of the reign of King Artaxerxes I (465-424). You may wonder
how things were going in Jerusalem among those who had rebuilt the temple and
among their families and children. Sad to say, things had not only developed in
a positive way. This is where Ezra’s mission comes in. He had been prepared by
God as a well suited tool to bring the much needed help to those in Jerusalem.
His credentials were excellent:

Ø He was a priest who could prove his genealogy (Ezra 7:1-6; comp. Ezra
2:59-63);

Ø He was a knowledgeable scribe (Ezra 7:6);

Ø His purpose of heart was to first seek, then do, and then teach the law (Ezra
7:10).

Sending such a man was a great proof of God’s grace towards the Jews in
Jerusalem who, meanwhile, had meddled so badly with evil! And Ezra obeys the
call of God. This time, there are only around 1,500 men plus families who went
up, not 43,000 as in chapter 2. But it was God’s work and His good hand was upon
Ezra (Ezra 7:6, Ezra 7:9, Ezra 7:28; Ezra 8:18, Ezra 8:22, Ezra 8:31). This was
the secret of his success. The rest of the chapter contains a copy of the king’s
letter authorising Ezra’s mission (Ezra 7:11-26) and Ezra’s response to it in
praise and worship (Ezra 7:27-28). And we can see why Ezra was overwhelmed by
this letter. It gave Ø Authorization for any Israelite who wanted to accompany
Ezra to do so (Ezra 7:13);

Ø Funding for the sacrifices, the temple instruments and other temple
requirements (Ezra 7:17-23);

Ø Tax exemption in respect of all payments of road tolls and custom duties (Ezra
7:24); and Ø Judicial powers including capital punishment in respect of anyone
hindering Ezra’s mission. This was in fact more than Ezra might have thought or
asked (Ephesians 3:20) but so it goes with someone who knows ’the good hand of
God’ upon him (Ezra 7:28).


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 10: 00A.08     EZRA  8
========================================================================

Ezra 8:1-36 The men listed in Ezra 8:1-14, together with their families, went
with Ezra. It would have been so much easier for them to settle in Mesopotamia
where they had grown up but they return to the place of God’s choice
(Deuteronomy 12:1-32) and God is with them.

It may seem strange though, at first sight, that Ezra makes them stop at river
Ahava (Ezra 8:15). But before proceeding to Jerusalem, important preparation had
to be made, in at least two ways:

- First, there was a lack of Levites and Ezra sends 11 men to find Levites to
come with them. Only 38 are found, and 220 servants (Nethinim), but at lease
this small number join Ezra and those with him. There seems to be a chronic
shortage of ’Levites’, people who take care of the house and people of God
(Numbers 3:7) - may many hear the call today!

- Second, Ezra called for fasting, humiliation and prayer (Ezra 8:21). Instead
of relying on the armed escort offered by the heathen king, Ezra wanted to rely
on God and to depend on Him.

You see that we do not have a scribe here (in Ezra) who ’knows it all’ and goes
to ’sort them out’ in Jerusalem. His frame of mind is quite different. The time
in prayer at the river Ahava was well spent (Ezra 8:23).

Finally, Ezra entrusts the silver and gold, the vessels for the house of God, to
12 of the chief priests and gives them instruction to look after these
treasures. They do so faithfully. Everything is weighed and numbered and, good
to see, when they arrive everything is accounted for, nothing has gone missing.
May it be so with the things the Lord entrusted to us, whether material or
otherwise (1 Timothy 6:20). The Lord protected them from enemies and robbers
(Ezra 8:31). Arrived in Jerusalem, they offer a sacrifice. Again (compare Ezra
6:1-22), it is striking that they offered ’12 bullocks for all Israel’. Only a
minority of only two tribes were present. But they were in the right place and
they realised that they were not the people of God but only formed part of it.
In their burnt offering as well as in their sin offering (12 he goats) they took
account of the whole people of God, 12 tribes.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 11: 00A.09     EZRA  9
========================================================================

Ezra 9:1-15

How must Ezra have felt about the news that reached him right after this! Here
he was, a ’ready scribe’, well taught in the law and ready to instruct the
people in it. But the first thing he learns is that the very law he had come to
teach had been disregarded in a blatant way, by not a few, and rulers, respected
people, taking a leading role in the matter. They had married Canaanite wives,
against God’s express command (Deuteronomy 7:1-6).

Ezra is devastated. He rends his garments, plucks out his hair and sits down
’overwhelmed’. Only at the time of the evening sacrifice (reminding us of the
value of the sacrifice of Christ and that God sees His people in Him) Ezra finds
the courage to turn to God, not in accusation of others, but in confession of
failure. And in this confession, it is always ’we’ have sinned, not ’they’.

Reading Ezra’s prayer you get the impression that what disturbed him most was
this: the people who had sinned in this way were people who had experienced
God’s grace in a special way. God had led them back to Jerusalem, granted them
help, given them a temple, an altar and sacrifices. But despite of God’s grace
and mercy with them, they insulted Him in this way (Ezra 9:8-11).

God’s work cannot be done by people who mix with the world. The church has been
’called out’ (’ecclesia’). When the church sought the protection of the world
(under Constantine) it was the start of a dangerous marriage (’Pergamos’,
Revelation 2:12). Until today, the Lord is pleased with those who put Him first,
who ’keep his word’ and ’do not deny His name’ (Revelation 3:8). He does not
want a mixture of things that have nothing in common (2 Corinthians 6:14-18),
whether in marriage or otherwise.

Many arguments may have spoken for linking up with the neighbouring peoples (not
enough suitable Jewish women, good peaceful relationships with the Canaanites,
etc.) but God had forbidden it and obedience would have been better.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 12: 00A.10     EZRA 10
========================================================================

Ezra 10:1-44

How good to see that Ezra rises to the challenge, and that he does so in a good
and humble spirit! His humiliation was the start of restoration for the people.
He had been praying, those who trembled before the word of God had joined him
(Ezra 9:4), and in the beginning of Ezra 10:1-44 we find a ’very great
congregation’, assembled with Ezra. Where there is confession of failure there
is hope. Shechaniah put it well: "We have trespassed against our God. yet now
there is hope in Israel.". I do not think he took it lightly. In fact, his
father was among the ’problem cases’ (Ezra 10:26). He suggests that the
confession and prayer should be accompanied by action (Ezra 10:3), what an
encouragement for Ezra (Ezra 10:4)! A genuine commitment to implement God’s
order is required (Ezra 10:5). A proclamation is made and, within three days,
all of Judah and Benjamin assemble together at Jerusalem (Ezra 10:9). They
tremble because of ’this matter’ and because of the inclement weather (it was in
the middle of the rainy season). Perhaps the heavy rainfalls reminded them of
God’s judgement, but in any case they certainly added to their discomfort.

Ezra’s stern words ’you have transgressed’ and ’make confession’ are quite
appropriate as he had humbled himself and now needs to reach the consciences of
all. They have to correct the matter in which they had dishonoured their God,
and they agree to do so (Ezra 10:10-12).

Frequently, it is admitted that things have to be put right, put it is pointed
out that (i) this would be a very complex thing to do, and (ii) that doing so
would hurt (and, in fact, some voices - even though few - were raised in
objection here, too (Ezra 10:15)).

Well, the matter before Ezra certainly was complex. It could not be ’sorted out’
in a day. It took thorough examination (Ezra 10:16) three months. So the
complexity meant that the matter would take time to resolve, not that it should
not be addressed in the first place. And who would say it did not hurt? Over 100
men had offended in this way, and some of the women had born children (Ezra
10:44). But it was better to obey God now and to bear the governmental
consequences of their sin than to continue in it.

How sad, you may say, that a book of revival should end on such a sombre note!
Ezra closes with a list of offenders (Ezra 10:18-44). It was a matter that split
families apart. It was sad indeed that there had been such failure among the
remnant, the minority who had returned to the place of God’s choice! But on the
other hand, we should not overlook that this list contains the names of those
who ’offered a ram for their trespass’ and ’gave their hand’ to put right that
which was wrong (Ezra 10:19). In other words, the book of Ezra ends with a list
of people who have been restored! We are reminded of the words of James:

".if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that
he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from
death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." (James 5:19-20)

What a success for Ezra’s mission! It would have been so much easier for him
(and those with him) to settle down in Babylon. But he went. And God used him
for the blessing and restoration of not a few among His people.

Michael Hardt

[1] To see this, compare Numbers 1:1-54 with Numbers 26:1-65. Some tribes had
increased in number, others decreased, but the overall number of the people
remained roughly the same.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 13: 1.00. SHADOWS OF THE CHURCH
========================================================================

Shadows of the Church Old Testament Types

Michael Hardt The truth of the church is a mystery ’which in other ages was not
made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed.’ (Ephesians 3:5).
However, the Old Testament contains a number of striking types of the church
which may be discovered in the light of New Testament revelation.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 14: 1.000.     TABLE OF CONTENTS
========================================================================

Table of Contents

Isha

Enoch

Rebecca

Asenath

Zipporah

Aaron and His Sons

The Two Leavened Loaves

The Tabernacle


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 15: 1.01.     ISHA
========================================================================

Isha Please read Genesis 2:18-24

Few readers will be surprised by the statement that women such as Eve (or Isha),
Rebekah, Asenath etc. are types of the church. In fact, unmistakable quotations
and allusions such as Ephesians 5:30-31 provide sufficient proof. However,
familiarity with this fact should not breed contempt of the truth illustrated.
Both, the depth of God’s counsel hidden in these figures as well as the variety
and beauty of the details of these types are most remarkable - forcing us, in
fact, to limit this article to just one of them. And Jehovah Elohim said, It is
not good that Man should be alone; I will make him a helpmate, his like. And out
of the ground Jehovah Elohim had formed every animal of the field and all fowl
of the heavens, and brought them to Man, to see what he would call them; and
whatever Man called each living soul, that was its name. And Man gave names to
all cattle, and to the fowl of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but
as for Adam, he found no helpmate, his like (Genesis 2:18-20). The fact that God
created man, male and female, is already stated in Genesis 1:26. Genesis 2:1-25
deals with man’s relationships1 (to God, creation, and ’woman’). With regard to
Adam’s relationship to Eve, a very interesting fact comes out here, namely that
the reason for her very existence would be his happiness. Naturally, the church
is entitled to find all joy and satisfaction in Christ, but her raison d’etre
(reason for existence) is His joy, not her’s. He is the object in view; she is
created because of His desire. This simple consideration, already, may well
change the way we sometimes think about the church of God. It is a company of
people who are richly blessed, yes, and who find their joy in the Lord - but
this is not why the church was formed. It was for Him.

Adam was alone. And so was Christ as man on earth. Speaking about Himself in
figure, He indicated that He would remain alone - unless he died (John 12:24).
His disciples’ inability to comprehend him further contributed to His being
alone (just think of Gethsemane). And even as the risen Man, He would be alone -
in the sense of incomplete - if it was not for the church, his ’fullness’. So it
was, in figure, with Adam: despite his high mental capabilities - enabling him
to describe all created animals in a suitable way by naming them - he was
incomplete. He was alone and God stated that this was not good. There was
nothing in creation that could have shared his thoughts, understood his feelings
or reciprocated his love. In this sense Christ, as man, was incomplete. We would
not dare to state it if Scripture did not tell us plainly that the church is
’the fullness of him that fills all in all’ (Ephesians 1:23). Can there be a
more elevated position than belonging to this group,2 the church?

Having looked at just these few details, do we not feel how we need to allow God
to shape our thinking? The church was not formed for her own sake but for
Christ’s. Those belonging to her are given to Him as complement, as those who
have the capability of feeling as He does with respect to everything in this
world (and even with respect to things beyond it). Do we reciprocate his love in
a practical way, and are our thoughts, feelings and aspirations in harmony with
His? A further detail strikes us. Both Adam and Eve were to occupy a place of
dominion over the world including all animal creation: ’Let us make man in our
image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over the whole earth,
and over every creeping thing that creepeth on the earth.’ (Genesis 1:26). This
statement certainly referred to both, Adam and Eve. The next verse says, ’And
God created Man in his image, in the image of God created he him; male and
female created he them’. However, in our scripture, Adam is seen as taking this
place of dominion over creation without Eve, before she existed. This detail
beautifully illustrates two further points regarding Christ and the church:

1. Christ alone is worthy in Himself (intrinsically) to take dominion over the
earth as Son of man (Psalms 8:1-9), and 2. the church will do it with Him, but
only due to her association with Him.

Christ is the heir, and we are co-heirs because, and only because, we are
associated with Him (Romans 8:17). At the same time, we realise that Eve was
distinct from the sphere of creation put under Adam’s dominion. Many true
believers today assume for themselves the role of the King’s subjects (as can be
verified from a large number of modern hymns). This will indeed be the position
of believing Jews during the Millennium, but it falls short of the true calling
of believers today. For us, it is not a matter of Christ reigning over us, but
that He wants us to reign with Him when the time for His reign has come. Again,
this interpretation is borne out by scripture itself when it says that Christ
has been given as ’head over all things to (not over) the church’ (Ephesians
1:22). And Jehovah Elohim caused a deep sleep to fall upon Man; and he slept.
And he took one of his ribs and closed up flesh in its stead. (Genesis 2:21)

If the omnipotent Creator - having created Adam out of the dust of the earth
(Genesis 2:7) - chooses this remarkably different way of creating a suitable
companion for him, surely, it is not without reason.

God made Adam fall into a ’deep sleep’ - no doubt a figure of the death of
Christ which was necessary for the formation of the church. Again we refer to
the grain of wheat that had to fall into the ground and die if it was not to
remain alone. So Christ entered into a state that was entirely foreign to Him as
the author of life, that of death, in order to bring into being the church, His
fullness. This picture reminds us that 1. the church is the fruit of Christ’s
sufferings and death on the cross, and that 2. the formation of the church could
take place only after the death of Christ.

It might be well to mention in passing that we do not use types to derive truth
from them but to illustrate truths we find in the New Testament. So we know, for
instance, that the church was formed at Pentecost when believers were baptised
into one body (1 Corinthians 12:13) and that she is the fruit of His work (e.g.
Acts 20:28; Ephesians 5:25). It is true that Old Testament believers were born
again and redeemed on account of the Lord’s work on the cross, but the church
was formed only after the true ’Adam’ had fallen into a ’deep sleep’.

It has often been pointed out that Adam’s companion was formed out of his rib to
illustrate her place of affection at his side (as opposed to the place of one
being ruled by Him). And Jehovah Elohim built the rib that he had taken from Man
into a woman; and brought her to Man. (Genesis 2:22) When it comes to the way in
which God’s act of creating Eve is described the word ’built’ arrests our
attention. Certainly, it was an act of creation. Yet, the expression used is
peculiar - stating that God ’built the rib. into a woman’. This is the first
occurrence of this verb (to build) in the Bible. Strikingly, the word used for
the building of the church in Ephesians 2:20; Ephesians 2:22 is derived from the
same root as the word used here (in its Greek translation in the Septuagint).
Although the church is presented as companion here the mention of the fact that
God ’built’ Eve is designed to confirm the truth that the builder of the church
is a divine One. The Lord Himself said to Peter: ’Upon this rock will I build my
church’ (Matthew 16:18). This is not to say that believers do not have a role in
the building up of the church. Edification is not formation. In God’s grace, He
allows every member of the body to work towards the edification of the church
(Ephesians 4:16). But as far as formation goes, God is the builder.

Further, this verse tells us that God, having ’built’ Eve, presents her to Adam.
As with most types, there is a parallel as well as a contrast. In the case of
Christ and the church, we read that Christ will present the church to Himself
glorious. The obvious explanation for this difference is that Adam was not
divine -but Christ is. ’He is the true God’ (1 John 5:20). And Man said, This
time it is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh: this shall be called Woman,
because this was taken out of a man. (Genesis 2:23)

’This time’ shows the contrast with all that had happened before when no
counterpart, no intelligent and empathising being was found among the whole
animal creation. This time, it was different. Adam recognises Eve as ’bone of
his bones and flesh of his flesh’. This interesting expression shows us that, 1.
Eve derived her very existence from Adam, and that

2. she exhibited features which were his own - he identifies her as ’woman’ (-
Isha), that is being taken out of man (- Ish). In applying this verse to the
church we are on safe ground as the phrase is applied to the church by the
Apostle Paul: ’we are of his flesh, and of his bones’ (Ephesians 5:30). Paul
uses this picture to illustrate the way in which husbands should care for their
wives (’for no one has ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes
it’) and the way in which Christ cares for the church (’even as also the Christ
the assembly’).

We are left to marvel at God’s wisdom in creating Eve in this peculiar way -
providing us with a beautiful picture (on the very first pages of His Word!) of
His counsel and its present effect: the church. She,

derives her existence from Christ (whose death, resurrection and ascension were
necessary for the giving of the Holy Spirit through Whom she was formed),

exhibits features of Christ (for instance, she is ’from God’, ’out of heaven’
and ’has the glory of God’ Revelation 21:10-11),

is linked with Christ in the closest conceivable way and, being of His flesh and
bones, can therefore be assured of His care even now (before she is presented to
Him ’without spot and wrinkle’).

With regard to Isha[3] being acknowledged by Adam as being ’of man’, and the one
who at last was the perfect companion and complement for man, we quote the words
of another:[4] ’Eden could not, with all its delights for the senses, nor could
his vast and unrivalled dominion abroad, as ’king of all he surveyed’ do what
Eve did for him. She unsealed his lips with a confession that now he was
satisfied’. What a privilege it is to belong to the company (of all believers
from Pentecost to the rapture) that represents the object of the Lord’s full
satisfaction, the fruit of the travail of His soul, the harvest of the One who
sowed with tears but reaps with rejoicing (cf. Isaiah 53:11; Psalms 126:4-5;
Hebrews 12:2). Surely, the Lord is the suitable object of our love, but the
truth illustrated here is that, in the church, a company has been formed that is
the suitable object of His love.

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and cleave to his wife;
and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24)

Again, the application to Christ and the church can be made. Christ, as man,
forsook that which was His, by way of relationship to His earthly people,
Israel, in order to acquire and possess the church. This verse is quoted by Paul
in Ephesians 5:30 : ’Because of this a man shall leave his father and mother,
and shall be united to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. This mystery is
great’ but He then unmistakably applies it to the church: ’but I speak as to
Christ, and as to the assembly’. The marriage bond, therefore, becomes the
picture of the union of the church with Christ. The fact of the two being one
takes us back to the first chapter of Genesis where both, man and woman, are
referred to as ’Adam’ (Genesis 1:26). Again, this is not an imprecision, but a
distinct analogy with New Testament teaching. When speaking about the church as
the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, the Apostle Paul confirms the
meaning of this peculiarity when he refers to Christ and the assembly, together,
as ’the Christ’: ’For even as the body is one and has many members, but all the
members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ’ (1
Corinthians 12:12).

If God’s wisdom is visible in creation - God’s ’all-varied wisdom’ is made known
through the church. It is perfectly expressed, as a matter of fact, in God’s
counsel as described in Ephesians 1:1-23; Ephesians 2:1-22; Ephesians 3:1-21;
and it should be visible practically where this church finds expressions in the
various towns and villages where Christians are gathered to the Lord’s name.

M Hardt

[1] This account for the change of God’s name from ’Elohim’ in Genesis 1:1-31 to
’Jehovah’ in Genesis 2:1-25.

[2] Men and women who lived in Old Testament times or who will live during the
tribulation period - some of them extremely faithful and devoted - will not
share this privilege, which is reserved to those who believe in Christ during
the time of grace, i.e. between Pentecost and the rapture.

[3] She is only called ’Eve’ after the fall.

[4] ’Heaven and Earth’ by J G Bellett.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 16: 1.02.     ENOCH
========================================================================

Enoch

Very little is said in the Scriptures about this interesting man, but the few
facts we do know provide us with a number of striking features. Some of these
are typical of the Church and others, though not directly typical, are deeply
instructive for every believer composing the Church[1]. Both groups are listed
briefly below.

1. Enoch was a descendent of Seth

After Abel had been slain by his brother Cain, God provided a replacement: Eve
had another son. She called him Seth ’for God, said she , hath appointed me
another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew’ (Genesis 4:25). If Abel was a
picture of Christ as the martyr, being slain for his faithful witness, Seth
typifies Christ as risen, the One given ’instead’ of the One who was slain. As
Enoch was a descendent of Seth, so the origin of the Church goes back to Christ
risen and glorified (who received the promise of the Spirit (Acts 2:33) and
’built’ the Church (Matthew 16:18).

2. And Enoch walked with God This brief statement is found twice (Genesis 5:22;
Genesis 5:24). How was it possible that a man should walk with God, and that in
a world already filled with violence and corruption? It seems that the answer is
given in Hebrews 11:5 where it says that it was ’by faith’. He believed in God,
acted on His Word and trusted Him. This should be true of every believer
composing the Church.

3. Enoch was translated

Genesis 5:24 reports that Enoch ’was not’. Suddenly, this man had disappeared.
The reason was that ’God took him’. We can only mention in passing (but it is
too beautiful to be skipped over) that this verse, in the early chapters of
Genesis (!), opens up heaven as a place for man to be. So, Enoch never went
through death. This is so much more remarkable as the constantly repeated phrase
of the chapter is ’and he died’. More light is shed on this in Hebrews 11:5
which says that ’Enoch was translated that he should not see death’ and that
’God had translated him’. Does this not remind us of Paul’s words: ’Then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up in the clouds’ (1 Thessalonians
4:17). The terms ’caught up’ and ’alive’ are aptly illustrated in Enoch. This is
the hope of the Church: not to die, but to be caught up, or raptured, out of a
scene to which she never belonged, to be with Christ for ever. The timing of
Enoch’s ’rapture’ is interesting in that it happened before the flood (Genesis
6:1-22; Genesis 7:1-24; Genesis 8:1-22), just as the Church will be ’caught up’
before the great tribulation that will come over the whole earth (Revelation
3:9). Noah was preserved from the flood as well, but in quite a different
manner. He was saved during the flood (by being in the ark), just as the Jewish
remnant will be preserved by God during the tribulation (Matthew 24:22-31;
Revelation 12:6).

4. Enoch was not found

Hebrews 11:5 adds that ’he was not found’. Why is this piece of information
given? Does it not beg the question whether others looked for him? One is also
struck by the fact that he only lived about half as long, or less, as most
others mentioned in this chapter. Perhaps this faithful man was persecuted (see
2 Timothy 3:12) but ’translated’ by God so that those who pursued him could not
’find’ him. If this is so, it would be another parallel with the Church, which
has been persecuted from very early days (founded in Acts 2:1-47 and persecuted
as soon as Acts 3:1-26; Acts 4:1-37!). And it is still the case in many
countries today.

5. Enoch lived by faith This statement is a monument to Enoch’s faith that still
stands today, recorded in God’s Word (Hebrews 11:1-40). While - as Hebrews
11:1-40 demonstrates - a life of faith has been the part of believers at all
times it is also true that the Church dispensation is characterised by faith in
a special way. Thomas, in John 20:1-31, typifies the remnant of Israel who will
’see and believe’ whereas the Church has the special blessedness of ’not seeing
and believing’.

6. Enoch pleased God

It is also stated in Hebrews 11:1-40 that Enoch ’before his translation had this
testimony, that he pleased God.’ The family of Cain (Genesis 4:1-26) had a
record of achievements, ranging from architecture to agriculture and music. They
had done something to make the world a better place (without God). The lives of
those who belonged to the family of God (Genesis 5:1-32) seem pale and
insignificant by contrast. They lived, had a family and died; no claims to fame
and no monument of a material kind. But there is a monument to Enoch’s faith and
life in Hebrews 11:1-40. Enoch might have been a disturbing man in the sight of
his contemporaries, but he pleased God. Can you think of a higher commendation?
This little phrase ’pleased God’ is pertinent to the Church in three ways:

• in God’s counsels the Church is always perfect and beautiful. She is the
perfect complement for Christ as Man - the ’fullness of Him who fills all in
all’ (Ephesians 1:23). Christ saw her as the ’goodly pearl’, sufficiently
valuable in His sight that He should ’sell all he had’ to possess her.

• practically, the Church should also please God. Christ uses the water of the
Word of God to purify and cleanse her (Ephesians 5:25) to remove anything that
might be there that would not please God.

• in the future, Christ will present the Church unto Himself - glorious, without
spot and wrinkle (Ephesians 5:25).

7. Enoch witnessed of Christ’s coming

We would not know about this from Enoch’s short biography in Genesis 5:1-32. It
is only once we reach the Epistle of Jude that we find out:

’And Enoch also .prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten
thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that
are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly
committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken
against him.’ (Jude 1:14) The fact that Jude wrote this without it having been
revealed in Genesis should not worry us. The writers of the New (and Old)
Testament were inspired, and if it pleased God only to reveal this piece of
information a few thousand years later then this was good and is no reason for
concern. But one is amazed by the amount of truth Enoch knew, no doubt from God
Himself. He spoke about Christ’s appearing. And when He says that the Lord would
come ’with then thousands of his saints’ this, really, supposes a rapture before
that time. However, the central point of Enoch’s prophecy is that judgment will
be executed on this world. Again, this is the position of the Church in the
world today: her task is not to try to improve a world that rejects Christ but
to warn others of the judgment to come and to point them to the salvation that
is offered in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:11; 2 Corinthians 5:20).

8. Enoch was the seventh from Adam

It is interesting that we read of two men who were ’the seventh of Adam’ (Jude
1:14) in the sense of the ’seventh’ generation. The first one was Lamech, and we
read of him in Genesis 4:19-24. He was the first bigamist and his song shows a
remarkable degree of arrogance. He is the seventh - the full manifestation - of
man in the line of Cain, in the line of the flesh. On the other hand there is
Enoch, a man of faith, pleasing God, walking with God and then taken by God out
of a scene to which he never belonged. Is this not the full manifestation of the
family of faith? And this should, and to a degree is, seen in the Church.

9. Enoch means ’dedicated’ The lessons above leave little doubt that Enoch’s
dedication was not divided between God and the world, but was for God only.
Should this not be true of the Church practically, that she should be here,
dedicated to Christ? Paul said, ’I have espoused you to one husband, that I may
present you as a chaste virgin to Christ ’ (2 Corinthians 11:2).

[1] Just for the avoidance of doubt: Enoch was not part of the Church (it did
not even exist before Pentecost) but his life shows features that are, or in
some cases should be, true of believers composing the Church.


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  CHAPTER 17: 1.03.     REBECCA
========================================================================

Rebecca Why another article on this well-known chapter?

Genesis 24:1-67 is a chapter on which many have written much. So much profitable
expository material 1 on Rebecca abounds that one hardly dares to add another
article on the subject, but two reasons encourage me to do so. Firstly, an
overview of Old Testament types foreshadowing of the church would be extremely
incomplete if this particular type – undisputedly the fullest of all – were to
be omitted. Second, a brief and easy-to-read summary of typical aspects may be
helpful to some who have not yet had opportunity to review the many detailed
expositions.

Introductory comments The narrative of Rebecca’s call to leave her family and
country in order to become the wife of Abraham’s son, Isaac, illustrates a
number of features of the church which are not covered by the other types. The
main ones are:

the call of the bride, out of a heathen environment, to travel to meet the
absent bridegroom;

the involvement of all three Divine Persons in securing the bride and in giving
her a most dignified place: the Father’s counsel (see Genesis 24:1-9), the
Spirit’s mission and activity (see Genesis 24:1-61), and the Son’s love for the
church (see Genesis 24:62-67);

the emphasis on the work brought about in the bride: how she reaches the stage
where she is willing to abandon all in order to go and meet one she had never
seen;

the character of Christ as the heavenly Head; a number of beautiful details
(e.g. the gifts given to the church illustrated in the gifts received by
Rebecca). In order to see the full beauty of the picture presented in Genesis
24:1-67 one has to look at the whole panorama of Genesis 22:1-24, Genesis
23:1-20, Genesis 24:1-67, Genesis 25:1-7 reports how Isaac, in a figure, went
through death. We already noticed in the section on Adam and Eve (Isha) that
Adam had to fall into a ‘deep sleep’ before Eve could be presented to him.
Likewise, Isaac has to be offered up on Mount Moriah before a bride could be
called for him. Rebecca’s call illustrates further that it would not have been
possible for the church to be called out unless the death of Christ was an
accomplished fact. The middle wall of partition, separating Jews from other
nations, first had to be broken down and both, Jew and Gentile, formed into one
new man. But this could only be achieved by the cross: ‘that he might reconcile
both unto God in one body by the cross’ (Ephesians 2:16).

- Then, in Genesis 23:1-20, we learn that Sarah died. She was, of course, the
mother of the child of promise, Isaac. She therefore stands for the people of
Israel because Christ, ‘concerning the flesh’, came out of Israel (Romans 9:5).
So Sarah’s death gives us a hint regarding the point in time when the church
would be formed and called out, namely when Israel was set aside. The New
Testament confirms this. Just think of the formation of the church related in
Acts 2:1-47 and Israel refusing to repent in Acts 3:1-26 (see also Acts 7:1-60
for Israel ’s final refusal).

- In Genesis 24:1-67, the bride for the son is called.

- Genesis 25:1-34 confirms (in Genesis 25:1-6) the unique position of the son as
the one and only heir of all things. Abraham’s other children are given presents
and sent away to the east country, foreshadowing millennial blessings.

Verse notes Genesis 24:3 : A firm basis

There was a firm basis for the call of Rebecca: it was founded on an oath
between Abraham and the eldest servant of his house (not named here but
generally assumed to be Eliezer of Damascus, see Genesis 15:2). The call of the
church is founded on God’s eternal counsel (Ephesians 1:3-4; Romans 8:20; Romans
8:30) and effected by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-47;1 Corinthians 12:13). Just as
Rebecca was unaware of this plan, so God’s counsel regarding the church dates
back to a time when the church had no consciousness of it, long before it even
existed.

Genesis 24:4 : Her call and His glory The striking sentence ‘thou shalt go …and
take a wife unto my son’ illustrates a point which is beautiful and fundamental
at the same time: God’s counsel regarding the church cannot be separated from
God’s desire to honour His Son. We are reminded of ‘a certain king, which made a
marriage for his son’ (Matthew 22:2). Notwithstanding the refusal of the workers
in the vineyard to reverence the son, the King ensured that He was honoured. A
second point to note in this verse is the suitability of the wife-to-be: a wife
from the daughters of the Canaanites (Genesis 25:3) would not have been
acceptable. Abraham states that she would have to be from ‘his kindred’. Whereas
Asenath, the heathen wife given to Joseph, illustrates the fact that men and
women from Gentile nations are brought into the church, Issac’s wife had to be
of the same kindred. Only those in whom God has done a divine work, producing
faith in Christ, can be part of the church. The Lord Jesus Himself said, ‘My
mother, and my brethren are those which hear the word of God and do it’ (Luke
8:21). Through God’s grace we have been made morally suitable, of ‘his kindred’.

Genesis 24:5-7 : the heavenly Head, or: a ‘conditio sine qua non 2’ The
condition that Isaac’s wife had to be – of the same kindred –raised a further
difficulty. Given that Abraham lived about 400 miles away from the rest of his
family (probably a more daunting distance at the time than London to New Zealand
today) there was a strong possibility that, even if she consented to the
marriage proposal, she might not be willing to leave her country to be joined to
Isaac. In this case, would Isaac then go to live in her country? Abraham’s
response is decisive. It was what we would call today, a ‘conditio sine qua non’
namely that Isaac’s wife would be willing to leave all, her family, friends,
country, etc., in order to be with him. It is a striking illustration of the
need for the church to be willing to become a stranger to her surroundings.
Under no circumstances would Isaac move to Mesopotamia in order to live there
with his wife. A well-known lesson, but how well has it been learned? The answer
is very little whether we look at church history (e.g. the church losing her
character of a stranger in the period of Pergamos, Revelation 2:12-17), or at
modern multi-facetted endeavours to link Christ’s name with earthly or even
worldly initiatives. These start with ‘Christian Socialism’ and ‘Christian’
political parties, and there is no end to them. The Head of the body is a
heavenly one. Christ, the risen Man is the heavenly Man, so the church should be
a stranger and identified with Him. This is not only illustrated by the fact
that Isaac was not to return to Mesopotamia, but clearly stated in the New
Testament (1 Corinthians 15:48). Those who compose the church are blessed with
all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3), seated in
heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), and have warfare, not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities and powers in heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). Even
when the church is presented as the ‘new Jerusalem’ or the ‘holy Jerusalem ’ she
is presented as coming ‘from heaven’ (Revelation 21:2; Revelation 21:10). The
reason for all this is simple: union of the church with Christ demands that she
should be heavenly as He is heavenly (Ephesians 5:25-32). A practical question
for Christians today, therefore, is to what extent their minds are ‘in sync’, in
harmony, with God’s eternal counsel. Do they see their role in Christianising
the world (bringing Isaac back to Mesopotamia) or does the heavenly Head have
such attraction for them that they are willing to become heavenly strangers?
Abraham’s prohibition is recorded twice (Genesis 25:6 and Genesis 25:8) to
emphasise its weight.

Genesis 24:8: a willing response A woman without an attitude of free-will would
not be suitable: ‘and if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou
shalt be clear from this my oath’. The church must be marked by grace, not by
legal obedience or requirements, in contrast to the Jewish system. Nor does she
resemble the Gentile nations marked by lust and attempts to satisfy their own
desires. Willingness to give up and to follow was to be looked for by the
servant. The church is marked by grace.

Genesis 24:10 : well equipped, or the power of attraction From Genesis 24:10-61
the servant is the main active character. Having considered the Father’s counsel
in the first nine verses, we now learn, by way of typical teaching, that the
Holy Spirit has been entrusted with the mission of calling the church out of
this world for Christ. The church was formed through Him (Acts 2:1-47, 1
Corinthians 12:13) and He works during the time of the church (dispensation) to
reach this objective: to kindle, strengthen, and encourage her affections for
Christ. How exactly does He do this?

We read of the servant that ‘all the goods of his master were in his hand’. He
was well equipped to tell Isaac’s future wife about him. In the first instance
‘all the goods of his master’ would have been the possessions of Abraham.
However, Abraham had given all things to Isaac as the only heir whereas his
other children were only given presents and sent to the east country (Genesis
24:36 and Genesis 25:5-6). Therefore, all the treasures really belonged to
Isaac. So it is with Christ who could say, ‘All things that the Father hath are
mine’ (John 16:15) and, ‘The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things
into his hand’ (John 3:35). This is how the Spirit works: He shows us the things
of Christ. We read in John 16:14 : ‘he shall take of mine, and shall show it
unto you’. It has been said, ‘God works by the power of attraction’. The rather
comprehensive expression: ‘all the goods’, reminds us that the Spirit has come
to teach us ‘all things’ (John 14:26), to guide us into ‘all truth’ (John 16:13)
and to show us ‘all things that the Father hath’ (John 16:15).

Genesis 24:12-14 : prayer, dependence and grace The first two of these features
(prayer and dependence) mark the servant; the latter one (grace) marks Rebecca.
She is not only willing to give Abraham’s servant to drink, but also freely
provides for his camels (which must have been hard work given the quantities
these animals can drink, especially after a long journey), without negotiating
conditions or asking a price. This is another indication that the church is
marked by grace. Rebecca demonstrates the same feature later on when the servant
asks for ‘room’ and she offers ‘straw’ and ‘provender enough’ and ‘room to lodge
in’ (Genesis 24:25).

What may be less obvious to some is that the spirit of prayer and dependence
that marked the servant should also mark the church. We are not mixing up types
by simply applying everything to the church. However, the Spirit who indwells
the church (1 Corinthians 3:16) wants to form His mind in her. The well-known
Bible expositor William Kelly points out that a spirit is identified with the
person he indwells (whether the spirit is good or evil):

‘Indeed the case is equally true of those possessed by evil spirits. Thus the
two demoniacs in Matthew 8:29 cried out, saying, ‘What have we to do with thee,
Son of God? Didst thou come here before the season to torment us?’ Still clearer
is this quasi-identification expressed in Mark 5:2, where, when asked his name,
the chief of the two answers, ‘Legion is my name, because we are many.’ No less
plainly does it appear in Luke 8:28-29 where the possessed said, ‘I beseech thee
torment me not’; and the evangelist continues: ‘For He had commanded the unclean
spirit to go out from the man.’ Hence we see how profoundly correct it is in the
history that Eliezer, typifying the Holy Spirit’s action, should represent the
church and the Christian also’.

God is not looking for a church that dominates the world, but rather a spirit in
the church that is prayerful, as illustrated in Eliezer.

Genesis 24:15-16 : ‘Rebecca came out’ The servant did not have long to wait. He
had hardly finished his prayer when Rebecca came out. Genesis 24:15 shows that
she was a daughter of Bethuel who, in turn, was Abraham’s nephew. Rebecca
therefore met the requirement of being of Abraham’s kindred (Genesis 24:4). She
is further described as ‘very fair to look upon’, a comment which will remind
the reader of the beauty which the church has in the eyes of Christ (Matthew
13:45-46). The fact that she was a chaste virgin brings to mind Paul’s words:
‘For I am jealous as to you with a jealousy which is of God; for I have espoused
you unto one man, to present you a chaste virgin to Christ’ (2 Corinthians
11:2). The professing church is far away from this state of heart where
affections are reserved for Christ and forbidden associations are avoided.
Finally, it will degenerate to be the very opposite of a chaste virgin. John has
to describe the professing church that remains on earth after the rapture as
‘the great harlot’ (Revelation 17:15-16), which God has to judge (Revelation
9:2). But the true church will be presented to Christ, glorious (Ephesians
5:27). In eternity, she will be seen prepared ‘as a bride adorned for her
husband’ (Revelation 21:2).

Genesis 24:17-22 : left wondering…

Genesis 24:17-20 show how the servant’s prayer appears to have been answered to
the letter. Rebecca fully demonstrated the unusual willingness that could hardly
have been expected to occur by chance. She even ‘hasted’ and, having given him
to drink, says, ‘I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done
drinking…’

Observing this, the servant is left ‘wondering’. As far as I can see, the
thought is not that the ‘wondering’ attitude reflects badly on the servant, but
that, in antitype, the church is marvellous and something that is very much an
object of wonder. Even the Lord Jesus wondered when considering the faith shown
by a Gentile (Luke 7:9). And who would not wonder at the way the Spirit worked
in forming the church and producing godly characteristics in the multitudes that
believed (Acts 2:1-47; Acts 3:1-26; Acts 4:1-37)?

Genesis 24:22 relates how Rebecca received gifts, namely a golden earring and
golden bracelets. These initial gifts, early tokens of grace, were followed by
further ones later-on (Genesis 24:53). Some have suggested that the initial
gifts in Genesis 24:22 stand for the redemption we receive in Christ (Ephesians
1:7) whereas those in Genesis 24:53 are an illustration of the fact that Christ
has given gifts to men (Ephesians 4:8). The latter ones are only brought in once
the matter of Rebecca’s new privilege of being united with Isaac has been
established, just as it is from Christ ‘ascended’ and ‘descended’ that gifts are
given for the edification of the church (Ephesians 4:8-16). But through the
initial gifts (the earring and bracelets) Rebecca was clearly marked out and
distinguished from all others. As has been said: ‘The hand and face bear witness
to the work of grace’.

Genesis 24:23-27 : … and worshipping The servant asks Rebecca two questions: who
she was and whether there would be room in her father’s house for him to stay.
The Spirit of God is not intrusive and does not force Himself upon anyone but
asks whether there is ‘room’. Do we make ‘room’ for Him or do we ‘grieve’ Him
(Ephesians 4:30)?

Having heard Rebecca’s answer (Genesis 24:24-25) there was no doubt that God had
indeed sent His angel to prepare the way (Genesis 24:7), and to lead Eliezer in
the right way (Genesis 24:48). His immediate response is worship. Bearing in
mind earlier comments (on Genesis 24:12-14) explaining why the Spirit’s features
should mark the church, it will be easy to see the point: worship is
characteristic for Christianity (John 4:24). This incident of worship is
mentioned again in Genesis 24:48 (and hence was one of the significant things
that had occurred). Further, once Rebecca’s brother Laban and her father Bethuel
had given their consent, we read again: ‘when Abraham’s servant heard their
words, he worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth’ (Genesis 24:52).

We hear that, in some places, opportunities for free collective worship are
being replaced by all sorts of performances etc. Do we still know worship in our
personal as well as in our collective lives? It is not just a matter of emotion
but a state of heart where one is so overwhelmed with what God has done, and
with what God is that one can only ‘bow’ and worship.

Genesis 24:28-49 This passage, which mainly reports how the servant explains the
situation to Rebecca’s family, illustrates a number of further features of the
Holy Spirit and His work.

Firstly, we notice that the servant refuses to eat. Given the length of the
journey he had made this was surprising. But he only allows his feet to be
washed and the camels to be ungirded and looked after (Genesis 24:32). ‘And
there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have
told mine errand’ (Genesis 24:33). The servant knew what his mission was, his
priorities were right, and he did not allow himself to be deflected from his
mission. Perhaps we sometimes only have a weak impression of the Holy Spirit’s
relentless efforts in drawing out our affections for Christ. And how exactly the
Spirit does this is again illustrated by the servant’s report. After a very
brief introduction he comes to the core of the matter: Abraham’s son, the heir
of all things: ‘unto him hath he given all that he hath’ (Genesis 24:36). Are
you looking for evidence of the Spirit’s working? Then the thing to look for is
that hearts are being occupied with Christ. Are you trying to discourage
believers from worldliness and to encourage devotion and heavenly mindedness?
Again, occupation with Christ is the answer.

Genesis 24:50-56 : ‘Hinder me not’

Only after full consent has been received, after the servant had worshipped 3
again, and after the gifts 4 had been given, is the servant ready to eat and to
stay overnight, but only for one night (Genesis 24:54). How many of us would
travel for many days in order to stay somewhere for only one night?
Understandably, from a natural perspective, Rebecca’s brother and mother ask the
servant to prolong his stay (and Rebecca’s) for ten or so days (Genesis 24:55).
But this suggestion is categorically rejected by Eliezer who says, ‘hinder me
not’ (Genesis 24:56). For the church, there are always a thousand factors to
hinder her in going (and the Spirit in drawing her). Natural relationships may
be one of the most potent and powerful influences. Yet, the Spirit knows His
mission and does not rest until His aim is reached and the bride is fully
detached from her previous environment. What are the factors in our lives where
the Spirit has to say ‘hinder me not’?

Genesis 24:57-60 : ‘I will go’ The decision must come from Rebecca’s own lips.
In a way, we reach the climax of the whole story here. We have seen the Father’s
counsel, and the Spirit’s mission and its careful and untiring execution. The
call has gone out, and it is unequivocal (she would have to come and Isaac would
not go). What will the response be? In Rebecca’s case it was just as
unequivocal: ‘I will go’ (Genesis 24:58). This is what the Spirit looks for in
the hearts of those who form the church: that they might willingly and
consciously decide that the link with the true Heir and Son, the heavenly Head,
is worth more to them than anything else.

Rebecca’s affection for the absent bridegroom decided the matter. She took a
decision of faith: if the report about Isaac, about her future and her high
destiny was true, then nothing would keep her where she was. What was her former
occupation of looking after Laban’s sheep compared to the place of the wife of
the son who was the heir of all things? The expectation of meeting the Lord will
have an immediate and strong influence in our lives. This hope, and this hope
only, will detach us from everything that wants to hold us back; it will make us
live and serve the Lord (1 Thessalonians 1:10), and enable us to purify
ourselves from all that is unclean (1 John 3:3). As has been said: ‘It is one
thing to speak of the peculiar glories of the church, and quite another thing to
be practically influenced by those glories’.

Genesis 24:61-67 : the journey and the meeting

Genesis 24:61 provides a beautiful picture of the present situation of the
church. Rebecca arose and ‘followed the man’. So the church is on a journey, in
a desert where she will not find anything of interest to her. Guidance on this
journey is given by the Spirit of God (not, of course, against or even without
the written Word of God). As Rebecca, the church has never seen the One whom she
is travelling to meet, but she follows the Spirit by faith. As long as she is
occupied with the Lord Jesus the journey will not be hard; otherwise it would be
unbearable. Returning to Mesopotamia was not an option for Rebecca. Going back
was giving up Isaac.

Genesis 24:62-63 : the patience of Christ But Rebecca is not the only one
waiting in expectation. There is also Isaac who ‘went out to meditate in the
field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the
camels were coming’. The church may be unsteady in her expectation – and so
indeed may you or I – but the true Isaac is ‘meditating’, waiting, and ‘lifting
up his eyes’. A verse such as this reminds us of Paul’s wish expressed in 2
Thessalonians 3:5 : ‘But the Lord direct your hearts … to the patience of the
Christ’ (JND). Christ is waiting, in patience, to receive those who are His to
be with Him: ‘Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me
where I am; that they may behold my glory’ (John 17:24).

Why is it mentioned here that Isaac had just returned from the well
‘Beer-lahai-roi’? This well is known to the Bible student from Genesis 16:13-14
where we learn why it had been given this name. Hagar had experienced God as a
God who ‘sees’ and may be ‘seen’ and experienced. Even if, during the church’s
journey, Christ often does not intervene, the assurance is there that He ‘sees’
and is conscious of every difficulty on the way. His interest in every detail of
the journey may also be seen in verse 66 where we learn that the servant told
Isaac ‘all things he had done’ (although Christ, of course, has no need to be
‘told’).

Perhaps this is what makes the journey appear so short. At any rate, no
duration, days or nights, are mentioned. They left ‘in the morning’ (Genesis
24:54), and Isaac saw them arriving ‘toward the beginning of the evening’
(Genesis 24:63).

Genesis 24:64-67 : the meeting Not only did Isaac ‘lift up his eyes’ (Genesis
24:63), but so did Rebecca (Genesis 24:64). And when she did ‘she saw Isaac’,
the one whom she had been longing to meet and for whom she had followed the call
and made the journey. This is the hope of the church, to see the Lord Jesus face
to face: ‘For we shall see him as he is’ (1 John 3:2). This hope corresponds to
what I believe is the highest blessing of those in the holy city, Jerusalem :
‘and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face’ (Revelation
22:4). Rebecca sees Isaac and knows that the journey is over. She alights from
the camel and veils herself, demonstrating that her beauty is reserved for him.

Genesis 24:67 tells us that Isaac led her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and that
she became his wife and he loved her. This is the second mention of love in the
Bible, the first being the mention in Genesis 22:2 where Abraham’s love for his
son speaks of the Father’s love for His only-begotten Son. Here, we have a
picture of Christ’s love for the church (Ephesians 5:25). Through Rebecca, Isaac
was comforted after his mother’s death. As pointed out in the introduction,
Sarah stands for the people of Israel , set aside for a while. But the church
has been called out in the meantime and Christ has found joy, comfort and
satisfaction in her (Matthew 13:45-46, Isaiah 53:11. Hebrews 12:2).

Conclusion The narrative of Rebecca’s call is the fullest and most complete type
of Christ and the church in the Old Testament, showing an abundance of beautiful
details as well as stimulating challenges for every Christian.

1 J N Darby (Synopsis), W Kelly (Isaac), F B Hole (Genesis), Hamilton Smith
(Call of the Bride), J G Bellett (The Patriarchs), L M Grant (Genesis), F W
Grant (Numerical Bible, Genesis in the Light of the NT, C H Mackintosh (Notes on
the Pentateuch, Genesis).

2 An essential condition without which nothing could be done at all.

3 See earlier comments on ‘worship’ (v.52, see v.26).

4 See earlier comments on ‘gifts’ (v.53, see v.22).


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 18: 1.04.     ASENATH
========================================================================

Asenath Study in Genesis 41:45-54; Genesis 47:11 In Asenath, we find a fresh Old
Testament picture of the church, distinct from the one given by Eve and others
considered in previous articles. The timing The point in time at which Asenath
appears on the scene is highly interesting, for a number of reasons. Before her
name is mentioned, we read that Joseph is called out of prison to interpret
Pharaoh’s dream. Overwhelmed with Joseph’s interpretation, Pharaoh can only say:
`Shall we find one as this, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?’ (Genesis
41:38). He decides to give Joseph the highest place next to himself (Genesis
41:39-40). In short. Asenath is given to Joseph (1) after the time of his
suffering and (2) subsequent to his exaltation. Likewise, the church was formed
after Christ had suffered and had been exalted (Ephesians 4:8). But how about
Joseph’s family, and his brethren who had sold him? When Asenath was given to
Joseph, they knew nothing about his exaltation. As far as they were concerned,
he was still a slave, sold to the Gentiles. Again, this illustrates beautifully
that the Lord received His bride when He was still rejected by His earthly
people.

Also note the words Pharaoh addressed to Joseph: ’See, I have set thee over all
the land of Egypt’ (Genesis 41:41). Are they not echoed in a wonderful way in
Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:1-23 where he states that God, in a display of
greatest power, raised Christ from among the dead, ’and he set him down at his
right hand in the heavenlies, above every principality, and authority, and
power, and dominion, and every name named, not only in this age, but also in
that to come; and has put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head
over all things to the assembly’ (Ephesians 1:20-22). Asenath is the wife given
to Joseph in his exaltation.

Joseph’s path to Egypt where he obtained his wife was a path Of suffering; but
no suffering whatsoever was involved for Asenath. For her, the association with
Joseph meant joy and glory only. Likewise, the church has no share in the
sufferings that led to her association with Christ. It is true that the church
shares Christ’s rejection but the sufferings on the cross where He secured His
bride were His alone (Ephesians 5:25 and Matthew 13:46).

Just visualise for a moment how Joseph was made to ride in the second chariot,
’and they cried before him, Bow the knee!’ This is the appropriate motto. ’Bow
the knee’ is the universally suitable command today, in the time after Christ
suffered, the time when the church has been given to Him. The resistance of many
to follow that command will not stop them, ultimately, from bowing their knee to
Him (Php 2:9-10). The name The change of Joseph’s name indicates that he assumed
a special and distinct character at this stage in his life: ’And Pharaoh called
Joseph’s name Zaphnath-paaneah, and gave him as wife Asenath the daughter of
Potipherah the priest in On’ (Genesis 41:56). The two alternative
interpretations of this name are particularly relevant to the Lord’s character
during the time of the church. The Hebrew interpretation - ’revealer of secrets’
- presents Him as the One who has told us the secrets nobody ever knew before
the time of the church. Just think of the secrets of the Father’s love and of
His name that have been revealed and declared to us (John 17:6; John 17:26). The
Christian age is the time during which the mystery of Christ and the church is
made known (Ephesians 5:32; Romans 16:25; Colossians 1:26-27). The mystery of
God’s will has now been declared to be the objective to ’head up all things in
the Christ’ (Ephesians 1:9-10).

Following the Egyptian interpretation of the name - Zaphnath-paaneah - the
message is no less compelling. ’Saviour of the world’ is the title under which
the Lord Jesus is presented to the world in the gospel today. It is no longer
merely, ’Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins’ (Matthew 1:21) but
the Saviour of the whole world[1] (1 John 4:14 and John 4:42).

During the church period (that is, from Pentecost to the time Of the rapture),
the Lord no longer takes the character of ’Jehovah’ or the ’Almighty’ but that
of the Saviour Of the world and the Revealer of Secrets.

Asenath

Asenath herself is presented as ’the daughter of Potipherah the priest in On’
(v. 45). This is in great contrast with Rebecca where Abraham had insisted that
only one of his family would be suitable as a bride for Isaac. Whereas Rebecca
illustrates the fact that the church is the one ’called-out’ (’ecclesia’) from
her surrounding in order to travel and to meet Isaac at the end of her journey,
Asenath illustrates a different truth. Asenath is the Gentile, the stranger to
the promises of Israel. She gives a picture of the church as the bride that has
come from among the Gentile nations and not from Israel exclusively.

Further, Pharaoh ’gave him as wife’ Asenath. It is true that the Lord laboured
and suffered in order to obtain His bride. But it is also true that the church
was given to Him by the Father. So the Lord prayed: ’Holy Father, keep through
thine own name those whom thou hast given me’ and ’Father, I will that they
also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am’ (John 17:6; John 17:26).
It is attractive to think of the church as composed of those who have been given
to the Lord - as a gift - by God, His Father. The next verse (Genesis 41:46)
mentions that ’Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh’. Some
have taken the timing of this remark (after the mention of Asenath) to
illustrate the fact that the church was already in the Lord’s mind and in God’s
mind before He commenced His public ministry (at age 30), and before He gave
Himself for her on the cross. Whether or not this is directly intended in the
type before us, we leave to the consideration of our readers - but the fact is
certainly true. The time of plenty and the time of famine

We already noted that Asenath was presented to Joseph after His suffering.
consequent upon his exaltation, and during the time when he still was a stranger
to his brethren. Genesis 41:47 brings out another highly interesting detail with
regard to timing: ’And in the seven years of plenty the land brought forth by
handfuls’. The time of the church corresponds to the ’years of plenty’ in which
men and women are blessed as nobody has ever been blessed before (Ephesians
1:3). Outside the church age, no believer has ever been entitled to claim that
he Or she was ’chosen before the foundation of the world’, or ’made acceptable
in the beloved’. Not even the greatest men of God, not even Adam innocent, could
have claimed to be linked with Christ, or to have Christ as head, or to possess
any of the many blessings that belong to Christians only. Having said this, the
question remains whether we enjoy these riches or whether we live as beggars -
in the time of plenty.

It was during this time of plenty that Asenath bore two sons; and it is stated
explicitly that this occurred ’before the year of famine came’ (Genesis 41:50).
The order of events is perfectly suited to illustrate that the church and the
time of her fruitfulness belong into the ’years of plenty’ before the time of
tribulation (Matthew 24:21; Revelation 3:10; Revelation 6:1-17; Revelation
7:1-17; Revelation 8:1-13; Revelation 9:1-21; Revelation 10:1-11; Revelation
11:1-19; Revelation 12:1-17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-20; Revelation
15:1-8; Revelation 16:1-21; Revelation 17:1-18; Revelation 18:1-24; Revelation
19:1-21). The names of the two sons (Genesis 41:51-52) convey something of what
the church means to the Lord Jesus. Manasseh means ’to make forget’ which
illustrates the fact that, during the church dispensation, the Lord has set
Israel aside as if He had no relationship with them as the chosen earthly
nation. He will only re-establish this relationship and lead them to repentance
after He has taken the church to be with Him. So it is that only Joseph’s
relationship with Asenath is described before he leads his brethren to
repentance.

Ephraim means ’double fruitfulness’ which speaks of the double part the sons of
Joseph will have due to his birthright (as first born). This double fruitfulness
illustrates prosperity of the current family, the church, awaiting the
restoration of the family of Israel. The land The final point to be made in this
article about Asenath is a negative one in the sense that it draws instruction
from what is not said about her.

Prompted by the years of famine, Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt and, finally,
are restored when they confess their sin. SO they move, together with their
father, to Egypt and receive the best portion of the land: ’And Joseph placed
his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in
the best of the land, in the land Of Raemses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And
Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household,
with bread, according to their families.’ (Genesis 47:11). No mention is made of
Asenath here. Why? The solution is simple. While Joseph’s brothers (and father)
are a picture of the nation of Israel receiving rich earthly blessing under the
reign of the true Joseph, no such portion is given to Asenath, that is, to the
church. She enjoys a better lot - united with Joseph who is head over all
things. During the millennium, Israel will enjoy blessings on earth, in the land
that had been promised to their ancestors (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in
particular). The role of the church during this time is illustrated most
remarkably in the figure of the heavenly Jerusalem in Revelation 21:1-27 - which
no doubt merits a separate study. Suffice it to say here, that the church is not
the earthly nation under the reign of the king but the heavenly wife of the One
who wants her to share His exaltation. Let us not trade in our high calling and
privilege for a lower one (for example, by getting involved in attempts to
improve society, to make the earth a better place, etc.). This would only
demonstrate that we do not really appreciate our close link and relationship
with the true Joseph, Who is the revealer of secrets to us and the Saviour of
the world offering salvation to all who believe.

Michael Hardt From Truth & Testimony 2002

[1] This is the universal aspect of His work, not universalism. In Him salvation
is offered to the whole world, but it is only those who believe on Him who are
saved (Romans 3:22).


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 19: 1.05.     ZIPPORAH
========================================================================

Zipporah

If Rebecca is one of the best known and fullest types of the church in the Old
Testament, Zipporah is one of the least known ones. There are a number of
aspects in the account of her life that lend themselves to a typical
interpretation but they are relatively few and perhaps less obvious than in
cases such as Eve, Asenath, etc. As has been said in relation to Zipporah: “In
her we see a faint type of the church.” (J. N. Darby).

Zipporah is mentioned in Exodus 2:1-25, Genesis 4:1-31, and Genesis 18:1-27. And
Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his
daughter.

Exodus 2:21

Zipporah was one of the seven daughters of a Midianite priest called Reuel
(Exodus 2:16; Exodus 2:18). Moses met her when he fled to Midian to live there
(Exodus 2:15). It is interesting to consider why Moses had to flee. It does say
the Moses fled from Pharaoh (Exodus 2:15) but the context brings out a further
aspect, namely that his brethren had rejected him. When Moses saw two Hebrew men
who were quarrelling and reprimanded the guilty one he was told: “Who made thee
ruler and judge over us? dost thou intend to kill me, as thou killedst the
Egyptian?”. It was, as a matter of fact, this opposition from the side of his
own people that put him in danger with Pharaoh. At that point in time, Moses had
not been recognised as leader of Israel who would liberate the people, and this
brings us to the first point in relation to Zipporah: she was the bride given to
Moses in the days of his rejection. Similarly, the church now [1] is the bride
given to the Lord Jesus during the time in which He is rejected by Israel. And
she bore a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, I have been a
sojourner in a foreign land.

Exodus 2:22 This verse sheds some light on Moses’ own feelings while he was in
Midian. He was keenly aware that he was a stranger, living in a foreign land and
alienated from his brethren. Typically, the emphasis is therefore on the
feelings of Moses in relation to Israel, not so much on the comfort derived from
his wife and son as in the case of Joseph – who while a stranger to his brethren
– “ called the name of the firstborn Manasseh - For God has made me forget all
my toil, and all my father’s house. And the name of the second he called Ephraim
-For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” (Genesis
41:51-52). Hence we have another indication here that Zipporah is a less
explicit type of the church than others. The next occurrence of Zipporah is
found in Exodus 4:1-31. Moses tells his father-in-law that he is to go back to
Egypt to see his brethren (Genesis 4:18). It is then stated explicitly that
Moses “ took his wife and his sons [2] , and set them riding upon an ass, and he
returned to the land of Egypt ”. The account then takes us back to an incident
that happened ‘on the way’: And Jehovah said to Moses, When thou goest to return
to Egypt, see that thou do all the wonders before Pharaoh that I have put in thy
hand… And it came to pass on the way, in the inn, that Jehovah came upon him,
and sought to slay him. Then Zipporah took a stone and cut off the foreskin of
her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, A bloody husband indeed art thou to
me!

Exodus 4:21; Exodus 4:23-24 No doubt, there are important practical lessons in
this passage, namely that the judgement of the flesh is painful, and more so if
it is delayed, that God cannot overlook this matter, etc. However, given the
focus of this article on the typical meaning of Zipporah we only want to point
out that the movements of Moses and Zipporah during this period are significant.

It appears that Zipporah left Moses either directly after this incident or a
little later and returned to Midian. We read a little later: And Jethro the
priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law [3] , heard of all that God had done to
Moses, and to Israel his people; that Jehovah had brought Israel out of Egypt .
And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent
her back…And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came to Moses with his sons and his
wife into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mountain of God. And he sent
word to Moses: I, thy father-in-law Jethro, am come to thee, and thy wife, and
her two sons with her.

Exodus 18:1-6 The fact that Zipporah was hidden in her father’s house and not
with Moses during the time when he administered the judgements on Egypt and
liberated the people of Israel , is significant. The Lord is the true Moses who
will deliver His people with might and power and who will execute the judgement
on the world. It is true that when the Lord appears in power for the judgement
of the Western nations the ‘armies in heaven’ (heavenly saints) will follow Him.
But even then it is His garment that is dipped in blood and the two edged sword
proceeds out of His mouth. In the judgements related to the Assyrian we read
that “the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many
peoples, as a lion among the beasts of the forest as a young lion among the
flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, treadeth down, and teareth in pieces…”
(Micah 5:7) but this is not the role of the church.

Having administered these judgements Moses is reunited to his wife. The picture
we get in Exodus 18:1-27 is that the following ‘parties’ are assembled together:
Moses (picture of the Lord), and Zipporah (picture of the church), are together
with Reuel (picture of the nations) and speak about the subject of how God has
delivered his people Israel and the ways he has gone with the enemies of His
people in order to bring this about. And Moses told his father-in-law all that
Jehovah had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel ’s sake; all the
trouble that had befallen them on the way, and how Jehovah had delivered them.

Exodus 18:8 The result is an outburst of praise on Jethro’s part: And Jethro
rejoiced for all the goodness that Jehovah had done to Israel ; that he had
delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. And Jethro said, Blessed be
Jehovah, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians…. Now I know
that Jehovah is greater than all gods; … And Jethro, …took a burnt-offering and
sacrifices for God; and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel , to eat bread
with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.

Exodus 18:10-12

Israel has been delivered. The marvellous ways of God with them are rehearsed.
The nations marvel at this and start to acknowledge that the God of Israel is
the true God ‘greater than all gods’. There are even sacrifices brought by
Jethro (the nations). The company is then joined by representatives of the
people of Israel (Aaron and the elders) who come to have fellowship (‘eat
bread’). But although these different ‘parties’ are together, in mutual
fellowship and ‘in the presence of God’ there is one who is closer to Moses, the
great deliverer, than anyone else. This is Zipporah, his wife. And so it will be
during the Millennium: there will be blessing for delivered Israel, the nations
will join in and praise God and bring worship but the place at the Lord’s side,
so to speak, is reserved for the church, His bride and wife.

Summary and comparison with Joseph and Asenath

There are a number of parallels between Moses and Zipporah on the one hand and
Joseph and Asenath on the other. Both, Joseph and Moses, were rejected by their
brethren, they were strangers in a foreign land, and both received a wife there.
But there are differences. The following table may serve as a little summary.

Christ seen as

The church seen as

Joseph & Asenath

- Glorified - hated by His brethren – due to who He was, in His person - the
Saviour of the world

- Associated with Christ – who is glorified and ruling over the world

Moses & Zipporah (Exodus 4:1-31)

- Hidden from the eyes of the world and rejected by Israel - Hated by His
brethren – due to what He was, in His offices

- His companion in His rejection.

Moses & Zipporah (Exodus 18:1-27)

- The Deliverer - The King – Deuteronomy 33:5 - Associated with His people
(while the Gentiles sacrifice, as they will to in the Millennium) - His glory
manifested in the various spheres (Jew, Gentiles, church)

- Reunited with the great Deliverer who has administered to the judgement to the
world - The one who is closest to Him (still in the Millennium)

[1] Some Bible teachers regard the church as bride only after the rapture
(Revelation 21:2; Revelation 21:9 etc.). However, we do read that “the Spirit
and the bride say ‘Come!’.” (Revelation 22:17). Clearly, this is the desire of
the church during the present time, longing for the coming of the bridegroom,
the rapture.

[2] The name of the second son, Eliezer (‘the Lord is my helper’), is only
mentioned in Exodus 18:1-27, once Moses had fully experienced God as the true
helper.

[3] Moses’s father-in-law is called Reuel in Exodus 2:18 and in Numbers 10:29 .
It may be a question of two names for the same person or ‘father’ signifying
grand-father in one case.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 20: 1.06.     AARON AND HIS SONS
========================================================================

Aaron and His Sons The Old Testament contains a number of types of the church,
each illustrating various features of the assembly long before it existed in
fact and long before it was revealed in doctrine.

Some readers might object that Aaron is a type of the Lord Jesus as High Priest
and that the sons of Aaron stand for individual believers today. They would
recognise that Christians are priests but not that a collective picture is
intended. Such readers might be referred to 1 Peter 2:5 : "Ye also, as lively
stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ". Few would contend that
this verse does not present the church under the figure of the ’spiritual
house’. However, if the church is meant by the spiritual house, how can anything
but the church be referred to by the ’holy priesthood’?

Based on this scripture, we believe to be on firm ground in arguing that Aaron
and his sons are a type of the New Testament priestly family, the church.

Aaron himself, when he is mentioned alone, is a type of the Lord Jesus in his
high priestly office; but when Aaron is mentioned in conjunction with his sons
then they - Aaron and his sons - provide a picture of the church as priestly
family, in their association with Christ.

Priestly privilege

Considering, then, the church as foreshadowed by the priestly family in the Old
Testament, the first feature that comes to mind is that Aaron’s family possessed
a great privilege. It was forbidden - under penalty of death - for a stranger to
’wait on the priest’s office’ (see Numbers 3:10; Numbers 3:38). When king
Uzziah, presumptuously, aspired to this office and tried to burn incense, he was
smitten with leprosy. He remained a leper unto the day of his death (see 2
Chronicles 26:18-21). This privilege had not been earned by Aaron and by his
sons. It was conferred on them by pure grace. It is stated explicitly in Hebrews
5:4 that "no one takes the honour to himself but as called by God, even as Aaron
also". Hence the privilege of priestly status and service comes by divine
appointment.

It is attractive and heart-warming to think of the church today as a company
enjoying highest privilege, being able to come near to God in worship. Nobody
who does not belong to this company - the church composed of all true believers
- has the right to come near to God and bring Him an acceptable sacrifice. The
immediate practical challenge, then, is whether we are conscious of this
privilege and whether we make use of it, in personal and collective worship.

Another point to stress is that there is nobody who belongs to the church and
who does not have the right to come near to God. What may appear obvious to the
Bible student has, sadly, been reversed in Christendom. So-called ’churches’
have appointed so-called ’priests’ and given them a place of supposed mediation
between God and ’ordinary’ believers. Once we have considered the consecration
of priests, we will see the seriousness of such practices.

Priestly garments The interested reader will find many instructive details
relation to the garments and consecration of Aaron and his sons in Exodus
28:1-43; Exodus 29:1-46. Here, we confine ourselves to drawing attention to some
aspects of the garments and of the consecration ceremony that appear to be
particularly relevant for the study of church types.

It is striking that about 90% of Exodus 28:1-43 deal with Aaron’s garments and
only few verses are devoted to the garments for Aaron’s sons. The beautiful
garment or items worn by Aaron exclusively were the following:

Ephod and its girdle (Exodus 28:5 ff)

Breastplate (Exodus 28:15 ff)

Robe of the ephod (blue) (Exodus 28:31 ff)

Plate of pure gold (’Holiness unto the Lord’ - Exodus 28:36 ff)

In addition, there were a number of relatively simple linen garments that were
worn by both Aaron and by his sons:

Broidered coat (Exodus 28:39)

Mitre (Exodus 28:39)

Girdle (Exodus 28:39)

Breeches (Exodus 28:42)

If we consider the first class of garments - those that belonged to Aaron only -
in detail, we can well understand that they were ’for glory and for beauty’
(Exodus 28:2). Surprisingly though, at first sight, the same comment is passed
on the far simpler items worn by both Aaron and his sons (Exodus 28:40). And
yet, we can understand that there was beauty and meaning in these linen
garments.

Firstly, the very fact that they were worn by Aaron as well as by his sons shows
us, in type, that just as the priests at the time were associated with the High
Priest, so are we associated with the Lord today in our priestly service.

Secondly, the material of linen is known to the Bible student as symbolic for
practical purity and righteousness (see Revelation 19:8). These features
belonged to our true High Priest in perfection (Hebrews 1:9; Hebrews 7:26 ); and
it is an essential pre-requisite for anyone today - and this should be every
Christian - who aspires to and is involved in priestly service.

Thirdly, it is explicitly stated that the linen breeches were to cover the flesh
’from the loins even unto the thighs’ (Exodus 28:42). Carnal activity
(=visibility of flesh) and priestly service are incompatible. We should note
here in passing that the Lord Jesus had no sinful flesh: ’and in him is no sin’
(1 John 3:5). This shows again that Aaron is only a picture of the Lord Jesus
when he is mentioned alone, not when he is mentioned together with his sons.

Priestly consecration Further, a number of details can be gleaned from the
actual ceremony of consecration described in Exodus 29:1-46.

Aaron and his sons were washed with water on the day of their consecration
(Exodus 29:4). Only such who have been born again ’of water and of Spirit’ (John
3:5) can be part of the priestly family.

Another interesting contrast between Aaron on the one hand and ’Aaron and his
sons’ on the other hand can be observed from the procedure of anointing them.
Aaron was anointed without blood (Exodus 29:7), but when his sons are brought
into the picture (Exodus 29:21) we read that blood and oil was sprinkled on
Aaron and his sons. The Lord Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit before the
work of redemption was completed, but believers today can only be anointed with
the Spirit on the basis of the efficacy of the blood of the Lord Jesus.

Further, Aaron and his sons had to identify with the sin offering (Exodus
29:10-14) and with the burnt offering (Exodus 29:15-18) by laying their hands on
them. This is another prerequisite for priestly service, and it is
characteristic for the church: a sin offering was necessary to atone for the
sins of those who are now priests, and at the same time they stand before God in
the full acceptability of the burnt offering. The third animal to be given in
sacrifice was the ram of consecration which was offered together with the meat
offering (Exodus 29:19-22). The blood of this ram was applied to the ear, the
finger, and the foot of Aaron and his sons (Exodus 29:20). Similarly, those who
form the church today have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:1-20) and
should present their bodies as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1-21).

Parts of the ram, as well as the meat offering, were then put in the hands of
Aaron and in the hands of his sons (Exodus 29:24). This part of the ceremony
beautifully illustrates the meaning of consecration (=’filling the hands’).
These elements were then taken from their hands and burnt on the altar as burnt
offering, for a sweet savour before the Lord (Exodus 29:25). It is hardly
possible to think of a more beautiful illustration of the verse in Peter’s first
epistle, where he says that the church, as a holy priesthood, can "offer up
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5).

Finally, we note that Aaron and his sons were to ’eat those things wherewith the
atonement was made’ (Exodus 29:33). Dwelling upon the death of the Lord, this is
the kind of food that will sustain priests in their service.

Priestly sacrifice

Leviticus 16:1-34 distinguishes ‘Aaron and his house’ from the ‘people’. Aaron
and his house, again, stand for the church. ‘The people’ stands for the people
of Israel (as such, not only those alive at the time). The great day of
atonement was for both, but their respective sacrifices differ from each other
in a striking way. The sacrifices brought on this special occasion (the great
atonement day has been called ‘the moral climax of the book of Leviticus) may be
summarised as follows:

For Aaron and his house

For the people

Sin offering

One bullock

Two goats

Burnt offering

A ram

A ram

Incense

Both hands full

– n/a -

Bearing this in mind, we can draw a number of striking lessons from the
differences in the offerings brought for ‘the people’ on the one hand, and for
‘Aaron and his house’ on the other.

- Sin and burnt offering: both, Aaron and his house as well as the people bring
a sin offering; and both bring a burnt offering. These are the two great aspects
of the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross: it solves the sin problem (sin
offering) because the Lord endured the wrath and judgement of God; and it
results in a sweet smelling savour ascending to God – showing the full
satisfaction of God in respect of the sacrifice and those associated with it.

- One vs. two animals for the sin offering: the people brings two animals as a
sin offering, the priestly family brings one. The first goat presented for the
people (Israel) is ‘for Jehovah’ and hence speaks of propitiation: God is
enabled to (righteously) offer remission of sins on the basis of the work of
Christ (whether men accept it or not). The second goat, figuratively, carries
the sins of the people into a desert place. This speaks of substitution. The
Lord has taken ‘our’ place on the cross (this only applies to those who accept
His work (1 Peter 2:24; Matthew 20:28). For Israel , there is a time difference
of at least around 2,000 years between the two: propitiation was made when
Christ died on the cross. But Israel will only accept that work as being for
them in a future day when they will confess their sins and will be restored
(Zechariah 12:10 ). Their feelings at that point in time when it dawns on them
that the Christ who was despised and rejected actually suffered for them (!) are
beautifully expressed in Isaiah 53:1-12. For the church, there is no such time
interval. Both blessings, propitiation and substitution, are enjoyed at the
present time by those who compose the church.

- Bullock vs. goat: the priestly family brings a bullock, the ‘people’ offers
goats. The bullock is an animal of far higher value than goats and therefore
indicates that the priestly family, the church, has a higher appreciation of the
sacrifice of Christ than Israel will ever have. The indwelling of the Holy
Spirit who takes the things of Christ and presents them to believers today is a
privilege that is characteristic for the church. No doubt this work of the Holy
will result in an enhanced appreciation of Christ’s work. It is not our merit
but a special blessing given to believers during the church period.

- The incense: it is only in the case of the priestly family that we read of
incense presented. In the church there is (and there should be practically)
worship that is brought to God, ascending as a sweet savour. If the bullock, in
comparison to the goats, speaks of increased appreciation, the incense speaks of
adoration. The Lord Jesus had said “ But the hour cometh, and now is, when the
true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth…” (John 4:23).
This ‘hour that cometh and now is’ speaks of the Christian or church period. The
Apostle Paul confirms this in Php 3:3 where he says that Christians, in contrast
to Jews, worship God in the Spirit: “ For we are the circumcision, which worship
God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the
flesh”. What a blessing it is to live during the time period when God is
worshipped in this way.

It says in Leviticus 16:12 that Aaron had to take ‘his hands full of incense’
when he went into the holy place. The new translation says ‘both hands’,
emphasising the amount of incense to be taken into God’s presence. God demands
no less than ‘both hands full’ and the priestly family today should be
encouraged to approach God with prepared hearts ready to give a full measure of
worship to Him.

Conclusion and priestly practice Is it not attractive to think of the church as
of a holy priesthood, such who have ’put on Christ’, who are identified with Him
in His death (sin and burnt offering), have fellowship with Him (peace offering
of consecration), and are anointed for and sustained in their priestly service
which, through Christ, is acceptable to God?

What are the practical implications of all this? Is it a mere curiosity for
typology specialists? By no means. The type of the church as priestly family
should stir us to enjoy our privilege and to practise priestly service. If the
church is typified by the priestly family then, surely, each local expression of
this church should be characterised by priestly service of worship and
intercession, led by the true Aaron.

Many Christians tell us today that free worship in Spirit and in truth is being
replaced by performances or by ’church services’ led by one or more individuals.
Prompted by such changes, some have searched and have asked the Lord to show
them Christian gatherings where every brother[1] is free to worship and pray
audibly in exercise of priestly privilege, and have told us what a discovery it
was when they found such gatherings. For the others - who have known such
liberty for years - let us ask the Lord for renewed appreciation of it and for
renewed freshness in the exercise of this priestly service.

[1]Sisters are priests as well. Some have heralded the idea of ’women priests’
as a novelty - yet it has long been the privilege of every believer (1 Peter
2:5). However, audible worship, prayer and ministry in the assembly is left to
men, other tasks are given to women alone, and yet others to both.


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  CHAPTER 21: 1.07.     THE TWO LEAVENED LOAVES
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The two leavened loaves Leviticus 23:15-22 The truth of the church is a mystery
’which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now
revealed.’ (Ephesians 3:5). However, the Old Testament contains a number of
striking types of the church which may be discovered in the light of New
Testament revelation. This article examines one of them in order to show how
features of the church are illustrated in this type and, at the same time, how
the shadow falls short of the full truth ’now revealed’.

’And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day
that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven sabbaths shall be
completed’ (Leviticus 23:15).

One of the seven feasts or ’set times’ in Leviticus 23:1-44 is the ’feast of
wave loaves’. It has also been called ’feast of weeks’, because it was to be
observed seven weeks after the feast of the sheaf of the wave offering - type of
the Lord Jesus in resurrection. This very fact shows us a first feature of the
assembly: as the number seven indicates, it is a matter of divine fullness and
completeness. If Adam was blessed in paradise, if Israel had abundant blessing
in Canaan, the time of the church is a time of fullness of blessing -
unparalleled in any other epoch (or dispensation). Within the outline of God’s
plan of salvation illustrated in the feasts of Leviticus 23:1-44, the feast of
the wave loaves speaks of a period of fullness. A second point to note from this
verse is that the feast of the wave loaves follows (and is linked to) the feast
of the wave sheaf (Leviticus 23:10-14). Likewise, the church (all believers at
this time) is associated with the risen Lord (John 20:17), in contrast to Adam,
the people of Israel, or any other Old Testament saints. This thought is
confirmed by the next verse where we read:

’Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a
new grain offering to the lord’ (Leviticus 23:16).

Although the period of seven weeks (or sabbaths) is explicitly mentioned in
Leviticus 23:15, it now speaks of fifty days. The reason why the people had to
wait for one additional day before bringing the wave loaves is made very clear.
The offering had to be made on ’the day after the . Sabbath’, the first day of
the week. Again, the sphere of resurrection is indicated.

Further, it had to be a ’new’ grain offering (or meal offering). New, not
because the people were at liberty to modify the regulations laid down for the
meal offering in Leviticus 2:1-16, but rather because it was a new harvest. If
the wave sheaf was the ’firstling’ or first fruit of the barley harvest, the
’new’ meal offering was ’the first fruits of wheat harvest’ (Exodus 34:22). The
first harvest speaks of the Lord’s resurrection. The wheat harvest is the new
harvest that characterises these wave loaves. As the next verse shows, they were
to be of fine flour. Further, it was a new meal offering because leaven was
involved (see notes on Leviticus 23:17). The church is also ’new’ - different
from preceding dispensations and without precedent. It started, not with Abraham
or Adam, but on the day of Pentecost when believers were baptised into one body
(1 Corinthians 12:13). It was completely new that Jews and Gentiles should be
formed into ’one new man’ (Ephesians 2:15).

’You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah.
They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the first
fruits to the lord’ (Leviticus 23:17). This verse takes us to the heart of our
section and subject: the wave loaves.

First of all, let us note that the loaves were ’of fine flour’ and ’with
leaven’. Both ingredients have a clear meaning in God’s word, but their
respective significance could hardly be further removed from each other: one
speaking1 of Christ, His purity, the perfect Man, the One who pleased God at all
times and showed perfect evenness, whether under pressure or not; the other
speaking of evil in each and every occurrence in the Old Testament as well as in
the New. One might well ask how anyone aware of the symbolism of these two
substances could possibly combine them in one, and then think of presenting them
to the Lord as an offering. Yet this is exactly what God demands here. A first
step towards solving this riddle can be taken by observing that the loaves had
to be ’baked’ with leaven. The well-known corrupting influence of leaven ceases
as soon as the lump is exposed to the heat of fire. Is this not a well-suited
type of what the church is? It is composed of (all) believers - men, women and
children who, on the one hand, have received a new nature (partakers of divine
nature). This new nature enables them to show features of Christ in their life:
fine flour. On the other hand, they still have the old nature, the flesh.
However, they must not allow the flesh to be active in them; they must not be
carnal. The phrase ’they are the first fruits unto the Lord’, on the one hand,
associates them with Christ, the first fruit. Christ is the first fruit of those
who slept (1 Corinthians 15:20; 1 Corinthians 15:23): just as He was raised for
glory, not having to die ever again, so will the others be who fall asleep in
Christ. Here, the same idea applies: many will be saved in this dispensation and
thereafter. The church is the first fruit, the first company to be saved after
the cross (James 1:18) just as the very first fruit reaped from a tree or other
plant gives a foretaste of the harvest that is to follow. But others will follow
in the course of the general harvest (see remarks below on Leviticus 23:22). On
the other hand, there is an interesting difference we should note: the word used
for ’first fruit’ in Leviticus 23:10 means ’first in place, time, order or
rank’, also the ’chief’ or ’principal’ (Strong). This is the term used to
prefigure Christ, the one who is above all. The word used here in Leviticus
23:20 is a different one, designating ’first fruit of the crop’ or ’hasty fruit’
(Strong). It, therefore, seems that Christ is the first in rank and time the
thought here is that the church is the first in time.

Finally, this verse teaches us that two loaves had to be presented. On the
positive side, we might say that the number two speaks of witness, and this is
exactly what the church is meant to be. On the negative side, we see how the
type falls short of the anti-type: the church is one body, represented by one
loaf (1 Corinthians 10:17). Jews and Gentiles, slave and free, etc., are all
joined into one. This cannot be seen from the type before us, which, after all,
is only a shadow.

’And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs of the first year, without
blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to the
lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by
fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord’ (Leviticus 23:18). This verse describes
three offerings that had to be brought when the loaves were presented: a burnt
offering, a meal offering and a drink offering. The same kinds of offering were
also brought when the wave sheaf was presented (see Leviticus 23:12-13). This
fact in itself teaches us a valuable lesson: namely that the acceptance of the
Lord’s work and the pleasure it brought to God as the burnt offering now apply
to us. We are associated with Him and His perfections. However, there is also a
marked difference, which will be observed from the following verse.

’Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male
lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering’ (Leviticus 23:19).
In contrast to the feast of the wave sheaf (Leviticus 23:12-13), a sin offering
and a peace offering had to be brought on the feast of weeks (or wave loaves).
The Lord did not need to bring a sacrifice for his own sins. Neither did He ever
commit any sin nor did he have a sinful nature. Therefore, we read that he
’needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his
own sins .’ (Hebrews 7:27). For the church, on the other hand, a sin offering
has been made available, as the second half of Hebrews 7:27 shows: ’and then for
the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself’. The offerings,
then, reflect the truth that has already been indicated though the lack of
leaven in any meal offering speaking of the Lord, and through its presence in
the meal offering speaking of the church. The peace offering reminds us of the
fact that there is fellowship between God and those who belong to the church.
Speaking in the figure of the peace offering, God and man can eat the same meat,
enjoy the same food, namely the Person of God’s Son who is infinitely precious
to God, and who has become precious to us.

’The priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits as a wave
offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for
the priest’ (Leviticus 23:20). The act of waving indicates that the offering was
given to the Lord. Some also see in it an indication of ascension (cf. Leviticus
23:11). Christ risen ascended to heaven, and the church is a heavenly people
that also has a heavenly destination.

’And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you.
You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your
dwellings throughout your generations’ (Leviticus 23:21). No work was to be done
on this feast. Man could add nothing to the great work that God accomplished in
forming the church. We are His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10).

’When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners
of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your
harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the lord
your God’ (Leviticus 23:22).

Once the wave loaves had been presented to the Lord, the harvest would follow.
There would still be wheat, which would not be part of the wave loaves. The
corners of the field, however, were not to be wholly reaped but were to be left
for the poor and for the stranger. These two groups would receive a blessing at
a point in time when the wave loaves would have disappeared from the scene. What
does this mean? Surely, God’s thought in this verse goes far beyond social
issues. We believe the meaning is as follows. When the harvest comes, the wave
loaves will have disappeared (the church will have been raptured), but then,
blessing will be made available to the remnant of Israel, the poor of the flock
(Zechariah 11:7; Zechariah 11:11) -represented here by the ’poor’. These will
spread the gospel of the kingdom, and multitudes will be saved among the
Gentiles -represented here by the ’strangers’. The climax of blessing is reached
in the church, but after the rapture, some blessing will continue to flow. May
the Lord use these lines to help us appreciate better some of the features of
the church for which He gave Himself, among which are:

fullness of blessing (7 weeks Leviticus 23:15)

association with Christ in resurrection (day after sabbath Leviticus 23:16)

newness (new grain offering Leviticus 23:16)

new and old nature (fine flour and leaven - baked Leviticus 23:17)

first fruit character (Leviticus 23:17)

testimony (two give witness Leviticus 23:17)

accepted in Christ (foreshadowed in the burnt offering Leviticus 23:18)

sin offering necessary (Leviticus 23:19)

heavenly character (Leviticus 23:20)

God’s work (no contribution from man, Leviticus 23:21)

blessing available to others (Leviticus 23:22).

1 See Leviticus 2:1; Leviticus 2:4; Leviticus 2:7 etc.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 22: 1.08.     THE TABERNACLE
========================================================================

The Tabernacle The first article in this issue [1] (by Arend Remmers) explains
that the tabernacle points forward (to the church) and upward (to heaven). It
then goes on to explore the latter of these two meanings – as does the article
by Jeff Brett that follows it. Here, we are concerned with the other direction:
the tabernacle as pointing forward to the church.

Most of the previous articles in this series (‘Shadows of the Church’) looked at
women in the Old Testament as types of the church (Isha, Rebecca, Asenath,
etc.). We also looked at the feast of weeks (Leviticus 23:1-44) and at the
priestly family (Aaron and his sons) as foreshadowing that company of believers,
the church, which could only be formed and revealed once Christ had died, risen,
ascended and had sent the Holy Spirit to form believers into one body (1
Corinthians 12:13). With the tabernacle we come to a different type of shadow of
the church. Clearly, the thought here is that God dwells among His people: ‘And
let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them’ (Exodus 25:8).

If the picture of the bride of Christ is connected with the thoughts of pure and
undivided affection, the thought of the house or dwelling place of God is
connected with attributes which are quite different but just as relevant:

The order to be observed in the house of God (1 Timothy 3:15)

The display of the glory of God and honour given to Him (Psalms 26:8) (‘glory’
in JND, ‘honour’ in AV)

The holiness that becomes the presence of God (Psalms 93:5).

Two of the three references above are from the Old Testament, and, in the first
instance, refer to the sanctuary at the time, that is the temple. However, the
church of God is called the ‘habitation of God in the Spirit’ (N Tr.). If
holiness and display of glory were paramount in the context of God’s material
dwelling place in the Old Testament, how much more in connection with His
‘spiritual house’ (1 Peter 2:5) in the New.

These features also come out in the description of the wilderness tabernacle in
Exodus 25:1-40; Exodus 26:1-37; Exodus 27:1-21; Exodus 28:1-43; Exodus 29:1-46;
Exodus 30:1-38; Exodus 31:1-18; Exodus 32:1-35; Exodus 33:1-23; Exodus 34:1-35;
Exodus 35:1-35; Exodus 36:1-38; Exodus 37:1-29; Exodus 38:1-31; Exodus 39:1-43;
Exodus 40:1-38. The order

Everything had to be made according to the pattern God had showed Moses on the
mountain: ‘According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the
tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye
make it’ (Exodus 25:9) – see also Exodus 25:40. In Exodus 39:1-43 and Exodus
40:1-38 which report how the tabernacle was set up we read the phrase ‘as
Jehovah had commanded Moses’. This phrase occurs 14 times in these two chapters
alone.

Today, we can make two types of mistakes in respect of church order. The first
one is to ignore God-given instructions (see 1 Corinthians 11:1-34; 1
Corinthians 14:1-40), the second is to add human ‘order’ by determining things
the word of God leaves open. Examples here would be ordination, liturgies,
prescriptions regulating who participates and/or what can be said and when
during assembly meetings.

Display of the glory of God

All the materials of the tabernacle speak of the glories of Christ. But the one
material that dominated God’s dwelling place at the time was gold – which speaks
of divine glory (divine righteousness is only one of the facets of divine
glory). First of all, gold (or ‘pure gold’) was used for the ark: its lid, its
rings, its staves, the cherubim. Then the table of shewbread had to be overlaid
with gold and its rings, its dishes and bowls were of gold. The candlestick was
of gold, including its knops and branches, the tongs and snuffdishes. And these
are only the references in Exodus 25:1-40! Reading on, one discovers that gold
was used for many other things in connection with the tabernacle: the 50 tacks
(or clasps) of gold (to hold the curtains together), the overlay of the boards,
the rings, the bars, the four pillars and their hooks (Exodus 26:1-37). Gold was
also used for the ephod, the girdle, the ouches, the chains, the breastplate,
its rings and the bells (Exodus 28:1-43). Then there is the altar of incense
overlaid with gold, including its staves and rings, and horns, and then a crown
of pure gold.

If one is impressed with the extent to which this precious metal was used (one
kg of gold costs over £ 15,000 today) it only brings home to us how important it
is in God’s eyes that glory is brought to Him in the church. The ministry that
is characteristic for the church period ‘excels in glory’ (2 Corinthians 3:9).
The glory of Christ and His work is such that we should not glory at all except
in Him and His work (Galatians 6:14). We are for the praise of His glory
(Ephesians 1:12; Ephesians 1:14), and it says explicitly of the church: ‘to him
be glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus unto all generations of the age of
ages. Amen’ (Ephesians 3:21). In Revelation 21:1-27 the church (during the
millennium) is still described as having ‘the glory of God’ (Revelation 21:11).
This should encourage us in respect of assembly meetings to focus on the glory
of God as revealed in Christ. We like to see large meetings and to hear pleasant
singing (and these things are good) but what matters most is that His glory is
seen.

Holiness The tabernacle consisted of two parts, both characterised by holiness:
there was the ‘holy’ and the ‘holy of holies’ (Exodus 26:33). A recurrent phrase
in the tabernacle chapters of Exodus is ‘the holy place’. Aaron and His sons had
to wear ‘holy garments’ (Exodus 28:2-4). Engraved on a plate of gold on Aaron’s
mitre were the words ‘Holiness to the Lord’ (Exodus 28:36). Then there were the
‘holy things’, ‘hallowed’ by the children of Israel as ‘holy gifts’ (Exodus
28:38). And so we could go on: the word ‘holy’ occurs 70 times in Exodus, and 64
of these occurrences are in the tabernacle section (Exodus 25:1-40, Exodus
26:1-37, Exodus 27:1-21, Exodus 28:1-43, Exodus 29:1-46, Exodus 30:1-38, Exodus
31:1-18, Exodus 32:1-35, Exodus 33:1-23, Exodus 34:1-35, Exodus 35:1-35, Exodus
36:1-38, Exodus 37:1-29, Exodus 38:1-31, Exodus 39:1-43, Exodus 40:1-38). In
Christianity God is revealed as a God of love. His love has been shed forth into
our hearts and we should act in love towards fellow believers. In order to
exercise true love (as opposed to amiability) we need to take account of God’s
holiness: ‘for the temple of God is holy, and such are ye’ (1 Corinthians 3:17).

Other parallels In addition to the three features of Gods dwelling place
discussed above (order, glory, holiness) there are a number of further parallels
between the tabernacle and the church, which we have only space to list briefly:

Redemption and deliverance: the tabernacle could only be built once God’s people
had been redeemed by the Passover lamb and delivered from Egypt. So the church
could only be formed after Christ’s work of redemption had been accomplished and
accepted as such in the resurrection, ascension and exaltation of Christ at
God’s right hand, from where the Holy Spirit was sent (Acts 2:33).

Unity: golden tacks (or clasps) were used to hold the curtains together ‘that
the tabernacle may be one whole’ (Exodus 26:6). How much more this is true of
the church that it is one whole: we have been joined into one body, a truth not
known in Old Testament times – and we should act accordingly, endeavouring to
keep the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3).

Gifts: whereas all the people were invited to (and did) contribute, there were
some who were specially gifted to perform the difficult work of crafting the
instruments and other items: Bezaleel and Aholiab (Exodus 35:29-35). So it is
today: all members of the body have a task as joints of supply (Ephesians 4:16)
but some among them have received special gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1-31;
Ephesians 4:11). His presence: when the tabernacle was completed ‘according to
the pattern’ the cloud filled the house (Exodus 40:34). Until today, there is
the promise of the Lord’s presence where two or three are gathered unto His name
(Matthew 18:20).

Surely this list is not exhaustive. The reader will discover further parallels.
May these shadows help us to discern and follow God’s mind in respect of
assembly life today.

[1] Appeared in Truth & Testimony 2008


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 23: S. LESSONS ON DISCIPLINE FROM THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH
========================================================================

Lessons on Discipline from the Book of Jeremiah

Michael Hardt

Jeremiah may not be the first book that comes to mind when we speak of
discipline, and yet discipline is at the centre of the book. In this article we
focus on seven symbolical actions Jeremiah had to perform,[1] each of which
teaches us an important aspect of discipline and an important message for us as
Christians today.

Background

Jeremiah prophesied during the sunset decades of the Jewish kingdom: over the
course of the last 40 years, starting in the 13th year of the reign of Josiah
(629 BC). He had to show up the deplorably low state of the people even under
godly king Josiah (Jeremiah 3:6 ff). He then had to experience the ungodly kings
Jehoahaz, Johoiakim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah. He had to witness the beginning of
the ‘times of the Gentiles’ (Luke 21:24) under Nebuchadnezzar and the three
deportations that ensued (606 BC, 599 BC, 588 BC), the last of which occurred
under Zedekiah and resulted in the complete destruction of Jerusalem.

Against this sad backdrop Jeremiah was called to present an unwelcome message:
the king of Babylon will come; it is no use even trying to fight his armies or
even to escape. What was the reason? God had determined to discipline His people
for their sins and the best thing they could do was accept this and trust Him
that if they repented then He in His grace would yet lead them into blessing.

1.The Potter and the Clay

One of the actions Jeremiah had to perform to illustrate his message was to go
to the potter’s house and watch him produce a vessel (Jeremiah 18:1-10).
Jeremiah witnessed how the potter produced a vessel on the wheel and how it was
‘marred’. The potter then used the same clay to produce another vessel. What was
the lesson Jeremiah was meant to learn from this? God Himself gives the answer:
‘At the moment that I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to
pluck up, and to break down, and to destroy, if that nation, concerning which I
have spoken, turn from their evil, then I will repent of the evil that I thought
to do unto them. And at the moment that I speak concerning a nation and
concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant, if it do evil in my sight, that it
hearken not unto my voice, then I will repent of the good wherewith I said I
would benefit them.’ The message was clear: there was still time for Judah to
repent. If so, God would ‘repent’. Otherwise, He would need to chasten and
discipline them. God ‘is not a man … that he should repent’ (Numbers 23:19) but
He does repent when man changes, especially when man repents.

Things had gone wrong with Israel. Idolatry had become prevalent. The vessel had
been marred. But the clay was still soft. There was still time to turn to God.

2.The Broken Vessel In the next chapter (Jeremiah 19:1-15), Jeremiah has to
perform another symbolic action. This time his assignment involves buying an
earthen vessel, taking some of the elders of the people with him and going to
the valley of the son of Hinnom. This dreadful place was renowned for the
idolatry that involved sending children through the fire and sacrificing them to
Molech (see 2 Kings 23:10). Jeremiah had to announce judgment there: ‘Behold, I
will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall
tingle’ (Jeremiah 19:3). Then he had to break the vessel: ‘Then shalt thou break
the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee, and shalt say unto them,
Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as
one breaketh a potter’s vessel, that cannot be made whole again’ (Jeremiah
19:10-11). This time it is not clay that can still be formed but an earthen
vessel that has been hardened in the fire. It can only be broken. The message is
a clear but solemn one: there is a time when discipline can be accepted for
profit and there is a time when it is too late. The warning not to harden the
heart (Hebrews 4:7) applies.

Prophetically, God announces in this way that He will judge Israel (the earthen
vessel) but also that he will form a people that He will ‘build’ and ‘plant’
again (the Jewish remnant: see Isaiah 10:20-22; Jeremiah 23:3; Jeremiah 31:7;
Romans 9:27).

These first two symbolic incidents (the clay and the vessel) have a solemn
application to unbelievers as well. There is an acceptable time when God gives
opportunity to repent but when the heart is hardened (or death intervenes) it is
too late and the inevitable consequence is the smashing of the potter’s vessel
(‘as one breaketh a potter’s vessel, that cannot be made whole again’ (Jeremiah
19:11)). Yet, the same principle applies to discipline — and this appears to be
the primary thought here.

3.The Baskets of Figs In Jeremiah 24:1-10, Jeremiah is shown two baskets of
figs. This happened after the second deportation. The first one had occurred
under Jehoiakim. Now, around ten years later, ‘Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon
had carried away captive Jeconiah[2] the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the
princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had
brought them to Babylon’ (Jeremiah 24:1), and Zedekiah was king. It is at this
time that Jeremiah is shown the two baskets of figs: ‘one basket had very good
figs, like the figs first ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs, which
could not be eaten for badness’ (Jeremiah 24:2). What did this mean? Again, God
provides the explanation. Regarding the good figs He says, ‘Like these good
figs, so will I regard for good them that are carried away captive of Judah,
whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans; and I will
set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and
I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck
them up’ (Jeremiah 24:5-6). The bad figs, on the other hand, are compared to
‘Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the remnant of Jerusalem, that
remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt’ (v. 8).

How could this be? Surely, one might have thought, those who remain in Jerusalem
are the better Jews and those in Babylon are the bad ones. Why does God say the
opposite? Because those who wanted to stay in Jerusalem were refusing to accept
God’s discipline. They thought they could evade it, either by staying in
Jerusalem to fight or by fleeing to Egypt. One needs to bear in mind that, since
the first deportation in 606 BC, God had entrusted government in the world to
Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 28:14; Daniel 2:37-38; Daniel 5:18-19). The only right
course of action was to acknowledge this fact and to confess the sins that had
led to it.

There were no intermediate figs. They were either ‘very good’ or ‘very bad’.
This shows that God would not accept a middle ground or a neutral position. The
good figs were the ones that accepted the discipline and bowed under it. God
would bless them and bring about a complete change in their hearts: ‘And I will
give them a heart to know me, that I am Jehovah; and they shall be my people,
and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart’
(Jeremiah 24:7). As has been said: ‘In a day of ruin faith always recognises the
chastening of God and bows to it. Unbelief always resists.’[3] 4.The Bonds and
the Yokes

Jeremiah 27:1-22 This message is reinforced and illustrated by the next
symbolical action, when Jeremiah has to take ‘bonds and yokes’ and put them
around his neck (Jeremiah 27:2). Zedekiah[4] and the kings of other nations
nearby (Jeremiah 27:3) were given an unambiguous demonstration: ‘the nation …
which will not … put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that
nation will I visit, saith Jehovah, with the sword …’ (Jeremiah 27:8). This
message was not popular and opposition was not lacking. Hananiah, one of the
many false prophets plaguing the people of God at the time, ‘took the yoke from
off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and broke it. And Hananiah spoke in the
presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith Jehovah: So will I break the yoke
of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon within two full years from off the neck of
all the nations’ (Jeremiah 28:10-11). Jeremiah did not take it upon himself to
answer this lie. We simply read: ‘and the prophet Jeremiah went his way.’ But
God spoke: ‘Thou hast broken the yokes of wood, and thou hast made in their
place yokes of iron. … I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these
nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall
serve him’ (Jeremiah 28:13-14). And the false prophet was judged for his
opposition. He ‘died in the same year in the seventh month’ (Jeremiah 28:17).

We can make two mistakes in relation to discipline. One is to ‘faint’ under it,
the other is to ‘despise’ discipline (Hebrews 12:5). Hananiah, and many others
with him, clearly despised it. The only right course of action is to be
exercised by it. This is the message of the ‘bonds and yokes’. When God acts in
discipline and we are exercised by it, it will bring the peaceful fruit of
righteousness (Hebrews 12:11).

5.The Purchase of the Field In Jeremiah 32:1-44, Jeremiah is given a task that
seems the most unreasonable of all. It was the tenth year of Zedekiah — just
months before the final destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the kingdom of
Judah. Jerusalem was besieged. The Chaldean army was encamped around the city.
As Jeremiah himself knew: ‘Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to
take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight
against it’ (Jeremiah 32:24). To make things worse, if that is at all possible,
Jeremiah was a prisoner (Jeremiah 32:2) — a prisoner within an imprisoned city.
In this dire situation, the prophet is told by the Lord that Hanameel,
Jeremiah’s cousin, would come and offer him a piece of land for sale (Jeremiah
32:6-7). If there ever was a bad time to invest in land it was then. Jeremiah
knew the outcome of the battle. The enemies would win and take the city and the
land of Judaea. What use was it to buy a plot of land? We should not imagine
that this was an easy thing for him to do (read his prayer in Jeremiah
32:17-25). But Jeremiah obeyed. In all this there was there was a beautiful
message of grace. God would put an end to the dominion of the Gentiles. A time
of blessing would come. Land should be bought and sold again. Jeremiah had
spoken about the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-40) and how God would act with His
people in grace (in a day that is still future), following the repentance of a
remnant of the people. Now God puts him to the test by making him buy the land.
If Jeremiah believed his own prophecy he should act on it and ‘put his money
where his mouth was’, and he did. In this way, the seemingly unreasonable task
of buying a field had a wonderful significance: ‘Behold, I will gather them out
of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and
in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause
them to dwell safely: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: and
I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the
good of them, and of their children after them: and I will make an everlasting
covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I
will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Yea, I
will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land
assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul. For thus saith the Lord;
Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring
upon them all the good that I have promised them. And fields shall be bought in
this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into
the hand of the Chaldeans. Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe
evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the
places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the
mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for
I will cause their captivity to return, saith the Lord’ (Jeremiah 32:37-44).
This remarkable incident illustrates one of the most beautiful aspects of
discipline: grace. Whilst it is true that, in God’s governmental ways, ‘whatever
a man shall sow, that also shall he reap’ (Galatians 6:7), even in government
and discipline God acts in grace.[5] Whilst there may be inevitable consequences
from failure (like the 70 years of captivity) God’s design is to bless.

6.The Stones in the Brick-kiln

After the destruction of Jerusalem (the occasion for his composition of the
Lamentations), Jeremiah, ironically, ended up the only free man in the country.
Some were taken by Nebuzaradan and some were ordered to stay but Jeremiah was
given the choice (Jeremiah 40:4). At one point, those who were told to stay in
the city decided to escape the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar by fleeing to Egypt. The
background was that Gedaliah, the governor whom the Babylonians had set over the
few who remained in Jerusalem, had been murdered (Jeremiah 41:16-18). At the
last minute, it occurred to them that they had not asked the Lord whether this
was His way for them. So they quickly asked Jeremiah to consult Him. When the
answer came, and was negative, they refused to listen (you can read this
interesting story in Jeremiah 42:1-22).

Then, in Egypt, where he had been taken, apparently by force, the word of the
Lord came to Jeremiah again. This time he was asked to fix largestones in
mortar: ‘Take great stones in thy hand, and hide them in the clay in the
brick-kiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes’ (Jeremiah
43:9). He had to do this in the sight of the Jews, and to say to them, ‘Thus
saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will send and take
Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon
these stones which I have hidden, and he shall spread his royal pavilion over
them. And he shall come and smite the land of Egypt …’ (Jeremiah 42:10-11). Is
this not a striking message? The stones would have been well fixed in the mortar
as a solemn witness of these words. Some time later[6] Jeremiah’s prophecy was
fulfilled. Nebuchadnezzar came and took Egypt — the same Nebuchadnezzar they had
been afraid of in Jerusalem so that they ran away from him.

God’s discipline is not always immediate but it is always perfectly designed,
proportionate and effective. If we run away from discipline the problem that
caused it will catch up with us (and the outcome is likely to be even worse).
Had these people remained in Jerusalem and accepted the Babylonian yoke, they
could have lived quietly in their own country. But, having fled to Egypt, they
were still in Nebuchadnezzar’s reach and would die (Jeremiah 42:22).

7.The Book in the River

Finally, we come to the book in the river. Jeremiah 51 takes us back in time to
the fourth year of Zedekiah (Jeremiah 51:59). Jeremiah was still in Jerusalem.
When King Zedekiah travelled to Babylon (which took place before his revolt
against Nebuchadnezzar as recorded in 2 Kings 24:20) he was accompanied by his
travel organiser, Seraiah.

Jeremiah received a message from the Lord concerning Babylon and wrote this
message in a book. It concerned all the judgments God was going to bring on
Babylon — the nation He had chosen to use to discipline His people. ‘And
Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, see that thou read all
these words; and say, Jehovah, thou hast spoken concerning this place, that thou
wilt cut it off, so that none shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, but that
it shall be desolate for ever. And it shall be, when thou hast ended reading
this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of the
Euphrates; and shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise, because
of the evil that I will bring upon it’ (Jeremiah 51:61-64). The judgment on
Babylon was going to be final. It would ‘sink, and shall not rise’. How
different are God’s dealings with Babylon from His dealings with His own people.
His own people He chastened with a view to restoring them (or, more precisely,
the part of the people with whom the discipline would be effective, i.e. the
remnant). Babylon, on the other hand, would receive a final judgment.

Here it is by way of contrast that we learn an important feature of discipline:
it is not designed to destroy but designed to restore and to lead to blessing
(see the section on the purchase of the field). Believers may be disciplined,
but they are not condemned like the world. Paul expresses this very pointedly:
‘But if we judged ourselves, so were we not judged. But being judged, we are
disciplined of the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world’ (1
Corinthians 11:31-32). The Word ‘Discipline’ in Jeremiah In addition to these
symbolical actions and God’s use of Nebuchadnezzar to discipline His people,
Jeremiah also refers to God ‘correcting’, ‘chastising’ or ‘instructing’ — i.e.
disciplining — them. The same Hebrew word for this occurs seven times in the
book: Jeremiah 2:19; Jeremiah 6:8; Jeremiah 10:24; Jeremiah 30:11; Jeremiah
31:18 (twice); and Jeremiah 46:28. Jeremiah 30:11 states: ‘For I am with thee,
saith Jehovah, to save thee: for I will make a full end of all the nations
whither I have scattered thee; yet of thee will I not make a full end, but I
will correct thee with judgment, and will not hold thee altogether guiltless.’

Conclusion The book of Jeremiah teaches us a number of moral lessons in relation
to discipline:

When the hearts of His people turn away from Him God may have to act in
discipline.

The objective of discipline is to restore, correct and bring about repentance.

The correct reaction to God’s discipline is to accept it (not by being
indifferent but by learning the lesson God wants to teach).

Running away from discipline will only make it worse.

Bowing under God’s discipline brings blessing.

God condemns the world but disciplines His own.

Even in discipline God shows grace.

[1] There are a number of other symbolical actions in Jeremiah which we do not
refer to in this article (see, for instance, Jeremiah 13:1-10; Jeremiah 16:1-2;
Jeremiah 35:2).

[2] This is Jehoiachin (compare 2 Chronicles 36:9-10).

[3] William Kelly, Jeremiah.

[4] Some translations refer to ‘Jehoiakim’ in verse 1 but it is clear from verse
3 and the report that follows that Zedekiah is meant.

[5] This was the case with Jacob, the patriarch whose life gives a most vivid
illustration of God’s ways in discipline. After deceiving his father he was
deceived, but he saw Joseph again. After deceiving Esau he had to flee the
country, but God brought him back.

[6] A clay tablet, now in the British Museum, states: ‘In the 37th year of
Nebuchadnezzar, king of the country of Babylon, he went to Mitzraim (Egypt) to
wage war. Amasis, king of Egypt, collected [his army], and marched and spread
abroad.’ (Wikipedia)


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Source: https://sermonindex.net/books/writings-of-michael-hardt/
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