Wholesome Words for Spiritual Guidance

WAR WITH AMALEK
Exodus 17:8-16

Amalek was the first enemy that attacked Israel after they were redeemed out of Egypt. We learn in I Corinthians 10:11 that these things happened to them for examples or types, and they are written for our admonition.

Early in our Christian lives we become aware of inward conflict that we did not have before we were born again. As we read our Bibles, the Holy Spirit within us constrains us to choose the

things that please the Lord, but at the same time, the "flesh" - the old tendency to self-will - urges us to please ourselves. Paul puts it simply in Gal.5: 17, "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh". In vv.19-21 Paul lists the sorry catalogue of the works of the flesh, and in vv22,23 the contrasted fruit of the Spirit. Then in v.24 he says, "They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the passions and lusts," that is the believer has endorsed the Divine death sentence that has been passed on the flesh at the Cross. "I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Gal.2:20).

Amalek is a fitting type of the flesh. Reflecting on this early battle, Moses says of Amalek in Deut.25: 18, "and he feared not God". Speaking of the flesh in Romans 8:7 (Newb. marg.) Paul says, 'The mind of the flesh is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be".

When the flesh is allowed to dominate, testimony for God is spoiled and the work of God is hindered, whether in the personal life of the believer, or on the wider front of the whole assembly, as in Corinth (l Cor.3:l-4). Whatever the case, Christ is the great deliverer, and as we follow the progress of the battle with Amalek, we see Him pictured in a number of ways as His people are led to victory. We can certainly apply the parable to our personal lives, but there is great encouragement and important instruction for us in assembly life as well. Let us note the following:

1. Moses takes sides with God. Being their leader, Moses is a figure of the elders in the assembly. The people of Israel could have complacently ignored the threat and been overcome by default, or come to terms with the enemy, but Moses said, "Fight with Amalek".

2. Moses puts the battle. In the hands of Joshua. Joshua is a type of our Lord Jesus Christ, so we must remember that the battle is the Lord's. Moses says to him, "Choose us out men and fight". This reminds us of Paul's words in 2Tim.2:3,4, "Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself in the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier". When Amalek threatens to come in like a flood, the Lord is looking for those who are willing to forgo a life of self-indulgence and worldly advantage, to please and follow Him. Not to fight against their brethren, but by loyalty and God-fearing example to roll back the tide of carnality.

3. Moses went to the top of the hill with the rod of God.

This was the rod with which he brought the plagues on Egypt and with which he parted the Red Sea. It was later laid up before the Lord all night, and in the morning it had budded, blossomed and brought forth almonds (Numb. 17:7,8). What an apt picture of our Lord Jesus Christ in resurrection life and power, Who said, "All authority is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.. .Lo, I am with you". Moses accepted his responsibility in the conflict, and went up to pray, in the assurance that the Lord was with them in all His power and authority, able to give them the victory. What and example for elders in the assembly to continue in prayer together in the Name of the Lord today.

4. He purposed to continue in prayer till victory was won. As long as he held up his hand Israel prevailed, but when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. As the Lord said to the disciples in Gethsemane, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation". (Matt.26:41). How helpless and vulnerable we are apart from the help that comes from above in response to the prayer of faith. Prayer is the essential lifeline in assembly life.

5. Moses' hands were heavy, somewhat like the disciples in the Garden, for "He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. (Matt.26:43). Earnest continuing prayer is real labour (see Col.4:12,13). But Divine help was at hand for Moses on that hill top. Aaron and Hur had gone up with him, and first, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Isaiah 28:16 says, "Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation..." Referring this to the Lord Jesus Peter adds, "and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded (or ashamed)". What a sure resting-place for every saint, wearied in intercession, yet perservering.

6. Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, one on either side of him. In these two we have a wonderful foreshadowing of our two Divine intercessors of Romans 8. Aaron answering to Christ at the right hand of God making intercession for us (v.34), and Hur answering to the Holy Spirit within us making intercession for the saints according to the will of God (vv.26,27). With such Divine assistance available to us, surely we can say, "If God be for us, who can be against us?"

So Moses' hands were steady till the going down of the sun. The day was won for God, and the story of the battle must be written in a book for a memorial, for the Lord declared, "I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven". Not only so, but the people were united under the banner of Jehovah (Jehovah-Nissi), in the assurance that God would be with them whenever they had war with Amalek throughout their generations.

Many years later Israel was again at war with Amalek - l Sam.15. King Saul was on the throne, again a fitting type of the elders in the assembly. He had Divine sanction for the campaign, but any mention of prayer, or expression of dependence on God for victory is conspicuous by its absence. Instead, he numbered the people, a common human strategy in struggles at all levels of society even today, the prime question being, "Have we got the numbers?"

They engaged in a vigorous battle against the enemy, but Saul and the people spared Agag the king of the Amalekites. If the Amalekites are a figure of the activity of the flesh among the people of God in a general sense, then king Agag focuses that activity in a personal sense, that is, the flesh in Me. It is possible for us to be zealous in dealing with the activities of the flesh in others, without allowing the Lord to deal with the flesh in ourselves personally. The result was confusion in Israel. The people destroyed all that they judged to be vile and worthless, but they kept the things that they thought to be good and worthy to sacrifice to the Lord. Samuel the man of God exposed their action as it was in the sight of God - plain disobedience, and it cost Saul his position of leadership in the nation.

There is a tragic irony in our last view of Saul some years later. He was on a battlefield again, far away from God, facing defeat, and he took his own life (l Sam.31:l-6). A young man passing by, witnessed his final agonies and took the crown from his head. That young man was an Amalekite (2 Sam.l:l-l0). This presents a strong warning that the unfading crown of glory which the Lord has promised to diligent elders (l Pet.5:4) could be lost through sparing Agag. See also Rev.3:11; I Cor.9:25-27. -- R.M. Goatley.

CLEANSE ME FROM MY SIN - Psa. 51:2

No one knew the preciousness of Divine forgiveness more than David did, but that was not all that he sought. He desired that the defilement which the transgression had brought with it should be cleansed away. He prays therefore, not for pardon only. but for purification as well. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9).

There are some who ask for pardon who do not really seek forgiveness of sins, so much as deliverance from sin's consequences. They want to be saved from the penalty of sin, but they have no real desire to be freed from its guilt. The soul that really seeks God's forgiveness longs as much for purity as for pardon. He is not content to have his sins blotted out and forgotten. He desires to be purified from sin's pollution. - Selected.

After He rose from the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ offered every proof of His identity that could be reasonably expected or demanded. Of these, let us consider the following three.

1. The sound of His familiar voice - John 20:16. He revealed Himself to be none other than He whom Mary Magdalene mourned as lost, when He uttered her name in the familiar tones she knew so well. She was weeping, and her eyes were blinded with tears, so, as regards His form, she mistook Him for the gardener. But one word from Him was immediately sufficient to bring an exclamation of glad recognition from her "Rabboni!"

The timbre of the human voice is one of the most recognizable features of personality. No two voices are precisely the same. His voice was different from all other voices. She knew it in Resurrection, the very voice she had heard so often during the years before He died.

2. The Scars upon His Body - John 20:19-29.

There is no surer known means of identification than a scar. The scars of the Crucifixion, imprinted on His hands, His feet, and His side, were infallible as evidences of His identity. He who appeared in resurrection is the same One who had endured the Cross. As the astonished eyes of the disciples beheld these signatures of His suffering, their perplexity gave place to adoring faith. "The Lord is risen indeed!" (Luke 24:34).

3. The Repetition of a former Deed of Power - John 21:6. He gave another proof of His identity when He gave direction to the seven as they fished without success on the lake. He caused their net to be filled instantly with a great draft of fishes. It was when this was done, that John, intuitively reaching the true conclusion, said to his companions, "It is the Lord." Three years earlier, the Lord had given them a similar proof of His power. Now, in resurrection, He repeats the proof, showing Himself to be the same as in the former years, still able to perform the deed no other one could do.

These proofs of identity are so clear and strong that we rest assured that He who died on the Cross and He who was raised again are the very same. Because the fact of the resurrection is an integral, vital part of the Christian Gospel, the Scripture witness to it is remarkably full, clear and satisfying. About some things on the outskirts of things spiritual there may be room for difference of judgement, or excuse for want of certitude. But here we are at the very citadel, the key position of Christianity.

Without the Resurrection there is no Gospel, no justification for the sinner, no guarantee that the Cross has effected its purpose, no Victor over death, and no hope for us in death. Without it there is no Living Lord, no Prevailing Advocate, no Merciful and Faithful High Priest, no Coming King, no reign of Righteousness, No Age of Glory.

But now is Christ risen from the dead. (1 Cor.15:20). Therefore all these gloomy negatives are transformed into glorious positives, and faith and hope rest in unruffled peace on the fact that "Jesus Died and Rose Again". - J.B. Watson.

EARTH'S ONLY HOPE

The history of man upon the earth has been marked throughout by sorrow and disaster. Calamity has followed calamity; not always by the direct judgment of God, but more frequently by the violence of men themselves, their own hands wrecking their own labours. Empires have risen and fallen, and civilizations have glittered awhile in the light of human applause (East and West), and then have vanished into darkness.

Now, in the Twentieth Century of this era, men are faced with a world-wide tragedy from which recovery seems impossible. "Distress of nations in perplexity at the roar of the sea and rolling waves, men ready to die through fear and expectation of what is coming on the habitable earth" (Luke 21:25,26. Darby).

Man has been a sorry blunderer in the beautiful world with which God has entrusted him. Although the earth has been richly stocked with all things needful, by the infinitely wise Creator, many are suffering shortage and want. Cries of discontent are universal. The roaring sea and the rolling waves of Luke 21:25 refer to the turbulence of the masses, impatient of rule, and insatiable in their demands. "The wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked" (Isaiah 57:20,21). In such circumstances stability is impossible.

A newspaper has told its readers that a strong world-ruler is necessary. This is true, and we know where such a man can be found, but alas, men do not want Him. His Name is Jesus, and He is more than a man. He is "God manifest in Flesh". At the moment of writing, He sits, unwanted by the world, at God's right hand above, with the marks of man's scorn and hatred still in His sacred body. Faith looks away from all human efforts to bring order out of chaos, and makes its appeal to God: "Let Thy hand be upon the Man of Thy right hand, upon the Son of Man whom Thou madest strong for Thyself" (Psalm 80:17) This is the One under whose authority God will place all things (Psalm 8), and He will rule the nations with a rod of iron (Psalm 2).

Fear and trembling do not become God's saints at such times as these. "Jehovah sitteth upon the flood: yea, Jehovah sitteth King forever" (Psalm 29:10). Matters will never be allowed to slip out of His control. When the right time comes for Him to act, he will give the word to the waiting Christ, who will remove His own from amidst the earth's turmoil, and set us down in the Father's house on high. Then, after drastic purging, He will bring all nations under His sway, and fill the whole scene with righteousness, peace, glory and blessing. Meantime He "will give strength to His people: the Lord will bless His people with peace" (Psalm 29:11). - W.W. Fereday.

THE GRACE OF CONTINUANCE

The grace of continuance is very rare. We tend to serve our Master by "fits and starts". Hasty impulse is an unsteady guide, but alas, too often it determines our direction and sets our pace. It needs a life of prayer and holy fellowship with God to enable us to maintain a quiet restfulness in His will.                                                                                 - Dr A.T. Pierson.

Are not all God's ministers men of weakness, fear and trembling - most of all in those in whom greatest power and blessing are manifested? Again, are not the servants of God who show the greatest fearlessness and courage, who most sternly rebuke sin and announce judgement, often men of tenderness and affection? Who, like the beloved disciple John, separate so sternly and severely, church and world, light and darkness, God and Satan?

But the servant's weakness, fear and trembling need not dishearten and dismay him, nor interfere with the most abundant success, since God shows His wisdom and power in that which the world regards as foolishness and weakness.

"Not with excellency of speech or of wisdom...Not with enticing words of men's wisdom".

Is it possible for a preacher to have too much knowledge or culture, or too great power of reasoning or imagination, in order to preach the Gospel as it ought to be preached? What knowledge or gift is there that may not find here the most ample, delightful and profitable exercise? But whoever proclaims the Gospel, though Christ be preached by the eloquent lips of an Apollos, the preaching of the Gospel is foolishness. The Gospel is a declaration, not an argument. We announce the great deeds of God, as Peter did on the day of Pentecost. He, being filled with the spirit, declared the wonderful salvation works of God - Christ crucified, Christ raised, and Christ sending forth the Spirit. These facts Paul preached everywhere.

The power of the Gospel is in the Gospel itself, not in our proofs and commendations. The Gospel must be preached, that is, asserted and declared. The preacher must trust in nothing else but the power of the spirit to bless and apply the message. He must remember that in the facts he announces, God Himself speaks directly to the conscience and heart of man, alike to the ignorant and to the princes of intellect. His great and his only care is to deliver the message. If human reasoning, however

cogent, and illustrations, however beautiful, and eloquence, however fascinating, obscure and overlay, either to the preacher or to the hearer, the simplicity of the Gospel facts, then it were better a thousand times that in the most illiterate and rude speech of the weakest believer the Cross of Christ should be set forth; for it pleases God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Not them that admire and enjoy, and are convinced by argument, and conciliated by seeing and learning and taste allied to the proclamations of the truth are saved, but them that by faith receive the divine message.

The preaching of the Gospel, however legitimately allied to natural gifts and mental acquirements, must always retain the marks of crucifixion. It does not become us to be orators. There is an element in human eloquence which is not according to the Gospel of Christ crucified: There is a consciousness of power, of influence, which is not according to the Gospel.

We do not wish to influence, move, soften, terrify, mould; we look to God, that He, by making His truth come into contact with the heart, may draw men to Himself. We do not wish to sway an audience as the great orators of the world do, keeping them, for the moment at least, under a spell of enchantment, their minds and wills under a potent fascination. No, God is to hold and sway, filling men with awe, terror, contrition, love, joy and hope. When Whitefield described the miserable condition of a blind beggar on a dangerous road, friendless, deserted even by his dog, and about to take a fatal step which would have hurled him to certain destruction - when he spoke with such graphic power and vividness that the whole audience of the most cultivated and refined minds was kept in breathless silence, and Lord Chesterfield actually made a rush forward to save the poor old man; this was a marvelous triumph of eloquence, but was any one converted by it? What different power was in his simple declaration of the curse that rests on every sinner, and of the blessing which from a crucified Saviour, is ready to descend on the guiltiest. When the Spirit applied it to the hearts of the Kingsdown colliers, tears made furrows in their begrimed cheeks, and careless and profligate men were changed into believers and saints. Preaching is of grace, not of nature, still less of art. It is God's power and not man's.

"But in demonstration of the Spirit and of power". Paul preached the Word of God. This is more than preaching according to the Scriptures. Even without the Spirit men may preach according to the Scriptures. He who preaches the Word of God preaches what he has received by the Spirit of God as a special message, for the special occasion before him, and with utterance asked for and received he speaks unto men. Christ is seen, and Christ is received by faith. The things of God are understood, and they are appropriated. What the preacher describes, the Holy Spirit reveals and bestows upon the hearer. Christ crucified may be seen by the reason and imagination as a picture, but there is no reality, no life. But when spiritual preaching is received, Christ crucified is seen by the heart as a living and loving Saviour; we see and we possess. What a solemn and blessed thing is spiritual preaching.

- Condensed from "Christ Crucified" by Adolf Saphir.

WHY PRAYER MUST BE ANSWERED

When George Muller was asked, "Will you please give me your reason for this confident faith?" "Yes," said he, "I believe my prayers will be answered because I have fulfilled these five conditions:

1. I have no shadow of a doubt in praying for their salvation, knowing as I do that it is the Lord's will that they should be saved, for He would 'have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth' (I Tim.2:4). 'And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us' (John 5:14).

2. I have never pleaded for their salvation in my own name, but in the all-worthy name of my precious Lord Jesus (John 14:14), that is, on the ground of His merit and worthiness, and on that alone.

3. I have always believed in the ability and willingness of God to answer my prayers.

4. I have not allowed myself in known sin, for 'if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me (Psa.66:18).

5. I have continued in believing prayer for over fifty two years, and shall so continue until the answer is given. 'Shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him?' (Luke 18:7).

Whenever the Lord showed Him that it was His will he should pray, he continued in prayer until the answer came. - Selected.

"The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning: He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned." - Isaiah 50:4.

Awake! Arise! Beloved,
Hear, and incline thine ear,
And diligently hearken -
The Father doth draw near.

Awake, He softly calls thee,
Turn not again to sleep,
Arise with joy to meet Him,
Thy trysting hour to keep.

First worship, praise, adore Him,
And His all-glorious Son,
Pour out thy heart before Him,
Pray that His will be done.

Then wait thou in His presence,
And He will speak to thee,
The very word in season,
Whate'er the day may be.

To comfort, guide and teach thee,
That thou His will may know.
Then with a heart o'erflowing,
To others thou shalt go

With words of life and blessing,
Of light and truth, and they
Will praise the Eternal Father,
For sending thee that day.

- V.P. Webb.