"There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High" (Psalm 46:4).
The headlines of our daily news declare war, disease, despair, death, and destruction in seemingly every avenue of the world scene. We are now witnessing a generation emerge that has practically romanticized death. Even in smaller communities a tidal wave of horrific events seem to roll in on the shores of many lives. Suicide, killing sprees, the slaughter of the unborn, and a host of eerie episodes of desensitized humanity in action shakes the hope of peace like a raging ocean tossing around a small boat with no anchor. The religious arena is scarred with a history of scandal and hypocrisy, and the world looking in from the outside has kept us all well informed of each downfall within the ranks of the so called "clergy." There is no shortage of religious institutions in our land. Yet, the words in Luke 11:43 and 44 seem to ring true due to the packed buildings overflowing with indifference. "Woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them."
What about the serious believing heart that would steal away in their soul those precious times of drawing near to God. Do not a sea of voices from within and without clamor for the heart's attention? Dear reader, we have just put into modern vernacular a few lines of Psalm 46. ". . . though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah" (Psalm 46:2 & 3). Though we see the headlines of death plastered over the world scene . . . There is a river! Though the cup of rebellion is approaching the brim in this generation of hopeless hearts . . . There is a river! Though desperation and despair lead many headlong into a sea of hate and rage . . . There is a river! Though it seems the offense of the cross has perished in many circles of the Christian faith . . . There is a river! Though unregenerate men can go into the "ministry" like any other trade,
to simply make a living . . . There is a river! Though leaders of such institutions avoid the haunting conviction of what the Church should be by turning a deaf ear to the scriptures and history . . . There is a river! Though the bad taste from the downfall of prominent Christian leaders still lingers in the minds of many former followers . . . There is a river! Though voices from within and from without will remind us of a thousand and one things that distract us and take our focus off of Christ . . . There is a river! Though frustrating circumstances seek to open a door for fear and doubt to rush in like mighty waves as they beat against the door of our heart . . . There is a river!
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). The very fact that God is our refuge and a very present help is made evident by the fact that "there is a river. . ." (Psalm 46:4). "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty . . . How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life . . ." (Psalm 91:1 & 36:7-9). The New International Version of Psalm 36:8 reads: "They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights." In these passages, as well as others, we see that the theme of the house and the river are closely related. And why shouldn't they be? For where else can this river flow but from out of the house of the Lord. The allusions to wings and a secret place in the Psalms speak of the Holy of holies in which the Lord did manifest His glory between the cherubim. Many call this house the tabernacle of Moses. "And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we . . ." (Heb. 3:5 & 6). Whose house we are!
We read in Matthew the lament from our Lord's heart over the desire to assemble the house of Jerusalem. "How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!" (Matt. 23:37 & 38, NASB). Even though He did not assemble the religious institution in Jerusalem, He did go on to assemble His house in Jerusalem (Acts 1:12-14). One hundred and twenty men and women waited in obedience and prayer in Jerusalem, and when the day had fully come the river ran out of God's Holy temple! Praise His Holy name! Throughout history, this river of the Spirit has been flowing. In the face of the most fierce opposition this river went all through the city of Jerusalem. It made its glorious advent in Samaria (Acts 8:25). The very men and women who carried these streams of life were scattered under persecution, because the glory of God was to no longer be centralized in the desolate house of Jerusalem and the tabernacle of God is with men, not in a geographic location (Rev. 21:3). These rivers of life were meant to flow "unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
They did not stop flowing at the close of the cannon of scripture. They simply kept on flowing wherever the thirsty believed on the Fountain of life as the scriptures have said (John 7:38). Though we have no details, if the Lord's words be true, even in the dark ages, there had to have been a flow of life in those who were truly born of the Spirit, for wherever the believer in Christ is, the potential for the river to flow is there also. We know this was true in the lives of the apostles, but we also have testimonies echoing the same rich flow of the river all through history. We must remember that the bible and history both have the same Author!
Indeed, many times in history, the realm of darkness that blinds the minds of men has lost its grip in the light of the river. Religious pools of stagnant indifference have been disturbed and greatly disrupted by the mighty flow of the Spirit issuing out of the corporate expression of Christ. And where the corporate expression was missing, God has raised firebrands to prophesy of this flow of the Spirit. God sees to it that a corporate expression will come on the scene! We know men gave their very lives for the sake of the truth that they discovered while under the reign of Roman Catholicism. Time and space will not allow us to mention all these testimonies; however, we would like to mention a few that have those striking features of the river.
In England, stagnation came into the arena of faith after the Reformation. God raised up His ministers to usher in a fresh flow of this mighty river. In the 1600's the river was well on the way when "once and for all George Fox settled it that 'being bred at Oxford and Cambridge did not qualify or fit a man to be a minister of Christ.'" (Leonard Ravenhill, Sodom Had No Bible, p.135) Ravenhill further writes that George Fox "was sent of God to call the church to real spiritual worship." Sent of God! Do take note of that word "sent." The significance of being sent of God will emerge in the course of this article. Ravenhill goes on to say concerning Fox that "His one desire was the extension of Christ's kingdom on earth. Through his influence England, Ireland, and Scotland were soon ablaze. In 1661 several of his followers were moved to go beyond the seas to publish truth in foreign countries" (p.137). Being sent of God! His one desire was the extension of Christ's kingdom on earth. These two statements testify of the river. They are unmistakable features of the river.
Another feature of the river is that it leaves an impact. It does something greater than simply leaving a theology or a philosophical statement. "A distinguished American governor, Livingston, was justified in giving the following elevated opinion of the 'unshakable shaker': 'George Fox alone has, without human learning, done more than any other reformer in Protestant Christendom towards the restoration of real, primitive, unadulterated Christianity, and the destruction of priest-craft, superstition, and ridiculous, unavailing rites and ceremonies'" (p. 138). After reading William Penn's comments concerning Fox I can see why the above opinion was held. Penn stated, "Above all, George Fox excelled in prayer" (p. 133).
This mighty river of the Spirit also swept through the frontier of North America. In the late 1700's and early 1800's the presence of God's Spirit came in the power of conviction and repentance. This is another feature of the river. ". . . I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:7-8). Two Presbyterians by the names of James McGready and Baron Stone, in their time of ministry in Kentucky, witnessed many overwhelmed by the river of God's Spirit. In the first camp meeting they held McGready stated that "No person seemed to wish to go home. Hunger and sleep seemed to affect nobody--eternal things were the vast concerns . . . Sober professors who had been communicants for many years now were lying prostrate on the ground and crying out in such language as this 'Oh! How I would have despised any person a few days ago who would have acted as I am doing now! But I cannot help it!"(Winkie Pratney, Revial, p.123-124).
"Baron Stone, at the invitation of Daniel Boone, preached and served at the Cane Ridge Meeting House in Bourbon County. Stone was so overwhelmed by the Red River revival that he went home and, in May, 1801, called for a similar meeting in Cane Ridge, 'which was attended with blessing.' A second meeting in August was then called; to the utter astonishment of all, over 20,000 people arrived for the six day camp meeting! It was an incredible event, for this was the sparsely populated frontier. Among the thousands converted was James B. Finley, who later became a Methodist circuit rider. He wrote (as quoted from Lewis A. Drummond in The Awakening that Must Come): 'The noise was like the roar of Niagra. The vast sea of human beings seemed to be agitated as if by a storm. I counted seven ministers, all preaching at one time, some on stumps, others in wagons and one standing on a tree which had, in falling, lodged against another . . . Some of the people were singing, others praying, some crying for mercy in the most piteous accents, while others were shouting most vociferously. While witnessing these scenes, a peculiarly-strange sensation such as I had never felt before came over me. My heart beat tumultuously, my knees trembled, my lips quivered and I felt as though I must fall to the ground. A strange supernatural power seemed to pervade the entire mass of mind there collected . . . I stepped up on a log where I could have a better view of the surging sea of humanity. The scene that then presented itself to my mind was indescribable. At one time I saw at least five hundred swept down in a moment as if a battery of a thousand guns had been opened upon them and then immediately followed shrieks and shouts that rent the very heavens'" (p. 125-126).
Again, as we have stated, a distinct mark of this river is that an impact is made. It is the exact opposite of the religious ceremonial events, which are like "graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them" (Luke 11:44). The explosive waves of the Spirit and what many have settled for as the 'norm' are as different as night and day. When the Spirit came to Jerusalem, it was no small thing done in a corner (Acts 2:6). The most skeptical reader must confess that this was not the result of some religious clique that rallied around doctrinal issues. These highlights of the river rolling through history are birthed out of a hunger that God Himself puts in the very heart of man. The prelude to the rising tide is the sheer earnestness of prayer. "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren" (Acts 1:14). Down through the ages the scene in Jerusalem has been replayed again and again. You have a city busy with men going to and fro conducting their affairs in the religious ceremonies of the day. Rituals are moving like clockwork. Honor may appear on the surface toward God in these organized rituals, yet we know God is ever looking into the heart of man. At the same time, in complete harmony with God's timing, He has pulled aside a people to specifically prepare their hearts, for He ever lives to open untapped wells of life!
Let us note again the sharp contrast between what the one hundred and twenty were doing and what the stagnant religionists were doing in Jerusalem. Peter was not gathering notes for a sermon he would have to give on Pentecost. His role in the outpouring was like the rest of the one hundred and twenty, to simply prepare his heart. That was something the rest of the religious leaders of Jerusalem knew nothing about. When the Lord was in their midst they demanded information and knowledge from Him. He eventually left their house desolate. This cycle continues in our day. Before Peter could say a word to the crowd in Jerusalem He first had to experience the spontaneity of the Spirit, hence the river. This was a matter of obedience. E. M. Bounds said it best when he wrote, "It is easier to fill the head than it is to prepare the heart" (Power Through Prayer, p.86).
It is also interesting to note that it was during this time that Peter realized something that must be taken care of. ". . . this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas . . ." (Acts 1:16). This came to Peter's attention in a time of heart preparation. It did not come through fierce debates with religious men. It did not come to Peter in some effort to try and be among the theological juggernauts of his day. In his time of obeying the Lord's words, wait for the promise of the Father, Peter got his revelation (Acts 1:4). How great a temptation it can be for many of us to deviate from our heart preparation and jump back into the predicable lifeless rhythm of doing things the familiar way, rather than waiting in prayer on the Lord. This brings to mind another statement by E.M. Bounds, "The closet is the heart's study."
Let us consider the testimony of others when this example of obedience has been followed. In the year of 1900, the river of the Spirit was released in Topeka, Kansas. Charles Parham's Bible School had what could be termed as an upper room experience. Parham writes, "No sooner was this miraculous restoration of Pentecostal power abroad, when we were besieged with reporters from Topeka papers. Kansas City, St. Louis and many other cities sent reporters who brought with them professors of languages, foreigners, Government interpreters, and they gave the work the most crucial test. One government interpreter claimed to have heard twenty Chinese dialects distinctly spoken in one night, but all agreed that the students of the college were speaking in the languages of the world, and that with perfect accent and intonation" (The Origin of The Latter Rain, p.5).
By the year of 1906 this flow of the Spirit was at full surge in Los Angeles, California. After a man by the name of Frank Bartleman lost his three year old daughter, he pledged his life anew for God's service. He writes, "In the presence of death, how real eternal issues become" (Azusa Street, p.7). We could say much about his account of trial and triumph he endured as he watched the wheat and the tares grow together. However, this one paragraph from his account sums up one of the greatest features of the river, which is the government of the Holy Spirit.
"Brother Seymour [the man considered a leader in the meetings] generally sat behind two empty boxes, one on top of the other. He usually kept his head inside the top one during the meeting, in prayer. There was no pride there. The services ran almost continuously. Seeking souls could be found under the power almost any hour of the day or night. The place was never closed nor empty. The people came to meet God--He was always there. Hence a continuous meeting. The meeting did not depend on the human leader. God's presence became more and more wonderful. In that old building, with its low rafters and bare floors, God broke strong men and women to pieces, and put them together again for His glory. It was a tremendous overhauling process. Pride and self-assertion, self-importance, and self-esteem could not survive there. The religious ego preached its own funeral sermon quickly" (p.58).
One thing common between these few notable highlights mentioned in history is that there was something of which you could not easily lose sight. If you got near it, then you could not just take it or leave it. It was not something built upon the lifeless structure of human organization. The point here is this: while on the one hand the Lord described the religious community of his day as "graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them", this river coming out of the true house of God is described as "a river that could not be passed over" (Luke 11:44 & Eze. 47:5). Today there is so much that goes under the name of Christ that can be passed over! There is so much neutral ground in the western world of Christendom. People can take it or leave it. However, as we approach that perfect day, in which the light grows brighter and brighter, all the cozy grey areas will be eliminated. The increase of gross darkness and the desperation of spiritual thirst will play a large part in the elimination of this unhealthy form of comfort. "For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people . . ." (Isa. 60:2).When the grey area is gone, then the darkness can be eliminated through illumination. ". . . but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising" (Isa. 60:2 & 3).
For twenty seven years I tried to con myself into thinking that I could live on some sort of neutral ground, but when the Lord apprehended me, I realized what I called neutral was a state of being He called "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1). In the back of my mind I knew all along I was running from Jesus. As some would say, the hound of heaven was on my trail. I was running from the river. From the Lord's standpoint there is no neutral ground. "He that is not with me is against me . . ." (Matt. 12:30). The first time I heard Matthew 12:30 was at a time when I was outside the city of God, so to speak. It was way after midnight and I was with a friend. We were coming back from a concert in Atlanta, Georgia. We came to the exit that would take us back to our town in Alabama when the car unexpectedly died on us. We did not walk too far down the highway until we were offered a ride by what turned out to be some Christian men who were about our age. After we told them where we had been, they began to ask us about our feelings toward the Lord. My friend was easily agitated by it, but I had no problem telling them that I was neither against nor for Christ. Then, through those young men, the Lord gave me a message that I could not gainsay. It was still a few more years before I was apprehended, but after that night I lost some very unhealthy comfort. Oh, what a wonderful loss that was! I needed to know that in reality, in the Spirit, there is no neutral ground. We should also realize that even within the walls of the Christian faith, the river does not flow out of some grey area or some sort of neutral ground. Neutral ground in the Church is equivalent to a stagnating pool. In a word, this wonderful loss of comfort needs to invade the household of faith.
The flow of this river of life hinges on the matter of enthronement. The first trace of this truth is found in the first mention of a river in scripture. "And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads" (Gen. 2:10). What does Eden speak of in relation to enthronement? Eden was where the man who was given dominion was placed.(Gen. 1:28 & 2:8). God formed man for rulership, hence kingship. God, from the beginning, desired this high place for man to be seated, for the simple fact that He desired to sit on the throne of the hearts of mankind. And He will. When we read of our Lord being King of kings, it covers much more ground and goes deeper than simply being sovereign over all earthly government. Ultimately, He must cover the greatest and most significant area where the role of authority could ever hold its sway. That place my dear friend is the place of the heart. You see, the heart is the place in which all rivers flow, because in reality, every man has a river. In a word, we all have issues.
"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23). We would do well to note the Hebrew word for issues in the above passage (Strong's #8444) comes from another Hebrew word (#8318), which is first translated as moving in Genesis 1:20. It is also no different, as far as the ancient Hebrew is concerned, from Strong's #8317, which is first translated as brought forth abundantly in Genesis 1:21. The fact that we all have issues can be either a positive or a negative statement. Unfortunately, there is also the struggle of a mixture in the issues that can flow from our heart. "Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?" (James 3:11). The bringing forth of abundance can be that of a mixture, or issues ministering death. But we know that Jesus came to bring us life and life more abundantly (John 10:10).
" . . . for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things" (Matt.12:34-35). This passage in scripture gives us two pictures in relation to the river. One is the kind of river that flows inside the city of God, and the other is the kind of river that flows outside the city of God. When the river broke forth in abundance in Acts 2 the disciples were enjoying the fulfillment of Isaiah 12:3. They were drawing water from the wells of salvation. However, in Acts 9:1 we find a man drawing another kind of water from another kind of source. Let us consider this passage from the Amplified Bible. "Meanwhile Saul, still drawing his breath hard from threatening and murderous desire against the disciples of the Lord . . ." Now we must take note that this young Saul was a fine student of the scriptures. He knew that he, being an Israelite, was part of the house of God. But, as we have stated, the house consisting of a people that came in through natural birth was left desolate. He had no spiritual vision into the reality of the House. He had no real sword of the Spirit. Nothing that could pierce the heart and begin to transform humanity was in his possession. Therefore, despite all of his learning of the scriptures, there was no river of life flowing from his being.
We cannot pick on Saul too much when we know that there is an abundance of biblical schools, seminaries, and in our land, none of which can guarantee a river of life. The Church of the Living God was not assaulted by the religious order of their day for being a quiet little group in the corner. They did not upset this passing system by simply making proselytes for the sake of their pet doctrines. They turned the world upside down through obedience, through sheer obedience to the Spirit of the Living God governing their lives from within. This great river came through and by the Spirit, not through the mammoth structure of institutionalized religion that stood in their day. Nevertheless, we know how Saul became Paul. In light of Saul's experience, we know there is hope for all who do not know the Author of the book they claim to know so well.
When Jesus Christ truly sits upon the throne in our hearts, then what is it that will flow from our hearts? What issues will come from our being? What Saul had was something that could, at best, hold someone by way of restraint from the outside. That is all we do when we minister the letter. Thank God for laws in our society that hold people in check, but the higher law is Christ ruling on the inside from the throne of our hearts. Before the river flowed in Jerusalem through the one hundred and twenty, Jesus ascended to the throne (Acts 1:9). This is what separates the river from an event or some religious phenomena. The enthroned Christ had been proclaimed!
"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein" (Psalm 24:1). It is by no random choice of words that the Spirit chose to end Psalm 24 with this line in verse 10: "Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah." The revelation of the ownership of the world, and the universe for that matter, will come to mankind through the revelation of Christ being King in the hearts of His royal subjects. It will come through, as it says in verse 6, "the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face . . ." In a word, if there is no revelation of the King, then there is no river. No river means there is no flow from inside the city impacting the outside. All who come this way must come by way of revelation. You will not find the footprints of scholars and theologians on this path unless they have been transformed by the revelation of Jesus Christ like young Saul. This is the path in which curious students of the scriptures become pioneers of spiritual territory that is absolutely unknown, unfamiliar, and unappreciated, by those who do not seek the face of God. Let it be realized that there is a vast difference between seeking to know something and seeking to know Him. This yearning to know Him never seems to go away for those who have been truly broken like Saul, for He is inexhaustible.
Consider this dear reader: the first thing Paul ever said to Jesus, as far as scripture records, is "Who art thou, Lord?" (Acts 9:5). In one of his letters, one that certainly is not considered to be among his first epistles, he writes "I count all things but loss . . . That I may know him . . ." (Phil. 3:8 & 10). After all the miracles, after all the revelation, after so much of Christ had been revealed to Paul in scripture, and all of his eventful spiritual exploration and co-laboring with the Lord to manifest the kingdom of God in the earth, Paul still writes, "That I may know Him." Before Paul met Jesus Christ he had a little problem that kept him out of this yearning to know business. He was like so many lovers of the letter today. He (thought he) already knew everything. That is why this river is so unknown to many. They already know everything. Why every Pharisee in Jerusalem knew more about the Messiah than some dumb old fishermen. But what Peter received concerning his answer to who the Messiah was did not come from the great teachers of the Law and the Prophets. No sir. "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 16:17).
Once Saul got a taste of the Lord, he wanted more. Those who have no spiritual thirst for the river do not draw from the wells of salvation (Isa. 12:3). At the time that Saul was drawing hatred out of the well of his innermost being for Jesus and His Church, there was "a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleaness" (Zech. 13:1). Many in Jerusalem came to this fountain. However, many, like young Saul and the religious leaders, rejected this fountain. This prophecy in Zechariah was brought to pass by the simple fact that it was in Jerusalem that the disciples were instructed to go and wait for the baptism. Yet, no matter where they were, the fountains were there within them. "A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed" (Song of Solomon 4:12). The King was about to come into His garden. "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink , yea, drink abundantly , O beloved" (Song of Solomon 5:1).
How fitting it was for the Spirit to write the above lines of scripture concerning a spring shut up, a fountain sealed and the invitation to drink abundantly. For you see, Solomon was the offspring of David. He foreshadowed the greater fulfillment of David's offspring. "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star" (Rev. 22:16). This greater fulfillment came to impart His Spirit into the fountain of humanity in order that we might experience the abundance of divine life in the Spirit, which we call the river! Some may have problems with Solomon being a type of Christ due to the tragic end of Solomon's journey into the worship of strange gods through a multitude of strange wives. However, if we were to use a person's character to qualify and disqualify types and shadows pointing to Christ, then we would have no place for types of Christ in the scriptures. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). Furthermore, the one man that caused sin to enter into the world, Adam, is called a figure of Christ, which in the literal Greek is translated as type (Rom. 5:12 & 14).
With the above thoughts in mind, let us glean a few principles from Solomon in relation to the theme of the river. In a nut shell, we find in what one may call the glory days of Solomon's reign a beautiful summation of these three themes that emerge over and over in the scriptures, the House, the Sword, and the River. "Take heed now; for the Lord hath chosen thee to build a house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it. Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat. And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit . . ." (1 Chron. 28:10-12). For three and a half years, "a greater than Solomon" gathered the building material for the House of the Lord. In the process of this time of gathering, His very life left an example, a pattern, if you will, for those who would go on to co-labor with Him."For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps" (1 Pet. 2:21).
"Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the Lord . . ." (1 Chron. 22:14). This statement that David made concerning his preparation and gathering of material for the house speaks to us of the gathering and preparation of Jesus. Not only did Jesus prepare and gather so that we could build, but also so that we could be built up as a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5). The Concordant Version renders 1 Chronicles 22:14 "Behold, in my humiliation . . ." This brings to mind the complete condescension of Christ mentioned in Philippians 2:7 & 8. "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death . . ." In the case of Saul, it was after Christ was highly exalted that He reached down from His throne and laid hold of this young man, who would go on to be a wise masterbuilder (Phil. 2:9 & 1 Cor. 3:10). The fact that the Spirit inspired such terms as laborers together with God (1 Cor. 3:9) brings great spiritual meaning to David's words to Solomon. "Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all manner of cunning men for every manner of work" (1 Chron. 22:15).
The theme of the Sword in Solomon's life points us to the manner in which the risen and enthroned Lord apprehended Saul. Psalm 72 involves the prayers of David. Although David is praying for Solomon in this passage of scripture, this chapter, like all Psalms, is loaded with prophetic overtones speaking of a greater than Solomon (Matt. 12:42). When the Lord came to Saul, Saul was an oppressor of the true Church. Psalm 72:4 speaks of the manner with which the oppressor is dealt. "He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor." This prophetic statement is echoed in Isaiah. "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse . . . with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked" (Isa. 11:1 & 4).
When Solomon ascended to the throne, it was not too long after that He administered the literal sword to Adonijah, who tried to take Solomon's place on the throne (1 Kings 2:24). Again this points us to the sword in New Covenant terms. " . . . the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming . . . out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength . . . And as he [Saul] journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice . . ." (2 Thess. 2:8, Rev. 1:16, & Acts 9:3 & 4). In Solomon's reign he personified wisdom. His name means peaceable. Under the inspiration of the Spirit, James describes the wisdom that is from above as "first pure, then peaceable" (James 3:17). The Lord answered his prayer for an understanding heart. The marginal notes read a hearing heart (1 Kings 3:9). In a word, Solomon's wisdom came from above.
We find that wisdom can manifest itself through the ministry of the sword, just as the Living Word is a sword whenever it needs to be. Not long after we read of Solomon's request being granted by God, we go on to read of the wise decision he made in 1 Kings 3:16-28. Although Solomon did not actually use the sword to determine which woman was the mother of the child, we find wisdom and the theme of the sword tied together in this phrase: "Bring me a sword" (1 Kings 3:24). Bring me a sword. Let wisdom decide to whom this child belongs. Wisdom does not waste any time with minor details. Wisdom goes straight to the heart of the matter. The Lord Jesus did not speak much to the outward man. Although He healed many bodies, whenever He spoke He was speaking right into the heart of humanity.
We can also see in the scriptures that wisdom unites the theme of the Sword and the River, for Paul writes that Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24). You cannot have the power of God in the absence of the river! For the humble who have an understanding heart, literally a heart that can hear, Christ comes in the spirit of meekness. For those who are puffed up, Christ comes with a rod, i.e. the Sword. And so it is with those whom the Lord sends. Paul, an apostle, literally a sent one, writes, "For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. What will ye? Shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?" (1 Cor. 4:20 & 21).
As we stated, Solomon personified wisdom. This is very obvious in the book of Proverbs, which carries the theme of wisdom throughout each verse. In just a couple of verses we see the connection between wisdom and the mighty rushing river that burst upon the scene in Jerusalem when Pentecost was fully come (Acts 2:1). Keep in mind that one of the purposes for the Spirit coming on Pentecost was to guide the believers into all truth (John 16:13). Wisdom cried through John the Baptist as he prepared the way. Wisdom cried again and again unto the house of Israel through Jesus Himself. But no one really had a clue until the Spirit was poured out. With that in mind, let us consider Proverbs 1:22 & 23. "How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you." I will pour out my spirit unto you. I will make known my words unto you. When the Spirit is come He will guide you into all truth. What did Peter say to Jerusalem as he and the eleven stood up as one new corporate man? He quoted Joel, "I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh" (Acts 2:17). Wisdom again cried out to the crowds of people on that historical day in a manner that is not too different from what we hear in Proverbs. "Turn you at my reproof . . . Repent . . . Save yourselves from this untoward generation" (Prov. 1:23 & Acts 2:38 & 40).
Perhaps one the most significant connections we find in Solomon's reign relative to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is in 2 Chronicles 5:12. This verse speaks of one hundred and twenty priests sounding their trumpets. When this happened, the language used to describe the event points to something far greater in the Spirit that would take place in the New Covenant Priesthood. ". . . then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord; So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God" (2 Chron. 5:13 & 14). The House was completed. The staves were removed from the ark. A permanent dwelling came into being for the manifest presence of the omnipresent God. "Through wisdom is an house builded . . . Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars" (Prov. 24:3 & 9:1). The King was enthroned. Everything was in order for the river to roll.
It just so happened to be in God's plan that when Pentecost was fully come the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened (Acts 2:1 & Gen. 7:11). It is no accident that the first time we find the mention of the number one hundred and twenty it is in the context of the flood. "And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years" (Gen. 6:3). This is alluding to the ending of an age and the arrival of a new one. Noah, through this flood, would pass from an old world into a new world. It is no accident that Moses was a hundred and twenty when he died (Duet. 34:7). Moses was the minister of the law written on tables of stone. The man who took the role of leadership when he passed was Joshua. Those who at least claimed to follow Moses, lost their role of leadership after our heavenly Joshua baptized the one hundred and twenty in Acts 2. This is the end of the Old Covenant and the beginning of the New; the end of one world and the beginning of another, hence a new creation in Christ Jesus.
Since Jerusalem refused the river of life flowing from the fountains of the twelve apostles' inner most beings on Pentecost, this city was destined to experience a flood of judgment. "For as much as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son; now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks: And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel. Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces . . ." (Isa. 8:6-9). This passage is one of the many pictures of the Word first coming to those whom God has called to be his representation in the earth and then the Word being rejected. Shiloah means sent. As we have stated, the word apostle means sent one. When Jesus of Nazareth spoke, the softly moving waters of Shiloah were flowing. The book of Hebrews proclaims Jesus as our apostle, among other titles (Heb. 3:1). He had to pioneer the way for the other apostles who would come after Him.
This is the message that "the waters of Shiloah that go softly" heralded in Matthew 11:28-30: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Let us compare this to Luke 11:46 and Acts 15:10. "Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! For ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers . . . Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" When Jesus said 'come unto me' He was talking to the House of Israel. That is who He was first sent to. Many use Matthew 11:29-30 as a text to call sinners to Christ. We find no fault with that, but in light of the above passages, and in light of the practice of erroneous dead works instituted down through the ages, we have a good case for Christ bringing rest to those who were being worn out under the yoke of their religious leaders. This is applicable to us today, for there are many in the body of Christ under a heavy yoke. A heavy yoke is one of the many things that appear when there is an absence of the river. The river means true rest, which is the Spirit working in and through us, rather than us trying to do things for God apart from the Spirit. This is the difference between the yoke of Christ and the heavy yoke of religious leaders who are unaware that there is a river!
When we read in Isaiah 8:6, "this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah", we would do well to listen for a similar word to echo in Hebrews 12:25. "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven." By 70 A.D. a flood of judgment destroyed the city of Jerusalem. The waters of Shiloah that flowed from the meek and lowly heart of Jesus was not enough for Jerusalem, for they loved their position in their religious order more than they loved the truth. As it was before Pilate, so it is today: "Every one that is of the truth heareth my [Jesus] voice" (John 18:37). Political maneuvers that support the life, or should we say the lifelessness, of human organization are easily tolerated in the absence of the river. But this will not be the case for the true sons of God. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14). Holding on to a position or trying to obtain one gets lost in the river of the Spirit. Religious structures may give men various titles, but maturity is made manifest in those who are led by the Spirit.
In conclusion to this subject, I must confess that there is no real end in proclaiming the greatness of this river, for it is more vast than the ocean itself. It is more than a firebrand making history. It is more than a revival turning the heads of an entire nation. It is more than operating in the gifts. It is more than possessing truth. It is more than divine healing and the joy of the Spirit. Yet, it includes all of those things (and so much more)! It covers more than time will ever permit us to share due to the fact that the river is the flowing life of the Spirit and God is Spirit. Who can exhaust God? With that in mind, we leave you with a practical way of beholding this immense subject. Anyone born of the Spirit can listen for that soft flowing life within, for the Spirit abides within us. The horde of vain imaginations will attempt to get our attention. The spirit of fear will lunge at the door to our hearts. The good intentions that are birthed in the stead of God's Spirit may come, but these things meet their match only in those who have a hearing heart, the heart Solomon prayed for. That is the only heart that benefits from the river. We pray that these thoughts will provoke all of us to request that a greater than Solomon will grant us a greater measure of the river that we "might be filled with all the fulness of God" (Eph. 3:19).