"There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High . . . And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Psalm 46:4 and Rev. 22:1). The mention of the river in the above scriptures alludes to the very Spirit of God quickening and impacting all that comes in contact with Him! In as much as the glory of the Living God dwelled between the cherubim on the ark of the covenant, which was placed in the innermost part of the tabernacle, God has chosen to dwell in the inner most part of the fleshly tents of mankind. It is from our innermost being that this river must flow. "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." (John 7:38).
We would like to soberly consider two themes that answer to the spiritual climate of this age and that deserve serious consideration in relation to the river. First, the need to see the House. Secondly, what must take place (the Sword) before this river begins to flow in the capacity and impact that it was originally meant to manifest. The House that we must see is none other than our Lord. The Sword is the necessary work that the Spirit must administer. "Show the house to the house . . . But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water . . . And [the centurion said], truly this man was the Son of God . . . And, behold, water issued out from under the threshold of the house . . ." (Eze. 43:10, John 19:34, Mark 15:39, and Eze. 47:1).
"Great is the mystery of godliness" says the apostle in the context of instructing young Timothy on the matter of the different offices in the body of Christ (1 Tim. 3:16). This great mystery, or more literally, this rarely understood secret, is the divine intent of the Father communicating His heart to ours. Creator communicates to creation in many ways, but the climax of all His communication to creation is the incarnation. The vast oceans, the uncharted heavens, and the stars themselves cause us to be awe struck by the greatness of our God. The animal kingdom in its great scope and range of diverse creatures may give us some glimpse
into the multiplicity expressed through the one single source of all life, our God. The beauty, the function, and the wonder of all visible creation, as the apostle says, reveals God Himself (Rom. 1:20). Oh, but as great as this type of communication may be, it is all swallowed up in the greatness of the Word made flesh! "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16).
In as much as the tabernacle in the wilderness was covered with ram skins dyed red, the true house of God is covered by the flesh of humanity (Ex. 35:23). Dyed red in the Hebrew comes from the same word that is translated as man and Adam. The whole purpose of the tabernacle was to have a place in which the manifest presence of the omnipresent Lord could dwell. "And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. 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" (Ex. 25:8 and 9). With the above passage in mind let us consider the following. "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col.1:27 and 28).
The purpose of this great mystery was not for the sake of God adding to His catalog of secrets. The purpose was to show the perfect pattern in which the sons of men would have an absolute reference point to show them what it means to become a son of God. In a word, He became like us so that we could become like Him. "Thou son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern" (Eze. 43:10). In no other book in all of the Old Testament is the phrase son of man used so often as it is in the book of Ezekiel. In this same book we find verse after verse of specific details concerning a temple.
We will not waste time in refuting the notion that this temple in Ezekiel speaks of a rebuilding of the temple that was destroyed in Jerusalem. However, we will quote a thought by T. Austin-Sparks that sums up our convictions on this matter. "What we have in this section of Ezekiel is a system of spiritual principles. It is not a literal temple that ever was, or was intended to be, or ever will be. It is a symbolic representation of what obtains in a spiritual way in this dispensation. That is the only honest and safe way of interpreting these chapters. So we must approach it in that way; and when we have seen that the mystery is now revealed, we see that Ezekiel was saying things which were much greater than he understood.
"Now, note that it was 'the Spirit' Who was interpreting all this to Ezekiel; the Spirit was showing to Ezekiel something beyond Ezekiel's understanding. The New Testament teaches that by the Spirit, we have come into understanding of these things. The whole meaning of spiritual understanding is that we see what the Spirit has always meant. It is one of our laws of interpretation that the whole Bible is focused in Christ, and that the work of the Holy Spirit in every dispensation relates to Christ. The work of the Holy Spirit never did relate to something finally on this earth just for a time. The work of the Holy Spirit has always been related to the Eternal thought of God, and that is centered in Christ. So what we have in these chapters of Ezekiel is a symbolic representation of Christ and His Church" (The Persistent Purpose of God, p.63).
We would do well to compare the passages concerning the temple's specific details and measurements in Ezekiel with Ephesians 3:14-19. "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." The fulfillment of the temple is found in Christ, first fulfilled in Christ the Head, then His body, the corporate new man. In Ezekiel 43:10 we have the phrase "show the house to the house." Again, the purpose of Christ the Head being made manifest was to show the perfect pattern to those who would make up His corporate body.
In Romans 10 we have the apostle's heartfelt desire for the house of Israel, which was the house that had no knowledge of the true fulfillment of the temple. They had no clue of this glorious One who for about 33 and a half years housed himself in the common flesh of Adam, which was prefigured in the dyed red ram skins that covered the tabernacle. In other words, they had nothing to go on when it came to measuring and comprehending the breadth, the length, the depth, and the height mentioned in Ephesians 3:18. "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God" (Rom. 10:3). They knew not that "the righteousness of God [is] revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith . . . so then faith cometh by hearing" (Rom. 1:17 and 10:17).
We pray that we will not fall victim of our own presumption in thinking that only Israel of old could miss the fulfillment of the temple. After all, we feel to be on safe ground since we have the New Testament. It is not all spelled out for us? Ah, but the Spirit is speaking to all in the household of faith that have once heard His call, and then somewhere in their pilgrimage strayed from the narrow, pressure filled, pathway that leads to glory. "Thou son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern" (Eze. 43:10). Any of us, even in our best intention, can set out to establish what we think is the right way, what we think to be God's way. To avoid this we must give heed to the showing of the house! If we fail to do so, we too are ignorantly establishing our own righteousness.
Beloved, this house is not built upon ideas. This house is not sustained by creeds. This house is not maintained by councils. This house is not led by the opinion of the majority. More importantly, this house is not edified by what we think the scriptures are saying. You see, our thoughts matter not when we have not heard from the One whose thoughts truly count. Ray Prinzing once stated that "all true faith is presupposed by a divine revelation for its foundation."
We are not called to come up with ideas and efforts for whatever we feel our ministry may be. Paul said, "I went up by revelation" (Gal. 2:2). The Lord said to Peter concerning what the Father revealed, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 16:17). This house is built upon divine revelation! Jesus is the Christ. Indeed, no other foundation can be laid, except for Christ (Matt. 16:16 and 1 Cor. 3:11). Our apprehension of the building blocks that make up this house will come the same way the foundation came - by divine revelation, hence by hearing the Spirit, hence by faith! Now we pose the sobering question: If we have not heard, what then gives us the right to a building permit?
"Thou son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern" (Eze. 43:10). This passage is as relevant today as it was to Israel of old. And what about all the specific measurements and details concerning this house? The specific measurements concerning this house speak to us of the fact that God did not make allowances for man's agenda. When He showed Moses the pattern of the tabernacle, He did not ask for Moses's input. However, God was very specific about the order and construction of the tabernacle. We have got to come to terms with the fact that God is not obliged to incorporate our ideas into His divine purpose."Let them measure the pattern" (Eze. 43:10). We need to look at God's standard and consider His agenda. He is not asking us to add or take anything away from the pattern.
The Hebrew word for pattern in Ezekiel 43:10 is highly significant. It is only used one other time. We find it in Ezekiel 28:12 translated as sum. "Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty." According to E. W. Bullinger's notes the phrase "Thou sealest up the sum" is equivalent to the phrase "Thou art the finished pattern." The late E. W. Bullinger believed this passage was speaking of Satan. Others believe the passage can only be speaking of the king of Tyrus. In light of the fact that this king was said to have been in Eden, and was perfect in his ways from the day he was created until iniquity was found in him, we are persuaded that this passage is alluding to king Adam (Eze. 28:13 and 15). You see, Adam, the first man, "is the figure of Him that was to come" (Rom. 5:14). The Greek word for figure in Romans 5:14 is tupos, which means type, print, impression, or model. The Concordant Version of Ezekiel 28:12 reads: ". . . You are a seal-imprint of a model."
The tabernacle of Moses, David's tent on Mount Zion, and Solomon's temple were never meant to be the final rest stop for the manifest presence of God. They simply served their purpose as a shadow. "Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet" (Acts 7:48). The finished pattern for the house of God is mankind (Gen. 1:26). This is why the Lord came in human flesh. This was the only way in which the first Adam, the old man, could be taken away, so that the second Adam, the new man, Christ, could be established (Heb. 10:9). It is only to the degree that we are solely looking to Christ that we are measuring the temple. We get the perfect dimensions for God's House when we look to the man Christ Jesus. We do not need to build any extra additions onto this house. We simply need to get our eyes refocused on the original vision of God manifested in the flesh through a corporate man under the headship of none other than our immortal risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Many in the household of faith have anticipated what is commonly called "a new thing" in the body of Christ. It is not uncommon in many circles of Christendom to hear the statement "God is about to do a new thing." We want to rejoice with those who anticipate more. We do not want to be among the cold souls who, in thinking they are doing God a service, pour their spiritless theology on zealous hearts who cannot be satisfied in some ecclesiastical rut. However, we are persuaded that what we may apprehend as some new marvelous glimpse of light leading us onward to the perfect day, is nothing more than coming to terms with the original thought God had purposed in His heart before time itself was ever set in motion.
When we get a revelation of the pattern of the house, we have a revelation of the purpose of God. On the other hand, where there is no pattern, there is no purpose. We pray that this would give more meaning to the Lord's words to Ezekiel concerning the temple. "Son of man, see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and give attention to all that I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show it to you. Declare to the house of Israel all that you see" (Eze. 40:4, NASB). You see, what we have here is not a case of "son of man, show me what you want and set your heart on your own ideas and agenda." No sir. God is working toward the end of meeting His conditions. We do not need to accept the idea that God just does not move and lead His people in the glory and power that the early Church once had. The fact of the matter is that God intends to move in a magnitude of power that transcends the early Church. But first we must come to terms with the fact that His conditions must be met. He has a pattern. He has an order. He has His own timing.
We might add that the early Church is not the pattern for the house. The Lord Jesus is the pattern. In Him all conditions were met. He has set the pace for those who want to grow up in Him. In His righteous zeal He spoke the true prophetic words concerning His Father's house, "My house shall be called the house of prayer" (Mat. 21:13). The strong emphasis that many are placing on prayer and intercession in this hour is not so much a case of some new move of the Spirit as it is a generation of hungry hearts coming to terms with God's way of doing things!
As we concern ourselves with the matter of being a house of prayer, we should ask ourselves what kind of prayers we are praying. You see, our Lord hit the mark with His petitions. He only spoke and did the will of the Father (John 5:30). Two petitions that we must come to terms with are, first, seeking the will of the Father, and second, asking for His will to be done. "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us" (1 John 5:14). Our confidence in the Father should hinge on knowing His will. This confidence, of course, first originates out of intimately knowing Him. This was made manifest in the life of Jesus. His heart cried out in every action He took and every move He made, as well every move He did not make. It cried out in these words: "I come to do thy will, O God" (Heb. 10:7).
There is a lot of talk in this hour of entering into a new age or dispensation. We certainly believe there is more beyond this present age, hence a new thing! However, there must first be an obedient remnant pioneering the way with the same heart that we see in Jesus. You see, Peter and the others in the upper room simply heard and obeyed the Lord's instructions (Acts 1:4). This new thing came when the day of Pentecost had fully come (Acts 2:1). The conditions were met. They made sure the office of Judas was filled (Acts 1:23). The government was put in place, hence God had His order. Then, in His timing, the promise came and He ushered in the new thing. We have a promise in the pattern of the feasts of the Lord. In as much as the feast of Pentecost was fulfilled and is still being fulfilled, there will be a fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles. Many attempt to name and claim the promise of this fulfillment, but I hear the Spirit saying, "ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise" (Heb. 10:36).
We have stated in the past that each generation of believers will be given the opportunity to cast out the bondwoman and her son (Gal. 4:30). Indeed, it was the will of God for Abraham and Sarah to have a son (Gen. 15:4). Do we not see a prophetic word to all generations through their actions? They had a word from God. A real first hand revelation of God's will. However, they set out to accomplish God's will with their own method and in their own timing. God's method and timing can be the most bitter pill that our souls must learn to swallow. Oh, but how much more bitter and regretful life can be when, even with the best of intentions, we attempt to birth that which comes by the Spirit through our fleshly, impatient way of thinking (Gen.16:1-4). Nevertheless, after our fleshly way of thinking has been dealt with, we can lift our minds back into the heavenly realm in which we see that the glory ahead is more than worth letting go of our methods and our sense of timing.
What must first take place before we enter into this glory? We may have to find ourselves completely bankrupt and barren of all human agendas that have sought to mingle themselves with God's will. We may have to find ourselves stricken in weakness to the point where we can no longer lift another hand to build that which cannot be built with hands. We may have to scrap all of our blueprints and go back to the drawing board, our prayer closet, so that the Lord might reveal to us His blueprint in the heavens. Let us measure every dimension and line of thinking by Him, for He is our plumb line. He is the One in which all things must measure up.
We are persuaded that the picture that many have painted of our heavenly Father is a portrait of a Father that is not permitted to make any judgment calls - as if He is not in the least bit interested in doing things in His own specific way. As if all we have to do is come up with something we like and He will bless it. Beloved, if we simply cultivate our relationship with our Father, we will find ourselves being led of His Spirit (Rom. 8:14). That is not a very complicated matter. The complications come in when we set out to do things our way.
King David had to learn this lesson the hard way. He wanted the glory to be resident in Jerusalem. He had a heart to see his God magnified. Unlike the first king, Saul, he desired to see "the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim" (2 Sam. 6:2). We have to confess that David had a godly desire. However, like many of us today, even with the desire for the right thing, David failed to seek any further counsel from God. His heart was right. He wanted to see the glory of God. Nevertheless, he used the same method the Philistines used to transport this glorious ark (1 Sam. 6:7). The only difference was that he added some music. Is this not a picture of the modern day Church? Far too often worldly means have been employed to reach God's glorious end. Mixing these methods with praise and worship may make them somewhat Christianized, but it does not make them sanctified.
"And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark. And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals" (2 Sam. 6:3-5). We do not have to read too much further into this passage to see that even when the heart is right, man's agenda brings about casualties and heartache. "And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. And David was displeased, because the Lord had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perez-uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and said, How shall the ark of the Lord come to me?" (2 Sam. 6:6-9).
It is significant that it was not until they came to Nachon's threshingfloor that Uzzah stretched forth his hand to steady the ark. You see, Nachon means prepared and Uzzah means strength. God has a threshingfloor prepared for everyone who would seek to seemingly help Him along in their own strength. This is something that should speak to leaders of organized religion, but, we cannot afford to strictly apply this to them. I, for one, am certainly indebted to the precious brothers who have declared sobering warnings and much needed exhortation with a holy unction concerning these ox carts (the not so holy organizations of man). But, any one of us that has not tempered our zeal with wisdom may very well have an Uzzah lurking within. We need to have a true zeal for the glory of God (His manifest presence). This is what the ark represents as far as typology is concerned. However, we need to learn from history and seek God after the due order. David explains that the breach was made because "we sought him not after the due order"(1 Chron. 15:13).
This brings us full circle to our statement about the image of a heavenly Father that is not permitted to make judgment calls. You see, the Hebrew word for due order is translated several times as judgments. One of the many passages it is used in is Ezekiel 5:5-8. "Thus saith the Lord God; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her. And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you; Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations." It is worth mentioning that this word is also used in a passage that reveals the Lord's heart concerning His judgment: "For I the Lord love judgment . . ." (Isa. 61:8). If we had a true understanding of the nature of all His judgments, which are just, due to the fact that they are correctional and remedial, then we just might love His judgments too.
Ezekiel was given the revelation of the due order from the aspect of what the temple represented and demanded. We have established that it represented Christ. Now, we would like to state that this revelation, if truly embraced by the heart, demands a response, a true turning of the mind to its glorious light! This response is nothing short of embracing the due order that the revelation of Jesus Christ brings. In a word, true revelation should bring repentance. Let us again consider the following passages in Ezekiel. "Thou son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, show them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof . . . and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them" (Eze. 43:10-11).
The quickening of the Spirit is indeed instant. We praise the Lord for that first taste of abundant life! But, as long as there is one ounce of stubborn contrary carnality within our hearts and minds, then the process of repentance has not come to completion. Even all of our innocent ignorance at some point must give way to the dawning light of penetrating truth. We can settle it in our hearts that as long as there is one stone within us that has not been turned toward the Lord, then we have need of repentance. He (the Living Word), in whatever form He may need to take, be it a clear running stream, hence that still small voice of the Spirit, or a bold prophetic utterance coming like a purging fire from the mouth of one who can no longer keep it shut up, will deal with our hearts. More than one time I have been humbled to hear Him in the voice of a child. If we will just listen, we might hear Him loud and clear through the loving actions of our mates when they have not said a word, for the communication of living epistles is not limited to spoken words. Many of us have seen Him in that wonderful form of illuminating light that, at His discretion, shines through His faithful witness - the scriptures, which, without such illumination, are silent and dead. Nevertheless, when this illumination comes, something leaps in our spirit, like the life that leaped in the womb of Elisabeth, that very life which not only goes on to say "repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" but which also demands that every religious thing in our being must "Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance" (Matt. 3:2 and Luke 3:8).
There is also that form of the word that when it is truly apprehended it cuts! This cutting is not so much a case of God taking an extreme measure with us as it is a routine procedure. At any rate, we must all encounter this aspect of the Living Word! This aspect of the Word is highly relevant to our subject, for we cannot afford to perpetuate the cycle of getting thrilled by a vision, revelation, or prophetic word over and over, yet never permit our hearts to be dealt with by them. "And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, show them the form of the house . . ." (Eze. 43:11). The Hebrew word from this verse translated as form in the King James, is translated as design in the New American Standard Bible. It comes from another Hebrew word that is translated several times as rock and rocks. It is also translated as sharp, as in sharp knives in Joshua 5:2 (speaking of what Joshua would use to circumcise the children of Israel). The marginal note reads knives of flints.
Now, let's consider this passage in light of where we are in God's awesome plan and purpose. "At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised" (Josh. 5:2-5). Note especially that an entire generation was brought on the scene that had not been circumcised. This is very significant in light of this day and age of a watered down, non-offensive, man pleasing gospel of convenience. You see, circumcision was not a painless ordeal. In the natural it is the revealing of one part of the body at the expense of the flesh. And so it is in the spirit. The foreskin of the heart must be cut away so that one part of the body, namely the Head, Christ Jesus, may be revealed. However, the lack of a pure, unadulterated, heart-piercing, anointed word has perpetuated the unnecessary flesh that leaves our Lord veiled in the body of Christ.
We will not attempt to exhaust all the spiritual meaning of what circumcision foreshadowed. We simply wish to tie a few thoughts into what the Lord has quickened to us concerning the way He builds His House. We think it not strange that when Jesus was presented in the temple to be circumcised eight days after his birth, these words were uttered to Mary by Simeon: "Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul" (Luke 2:35). The timing of that word could not have been any more revealing. We have a male child that is required to be circumcised and a woman that has just been given a sure word of pain and anguish that must accompany the messianic fulfillment. Beloved, if we really mean business with the Lord, then we have a sure word that is not unlike the one Mary received. Mary's soul was pierced at the cross. What to her must have seemed her dearest possession, the precious life she once carried and cared for, before her very eyes was crucified. The most devastating picture of graphic darkness, Love made flesh was handed over to a group of cruel, desensitized, ignorant men (the Roman soldiers), by a not-so-ignorant brood of religious vipers. The Pharisees were indeed blind, but not unwise to the threat that Christ posed to their way of doing things. Three-and-a-half years of ministry ends in what seems to be a miserable defeat. But in the Spirit, yea, from the viewpoint of the heaven of heavens, this was only the birth pains of judgment unto complete victory. And somewhere between that revelation of the Messiah, even the revelation of the House, and that glorious victory, comes a sharp piercing work of the Living Word. As we have stated, this is not so much a case of God taking extreme measures with us, as it is a case of a routine procedure. In a word, there is a deeper work still that lies ahead of us on the horizon of our sonship.
The picture that Simeon painted concerning the painful ordeal that Mary would experience was described by the imagery of a sword. But not just any sword. We would like to take note of Marvin Vincent's comments concerning the sword mentioned in Luke 2:35. He writes, "Strictly, a large Thracian broadsword. Used in the Septuagint of the sword of Goliath (1 Sam. 17:51). A figure of Mary's pang when her son should be nailed to the cross" (Vincent's Word Studies of the New Testament, Vol. 1, pg. 276). Simeon's choice of words is very fitting in light of what David said to Saul concerning Goliath. "Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them" (1 Sam. 17:36).
The Greek word for soul in Luke 2:35 is also translated as mind. Jesus was crucified on Golgotha, which means place of the skull. This would be the place Mary would feel the sharpness of the blade passing through her heart and mind. It was a place which was shameful. But it was also the place where the shame of fallen humanity was being removed. The transgression of Adam, the first house, and the sin he conveyed upon the human race was not, in and of itself, the driving motivation and one single purpose behind the cross. The purpose, the goal, and destination, without a doubt, included the great need for reconciliation and atonement. But the entire drama of the cross was in the heart of the Father before the first house was raised from the dust of the earth. The further purpose of the cross was to multiply the new humanity! "Truly, truly, I say unto you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24 NASB).
The Hebrew word for house in Ezekiel 43:10, which is also translated as household, comes from another Hebrew word that means to build or obtain children. The Father must first initiate our minds into His paradigm before we become part of the house He builds through the obtaining of children. From the first confession of the heart that has experienced true repentance, to that time in which the many sons that have been brought to glory are revealed to all creation, there is a pricking of the heart that is administered by the Spirit when needed. We will find, like Saul of Tarsus, that it is hard to kick against the pricks. We may be highly offended at it, but we will not experience the spiritual fruitfulness the Father has in store for us until we let the sword pass through our souls. And oh, how easy it will be to stumble over this and find Job's miserable comforters pipe up within ourselves. All the while, we fail to see that the issue of circumcision with God is an issue of covenant and promise rather than a sin issue. When we are being tested and encountering adversity, which comes with the territory of all who have faith, we are not called to become self-inspecting sin specialists. We are called to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ (Heb. 12:2).
Abram was declared righteous long before he was circumcised. However, I'm afraid there is a whole generation living somewhere between being declared righteous and having an experiential circumcision of the heart. However, we will do well not to look at this situation through the cynical eyes of those who see nothing but giants in the land rather than a promised victory. For you see, it was a new generation that was raised up in the stead of those who had been circumcised in the flesh, yet forfeited their inheritance through unbelief. "For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord: unto whom the Lord sware that he would not show them the land, which the Lord sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey. And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way" (Jos. 5:6 and 7).
The tender hearted soul truly benefits from divine revelation. However, for those whose hearts have grown hard and cold, what should be a routine operation of the Spirit can seem like a trip to the woodshed. It is not too difficult to rejoice when we hear the Word. But will we contemplate the implications of the Word? The House looks beautiful. It is glorious. Nevertheless, the building process of God adding to His household is not paved with the comfort and ease of going through the motions of rituals. When God began to shift gears from one Covenant to the next, it was incredibly unbearable for a nation that was so used to going through the motions. Those who began to apprehend what the Spirit was doing were not applauded and widely accepted by the religious community of their day. Let us consider a verse from Stephen's great defense. "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye" (Acts 7:51). We thank the Lord that the rock we fall on as we humble ourselves is sharp enough to deal with the foreskin of our hearts. In this rock we will find living water, oil, honey, and everything a sojourner on the course to sonship needs. We may sense a certain deep underling pain as we count the cost. But even as the one who stood by Mary's side when she was being pierced once said, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20).
To be continued . . .