Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

by H. J. Vine.

“The All-Varied Wisdom of God”

Ephesians 3:10

A Study as to the teaching of the precious stones mentioned in the Scriptures, Exodus 28; Ezekiel 28 and Revelation 21.

That God should call such as we are, and save us by His grace, is a cause for eternal thanksgiving and praise! We were once far away from Him, undone by sin, held in darkness under the authority of the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that energizes those who are disobedient. “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ,” and saved us by His grace; “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7).

We have cause also to give Him thanks for His present care over us. It is unceasing! Do we recognize this sufficiently? Not a sparrow is forgotten before Him! “The very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 11:7)—such are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was amidst much tribulation that the Apostle Paul said, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our tribulation” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). How little we bless God for the grace and for the mercies which He makes to abound towards us continually!

The spring of all God’s ways with us is found in the great love wherewith He loves us; in the love that was manifested in the sending of His beloved Son into the world, that we might have life eternal. He is, however, not only known to us as our God who has called us and saved us, and as the Father of mercies whose care and compassion for us is so unremittent; but He is also made known as “the God of glory” and as “the Father of glory”. Love, and grace, and mercy, and glory, and wisdom all shine out resplendent in the way He has wrought for our blessing in Christ; “in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace; wherein He has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence” (Ephesians 1:7-8).

When in the riches of His rich grace He called us by the Gospel, He had the glory in view, just as it was with the calling out of Abraham; God had in view the blessing of all nations, and the filling of the earth with His glory. So it is said, the God of glory appeared to Abraham (Acts 7:2). Only there is this difference now—we are called out in view of universal glory, and of heavenly glory especially. Therefore it is desired in Ephesians 1:17, that we should be granted the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of the Father of glory; for He is the divine Source of that universal glory—the Beginner and the Begetter of it all. How blessed that this is so! The one Source of it all is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Father, too, through His grace; but the glory itself, like the wisdom with which it is brought about, is both vast and varied as we shall see.

The centre of it is Christ. He is the One in whom it shall be headed up; and He is Head of the body, the assembly. He is the Lord of glory. When He was in this world, the great and the wise did not recognize Him, for “none of the princes of this world knew, for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory”. He was God’s hidden wisdom, predetermined before the ages for our glory. He is now exalted in heaven, and is known to our glad hearts as the Lord in glory. His unsearchable riches, and the riches of the glory of the mystery, concerning Christ and the assembly, in relation to the glory we speak of, are now revealed. It is in this that all the divine treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid (Colossians 2:3).

“Oh way of purposed blessing

In Christ made known to man!

The fruit we’re now possessing,

Of Wisdom’s wondrous plan.”

God’s great love for us has been fully declared in His Son. His grace is gloried in the way He has made us His. His manifold mercies are new every day. Soon we shall shine with Christ above to the praise of His glory. But even now the secret of His wise counsel of love is made known to His own,

The Wisdom of God

When we say ‘It is now made known’, we mean in contrast to the times before Christ was exalted as the Lord in glory, after He had secured eternal redemption by His work on the cross. Previously, we are told, “Silence was kept in the times of the ages” (Romans 16:25) as to this mystery, but it “has now been made manifest”. That is the way of “God only wise”. In Ephesians 3:5 and 9 we read that in other generations it “has not been made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed”, for this mystery was “hidden throughout the ages in God”, who created everything in view of the making known to the heavenly dignities and intelligences His “all-variegated wisdom”, through the assembly in Christ, in accordance with His purpose in Him. In Colossians 1:26, it is said, “The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but has now been made manifest to His saints”. The treasury of the varied stores of divine wisdom and knowledge are hidden in this mystery. Indeed, “all the treasures” of wisdom and knowledge are there (Colossians 2:3). The philosophies that have originated in the minds of men can add nothing to the assembly, but are “vain deceit”, leading away from Christ, in whom our fullness is, and in whom also the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily.

Stepping back in our thoughts for a moment, we may well ask, where could the wisdom be found, to bring man who is sinful into right relation to God who hates sin? How can man who is unrighteous be made right with God who is righteous? How can man who is unholy be made suitable to the presence of a holy God? Can fallen man be blessed before a just God? If this cannot be done, where shall the mercy of God be displayed? Where shall His forgiving grace and love be known? His long-suffering, His goodness, His kindness, His pity, His compassion—where shall these be seen? Could divine wisdom devise a way whereby righteousness and grace could meet together in peace? A way for justice and mercy to greet each other in truth? A way by which all the holy attributes of God could abide in perfect harmony with His nature of love, in the blessing of sinful man who had merited His judgement, and do so in such a manner that His wisdom in its all-variegated perfection and beauty might be made known to the heavenly dignities, who had witnessed man’s sin and degradation?

Job asks, where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? Man knows not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living (Job 28:13). Gathering up the gold and silver and precious things of creation, he shows that wisdom outvalues them all. The precious onyx, and the sapphire, and the crystal cannot equal it; the price thereof is above coral or pearls or rubies; the topaz of Ethiopia cannot compare with it. If it is not to be found in Creation, whence then comes wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living. In answer, we are told, “God understands the way thereof”; also that, “Destruction and death” had heard the fame thereof. This is surely an intimation of the Cross of Christ. Yes, the necessary wisdom was known to God, and when that “hidden wisdom” came forth in Christ, and the world crucified the Lord of glory, then death and destruction heard its fame! It was there in that wonderful Cross that the conciliation of the attributes and nature of God was expressed, in regard to the blessing of sinful man. The sinless Son of God took the sinner’s place, and bore the righteous judgement which the sinner’s sins demanded: God the Son there glorified God the Creator in respect of His creature’s sin.

“Holy claims of justice finding

Full expression in that scene

Light and love alike are telling

What His woe and sufferings mean.”

Upon the cross, the holy, sinless Son of God was made sin for us, and then and there made atonement for our guilt, and secured eternal redemption for us. He both satisfied and glorified God in regard to our terrible guilt, and we know Him now as our Lord and Saviour; Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. He is God and Man. Who else could bring fallen man back to God in a right way in happiness and blessing, and glorify God in doing it? And in what other way could even such an One do it righteously and abidingly, save by bearing the judgement we deserved? There was none other who could do it! There was none other way! To Christ on the Cross we look to see the way of God’s wonderful wisdom.

We may look at Creation, and see the glory of His power and divinity; but we must look at the Cross to see His glorious moral perfections, and His great love. Nor can we read His glory in the present state of Government in the world, even though God Himself has set up the authorities that exist. There is government; and we have reason to be thankful for this; knowing that all true justice comes from God’s wisdom; even as He tells us in Proverbs 8:15-16; “By Me kings reign and princes decree justice. By Me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth”. In such as Solomon, remarkable wisdom in government was seen; but it has been corrupted like all else committed to man’s responsibility.

The Precious Stones of Ezekiel 28—Government

The King of ancient Tyre is brought before us in Ezekiel 28:12, as an example. He, doubtless, pictures for us that great unseen dignity—Satan, now fallen—the devil. He had been in the holy mountain of God, the place of divine government; and in “Eden the garden of God”, the sphere of national order according to God (compare 28:13 with 31:8-9, 16, 18). He sealed up the sum of perfections in regard to government as ‘king’. He was “full of wisdom and perfect in beauty”; but he sinned, and corrupted his wisdom by reason of his brightness. He became the great enemy of God and the oppressor of mankind. He cruelly used the might of death to keep in bondage the children of God through the fear of it; and Christ partook of flesh and blood, so that He might go into death and deliver them from this bondage by annulling him (Hebrews 2:14-15). In regard to government, we should remark, It was no matter of mockery, when in that very high mountain, the devil showed the Lord “all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory”, and said to Him, “All these things will I give Thee if, falling down, Thou wilt do me homage”. It was a real temptation, even though our blessed, adorable Saviour and Lord triumphed over it. The remarkable position of Satan is seen in his being able to approach the holy Son of God, and make such an offer. The Lord Jesus spoke of him as the prince or ruler of this world.

In regard to Creation, Job showed that wisdom was beyond all its riches of gold, and silver, and precious stones. Ezekiel, too, when he speaks of this great dignitary—“the anointed cherub”—in his place of Government, full of wisdom, groups these stones of beauty about him, and tells us that every precious stone was his covering:

1. “The sardius, the topaz, and the diamond;

2. The chrysolite, the onyx, and the jasper;

3. The sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle; and gold” (Ezekiel 28:13, New Translation).

The light for guidance in government was thus gloriously reflected in him, the creature, though not originated in him. The variety and beauty were there; but he fell from his high estate; and another must come—a greater and wiser than even Solomon—Christ, the true King (as Matthew introduces Him), and take up the dignity and glory in a way that shall be for abiding blessing to all creation, and for the glory of God. In the holy mount the three disciples saw His majesty. His face shone as the sun, and his garments were white as the light; and from the excellent glory the Father’s voice was heard saying, “THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, IN WHOM I HAVE FOUND MY DELIGHT”.

The Precious Stones of Exodus 28—Grace and Glory

The Son has the glorious position of Firstborn in all the Creation; and following upon the overthrow of Satan through His death, He takes the highest place in Government. He is “the Firstborn from the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth”. All things in heaven and earth are put under Him; He is given to be Head over all to the assembly, which is His body. He is set above every principality, authority, power and dominion. This is not yet publicly seen, but it will be in God’s own time; meanwhile, anointed with the oil of gladness in glory above His co-heirs, He is preparing them to inherit with Him the glory that is His.

It is here that His grace is active on our behalf. Before He reached the exalted place which is His, He suffered here, being tempted; He is therefore now able to succour us who are tempted on our way to the glory. He sympathizes with our infirmities, and as our High Priest he saves to the uttermost those who approach by Him to God. Such is His present grace! The service of Aaron for Israel, saved out of Egypt, is a type of this grace. On his shoulders and on his breast Aaron bore the names of the tribes when he represented them in the holy presence of God. On his shoulders were two onyx stones; and like the engravings of a signet, six names were cut into each precious stone, to glisten there before the Lord for a memorial (Exodus 28:2). These two stones were on the shoulders of the priestly ephod; but inseparably connected with this ephod was the breastplate, in which there was set a precious stone for each name. We are told, the breastplate shall not be loosed from the ephod (v. 28). Aaron bore their names on his heart also for a memorial before the Lord. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ”? “He ever lives to make Intercession for us.” His present service of power and love prevails on our behalf.

Another feature in this beautiful type is, the Urim and the Thummim were put in the breastplate of the High Priest. The wisdom of God for guidance was connected therewith. The lights and perfections (for that is the meaning of Urim and Thummim) of God were associated with priestly grace. Urim began with the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and Thummim with the last. Christ is the Alpha and the Omega. The language of God is expressed in Him. He is the wisdom of God. We learn the mind of God in Him. It is remarkable that this undescribed Urim and Thummim should be “put in the breastplate”, upon which the names of God’s people glistened. Is there not some indication (then hidden), of the riches of the glory of the mystery (now made known among the nations), “which is Christ in you the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27)?

The precious stories in relation to government are arranged in three threes (Ezekiel 28). In connection with grace there are four threes (Exodus 28); this order is also given in relation to glory (Revelation 21). In Job 28, where the precious things of Creation are grouped, the order is not so clear; but seven seems to be the number given. The stones in Exodus 28:17 are arranged thus:

1. “A sardius, a topaz, and an emerald;

2. A carbuncle, a sapphire, and a diamond;

3. An opal, an agate, and an amethyst;

4. A chrysolite, and an onyx, and a jasper; enclosed in gold in their settings” (New Translation).

It should be remarked that the jasper, which is the last of the twelve here, is the first in Revelation 21:19. In the likeness of jasper and sardius, the One who sits on the throne appears, in Revelation 4, that which grace teaches and leads up to, is reached in perfection, glory; when the church, which will come forth as the holy city, will reflect the glory of God, and shine as a crystal-like jasper stone most precious. This is as yet unknown. The opaque jasper of earth, with its elegant polish and varied colours, is known; but the clear, crystal-like jasper, like the heavenly, transparent gold, has not been seen. Such symbols speak of splendours yet to come. The radiance of that day will be altogether heavenly, according to divine wisdom; and the glory of God will enlighten all, as it shines upon the face of the Lamb, our blessed Lord Jesus Christ.

“Undazzled in that glory bright,

Which shines upon His face,

Where every eye beholds unveiled

The mysteries of His grace.”

The foregoing anticipates a little; but it prepares us to understand what is said in Ephesians 3:10 as to the all-variegated wisdom of God. The word for all-variegated is only used this once in the Bible. It is polupoikilos. If a Grecian saw a magnificent picture, a masterpiece of brilliance and design, blending its colours in the most beautiful harmony, this is the word he would use to describe the varied and yet harmonious combination of colour, with its rich hues and delicate tints, presented as pleasingly to his eye. In the times past, before the redemption work of Christ was accomplished on the cross, before He had ascended to God’s right hand, and sent down the Holy Spirit, the mystery, in which the treasures of wisdom are found, was hidden in God. He had created all things, having in view the purpose which He purposed in Christ before He created the universe; and according to that purpose to provide a way for the making known of His all-variegated wisdom. Such a thought transcends the natural mind altogether; but God has revealed it that we may rejoice in it, in the power of the Spirit, even as we read concerning the administration of this mystery, “hidden throughout the ages in God, who has created all things, in order that NOW to the principalities and authorities in the heavenlies might be made known through the assembly the all-variegated wisdom of God, according to the purpose of the ages, which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Creation becomes the sphere for this. Sin and failure had been seen in it before; but now, in contrast to the past times, God has found a means for the display of His glory through the assembly in Christ, according to His eternal purpose of love. What love! What glory! What surpassing grace! To quarry sinners such as ourselves out of the pit, and to connect us with such princely and supernal splendour. Eternal praise to our God and Father, even as there shall be glory to God “in the assembly in Christ Jesus unto all generations of the age of the ages” (Ephesians 3:21, New Translation).

The Precious Stones of Revelation 21—The Climax

When the assembly is seen in glory in Revelation 21:10, as the bride, the Lamb’s wife, she shines out as a city of pure gold, like transparent glass. A great and high wall of jasper is also seen; and twelve gates, which is the well-known symbol of her administrative character. The wall has twelve foundations, and it is in this that we have the final grouping of the precious stones; and that in inspired keeping with the order of the other groupings in Scripture. The foundations of the wall are adorned thus

1. “The jasper, the sapphire, and the chalcedony;

2. The emerald, the sardonyx, and the sardius;

3. The chrysolite, the beryl, and the topaz;

4. The chrysoprasus, the jacinth, and the amethyst, and the twelve gates, twelve pearls; each gate one pearl.”

The absence of the ruby here is both striking and instructive. The value of this stone would appeal to the natural mind as meriting a place in this group, where there is none other of greater value or hardness. Why, then, does the Holy Spirit give it no place in this heavenly scene? Because He uses it as a distinctive earthly symbol elsewhere. Jerusalem on earth is to have her “battlements of rubies”, not “windows of agates” (Isaiah 54:12), and her princes “more ruddy than rubies”. Unlike other stones, this rich red ruby of carmine here, is always spoken of in the plural in Scripture. The heavenly bride, the assembly, is characterized by oneness, of which each gate of “one pearl” witnesses. In view of this, it is not surprising to read of the worthy woman. Her value is “far above rubies” (Prov. 31:10) and of wisdom, “she is more precious than rubies” (Proverbs 3:15; 8:11, etc.).

As we pointed out before, these precious stones, representing the varied reflections of the light and perfection of God, do not originate that which shines from them. “God only wise” does this. But how glorious is the display which He is about to bring to pass through the assembly, the heavenly bride, according to His purpose in His beloved Son. The administration will be blessed indeed; and the nations of the earth will benefit thereby. It will not be angelic then. The administration will be in the hands of Man glorified. It will be perfect! What is man? God has set Him over the works of His hands! This is seen in Jesus crowned with glory and honour as Man at the right hand of the majesty in the heavens. Those who are glorified with Him as His co-heirs, share in His glory as Man.

The Lord of Glory

Christ was the Wisdom of God in a mystery—the hidden Wisdom; though all true guidance in government emanated from Him at all times (compare 1 Corinthians 2:7 and Prov. 8); but the rulers and princes of this world, whose own wisdom comes to nought, did not know Him when He came in flesh. They displayed their ignorance, as well as their hatred, by crucifying the Lord of glory. But that which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, God has revealed to us by His Spirit. Christ is the wisdom “which God had predetermined for our glory” (1 Corinthians 2:7), and when the assembly shines out in heavenly radiance, He shall be “glorified in His saints, and wondered at in all that have believed”.

His glory as the Firstborn in the Creation may be set forth in the first precious stone mentioned in the Bible, the onyx (Genesis 2:12). It is also the first in the group of Job 28:16-19; and it is there distinguished as the “precious onyx”. The only separate stone so designated, except where Christ is spoken of as the Stone, Elect, Precious. The onyx stones were on the shoulders of the High Priest; and a glance at the groups of government and grace (Ezek. 28 and Ex. 28) shows that the onyx retains a special place of distinction; being the centre stone in government, and the centre of the last three in grace; whilst in each case it is set between the chrysolite and the jasper. The fact that the onyx is not seen in the wall of the city, emphasizes that Christ Himself is indicated. The bdellium is mentioned with it alone in Genesis 2:12; and this is only named again once in Scripture, in Numbers 11:7, in connection with the manna. This, again, confirms what we have said, for if we have the glory of Christ as the Firstborn of all Creation in the onyx, we are reminded that when He came into His Creation, He came in lowly grace as the Manna, whose appearance was as bdellium. He was the One who humbled Himself, blessed be His Name; but He could ask those who murmured in the presence of this lowly grace, “What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where He was before”?

There are many features in these groups of precious stones in the law, and the prophets, and the apocalypse, which speak eloquently to the true believer of the same Spirit inspiring all; and of the glories of our blessed Lord to Whom all the Scriptures point; but we must leave the reader to trace them out himself, in prayerful dependence upon the guidance of the Spirit, and bring our meditation to a close, or it will occupy too much space.

A word must be said as to the most valuable and most beautiful of all these precious stones; for the diamond seems to single out some special and supreme glory of Christ. It is the hardest and most precious of minerals. Nothing but diamond can cut diamond! Like the onyx it is not found in the wall of the city in glory. Where is it? Surely, it must be found in glory somewhere, if the other precious stones are there! The fact that it shines in the first three of Ezekiel 28, and that it glistens on the breastplate of Aaron, although absent from the city wall, tells us that the diamond points to Jesus, who takes up the Kingly dignity in governments, and the priestly place in grace. He is both King and Priest; and as such will fill the throne (Zechariah 6:13). This supreme glory is His alone! and He is worthy!

Oh, that our hearts knew His love, and His grace, and His glory in a deeper way. We lose nothing by so doing; but rather are we led to know our own portion better, as we meditate upon, and rejoice in, His the more. May our blessed God and Father enable us to do so in the power of the Holy Spirit. “NOW TO THE KING ETERNAL, INCORRUPTIBLE, INVISIBLE, THE ONLY WISE GOD, BE HONOUR AND GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN.”

The Assembly of God

Answer to Correspondence—“When did the assembly of God begin, and of whom was it first composed?”

The church of God, or more correctly the assembly of God, began when Christ gave the Spirit at Pentecost to His own disciples. These first composed the assembly. “The number of names together were about an hundred and twenty” (Acts 1:15). With one accord they were all together in one place, when the Spirit came both upon them and within them.

To say that to understand Paul’s writings is to know the truth of the assembly, just as to understand John’s is to know the truth as to the flock and the family of God, is true in a certain sense. But to understand the assembly in the essential and vital sense we must know Him who is the exalted Head of the body, which is the assembly. Having secured eternal redemption by His work upon the cross, Christ rose from among the dead victorious over sin, Satan, death, and Hades; and “He is the Head of the body, the assembly, who is THE BEGINNING, the Firstborn from among the dead; that in all things He might have the pre-eminence” (Col. 1:18). Exalted in heavenly glory, He gave the Holy Spirit as we have seen; thus uniting His own livingly with Himself as Man in heaven; they becoming members of His body, the assembly. Nothing like this had ever been known before.

To complete the thought of God as to the assembly (the ek-klesia, the out-called) we find a number from among the Gentiles also baptized in Acts 10:44. (Read also 11:16-17, which unites with Acts 1. Those at Pentecost were from among the Jews only; and the assembly (which was to be out of and not of the nations) was to embrace those of both Jews and Gentiles. In Old Testament times God had dealt nationally; now the assembly is called out as something new entirely. Not seeing this, many fall short both in spirit and practice of the truth.

Paul was the special minister of the truth concerning the assembly of God; but that it began before he was converted is proved both by Acts 2:47 and by his own words—I excessively persecuted the assembly of God and ravaged it (Galatians 1:13, New Translation). To unfold truth and instruction as to the assembly of God is one thing: its vital beginning, existence, and power another. For the former, how important are the writings of the Spirit by Paul for those who are truly Christ’s. How they preserve those who truly heed them, amid the ecclesiastical snares and strifes of today; also guiding them, as belonging to this new thing, in regard to their deportment towards the powers that be, in the different nations where they are found.

As regards the foundation of the local assembly at Corinth, where Paul laboured so much, he wrote, “I have laid the foundation … which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:10-11). But when writing of the whole structure, which embraces all the saints, he shows that all the apostles and prophets of the New Testament times, given from Christ the ascended Head of the body (Ephesians 4:11), have their part in the foundation of it, “Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF BEING THE CHIEF CORNER STONE” (Ephesians 2:20).

Before Christ came it was a time of promises, but the Gospel today is a proclamation of facts.

“The Bread of the Mighty”

“He rained down manna upon them to eat, and gave them the corn of heaven: man did eat the bread of the mighty; He sent them provision to the full” (Psalm 78:24-25, New Translation).

As the Israelites journeyed through the wilderness to the land of God’s purpose, they were fed with the corn of heaven, with the bread of the mighty. And the saints of God now, as we accept this world as a wilderness and pass through it to the glory, are fed with the wonderful food which fulfils this type, “the true Bread from heaven” (John 6:32).

What is it? asked the Israelites when they saw the manna for the first time, for they knew not what it was (Exodus 16:15). Therefore this bread from heaven was called manna, which means, What is it? and when the Son of God, the heaven-sent Antitype of the manna, stood before them centuries later, they knew Him not. Although He was promised like the manna. When He told them He was the Bread from heaven, they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we have known? how then does he say, I am come down out of heaven?” The Bread of life was there, and they knew Him not.

There was a time in the early morning when the manna did not appear; but there was also a time in the morning when it did appear. Later in the day came a time when it disappeared; and if any was kept till the next day, it became ill-savoured and wormy.

In the early morn, before the manna appeared, the dew lay all around the host; and although the manna fell upon this refreshing dew (Numbers 11:9) it was not until the dew had “gone up” that this small round thing was seen (Exodus 16:14).

When the air is full of invisible moisture, holding in that state as much water as it is capable of doing, it is what scientists term at “dew-point.” After sundown the surface bodies of the earth cool rapidly, and the richly laden atmosphere in contact with them deposits the dewdrops. This is the distilling medium, by which, we are told, God bestowed on the face of the wilderness food for His people; and the corn of heaven, the bread of the mighty, appeared when the dew disappeared.

As the sun waxed hot, however, it melted, and it disappeared as the dew had done earlier with less heat from the same sun. Therefore it had to be gathered between the times of the dew going up and the sun becoming hot. Moreover, it was to be eaten the same day, or it became offensive and provoked God’s displeasure. A remarkable exception to this was the sixth day. They then gathered twice as much, so as to be free for the rest of the seventh day before the Lord; and the food kept over for that day retained its freshness and sweetness. There was none on the face of the wilderness that morning.

The sixth chapter of John shows that the manna typified our Lord Jesus Christ, the true Bread from heaven. There is, however, this contrast, to which attention is called by the Holy Spirit: “The fathers ate manna and died: he that eats this Bread shall live for ever” (verse 58). As we further follow out the details of the type, the precious teaching concerning the Antitype will become clearer to us.

We saw that before the manna appeared the dew upon which it fell lay round about the camp. Before the light of day the dew was there. The dew signifies the blessed presence of God by the Spirit. “I will be as the dew to Israel” (Hosea 14:5), He said; and during the time of this world’s night, during the period of the rejection of the Messiah by Israel, the Holy Spirit is here; and He is here specially in view of the ministry of Christ, the heavenly Bread. Souls, however, must pass out of darkness into light before they can appropriate that food. They must turn from Satan to God before they can feed upon Christ. The Spirit of God and the light of God are both here in view of this. At the beginning the Spirit brooded over the darkness and then at God’s word the light appeared (Genesis 1:2-3).

When the light shone over the camp of Israel, and when the dew had gone up, the manna, the meat of the mighty, appeared on the face of the wilderness. The dew deposited and the light discovered this bread from heaven. The Spirit and the light have Christ in view. The heavenly and spiritual character of our food is indicated by the fact that it fell upon the dew, and not upon the ground.

We also saw that the manna disappeared when the sun waxed hot: it melted. In the sanctuary and in the home it was still stored up; but it was not seen publicly when the sun shone in its splendour over the earth. Nor did it appear at all on the day of rest, the seventh day. These striking facts proclaim that when our blessed Lord shines out as the Sun of righteousness, and reigns in supreme splendour over the earth in the Millennium, when that day of rest shall have come, the thousand-year day, there will no more be seen on the face of the wilderness the heavenly man in lowliness. Indeed the very wilderness itself will be changed, it will then become full of blossom and bloom like a garden; and the once humbled Christ will be King over all the earth. Greatness and glory will then publicly appear, rather than lowliness and humility. Not that there is any change in our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The surroundings and circumstances are changed, but not Jesus. Moreover, the manna was stored within, though it was not seen publicly without; and in that coming day of glory and rest of which we speak, those that are within shall have the high honour of partaking of the “hidden manna” (Revelation 2:17).

“There on the hidden Bread

Of Christ—once humbled here—

God’s treasured store—for ever fed,

His love my soul shall cheer.”

We must, however, remember that this is the time for us to gather and appropriate the manna, that we may walk well and worthily through the wilderness. It is strength-imparting food. It is the mighty’s meat.

The manna had to be all eaten on the same day that it was gathered; an exception being made on the sixth day in view of the seventh day of rest. If it was kept over on ordinary days till the next, it became ill-savoured and loathsome. The unregenerate who professes to be a follower of Christ and takes upon his lips the words that He spoke when He was on earth in lowliness and humility, but does not assimilate Christ into his being and life, having no real hunger for the heavenly bread, never having felt his need of the Saviour as an undone sinner, answers to this. He is professedly a Christian, but as he does not appropriate Christ as his life, therefore Christ in His grace and lowliness does not characterize his own life. Consequently, as it was with Israel of old, the name of the Lord which he professes becomes loathsome to men; for, instead of the true character of Christ, pure, fresh, and sweet, being seen, that which is corrupt and offensive appears, the ill savour of a corrupt Christianity.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is always a sweet savour to God; and when received He is a blessing to man. But how sad it is to see those who profess to be followers of the once humbled Christ cause by their disobedience an ill savour before God, and to see that same disobedience have a corrupting influence amongst men. It is always thus with the sin of man, it breeds corruption. The result in eternity is, “their worm dieth not.”

May it be ours to have grace and diligence to both gather and appropriate the daily manna; to feed upon Christ Himself who came down from heaven to be our food. “He that eats this Bread shall live for ever.” This is our wilderness fare. This is the mighty’s meat.

When the wilderness wanderings were over for Israel, and they entered the land of God’s purpose, they fed on the fruit of the land. “And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn (produce) of the land” (Joshua 5:12). The natural fruit of that wealthy country was already gathered and garnered for those who entered, but even in its development it grows up to meet man. With manna it is different. It is miraculous; and not natural to the place where it is given. And we have to get up and also to get down to obtain it. Energy is needed. In many ways it stands in contrast to the produce of the land, which was typical of Christ in glory; the manna being Christ in the wilderness.

To the renewed taste of the believer the manna is indeed both sweet and precious. The diligence of getting up and getting down to gather it is well rewarded. Moreover, the strength which this food of the mighty imparts, is such as to enable us to walk the wilderness of this world with unwearied step. As “honeyed wafers,” the sweetness of our blessed Saviour gladdens our souls; and as fresh “oil,” the energy of the Holy Spirit revives and renews us daily with the ministry of Christ. It was in this same wilderness, on his way to the same Horeb, that weary Elijah received a special cake from God; and, we are told, He went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God (1 Kings 19:8). Surely that was indeed the mighty’s meat. God gave him water also; and thus He did to Israel. In Exodus 16 and 17 we have the bread and the water. In John 6 and 7 the Antitypes of both are given for us, “the living Bread” and “the living Water.” God has given us “provision to the full” (Psalm 78:25). The Spirit of Truth is here; the true light now shines; the corn of heaven is ours; we may well sing our songs of gladness therefore on our heavenward way.

“Light divine surrounds thy going,

God Himself doth mark the way:

Secret blessings, richly flowing,

Lead to everlasting day.

God, thine everlasting portion,

Feeds thee with the mighty’s meat:

Prince of Egypt’s hard extortion,

Egypt’s food no more to eat.”

The special features of the manna itself only need to be indicated. They are so clear that the simplest believer, in the quiet of the presence of God, may easily see in them the characteristics of our blessed Lord plainly depicted as the heavenly One on earth. It was

(1) small, a tiny round thing;

(2) sweet, as honeyed wafers;

(3) lowly, seen upon the ground;

(4) heavenly, it fell upon the dew of heaven;

(5) fresh, as newly made oil;

(6) pure, as the coriander seed, white;

(7) precious, its eye being as the eye of the bdellium (mentioned only in Numbers 11:7 and Genesis 2:12).

And as those who are fitted for the ministry of Christ today have ability to present Him in the excellent attractiveness of His varied perfections and adaptableness to our need, so then they served this wonderful food in a variety of ways. They ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars; they boiled it in pans or baked it, and made cakes of it to their liking; the qualities of which imparted, as we have said, the strength of the mighty.

The divine purpose in giving this wilderness food is distinctly stated for us by the Holy Spirit in Deuteronomy 8:3, “He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord does man live.” When our blessed Lord stood in the wilderness and was tempted of Satan, in answer to the first onslaught, He foiled the foe’s weapon with this same mighty sword of the Spirit (see Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4). Again we are told, God fed them with manna, “that He might humble thee, and that He might prove thee, to do thee good in thy latter end” (Deuteronomy 8:16). In this we see the end of the Lord in giving us Bread from heaven. We learn by it our entire dependence upon Him for the true words of instruction and sustenance. After speaking of Himself as the true Bread from heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ vitally connected the words which He spoke with that which was spoken, when He said, “The words which I have spoken unto you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63, New Translation). At another time He said He was altogether what He spoke (8:25). He Himself was entirely what His precious words conveyed. The words expressed exactly what He Himself was.

In conclusion, we must point out that the adorable Antitype of the manna, the sent One and the sealed One of God, the Son of Man, Jesus, in His divine perfection, whilst fulfilling the wonderful type itself, yet necessarily passes beyond it altogether; and that in such a marvellous manner, it could be stated as a contrast: “The fathers ate manna and died: he that eateth of this Bread shall live for ever.” Could anything outstrip the mighty result of appropriating Christ as here stated? Live for ever! Think of it! What miraculous food to cause the eater to live for ever! Marvel of marvels!

And this is given by a holy God for the life of those who were dead sinners! Oh, the grace and glory of it! Rejoice, my soul! Sing, my glad heart! Let my whole being bless the Lord! It is He who has uttered the words of spirit and life. Thou shalt “LIVE FOR EVER”! Yes, thou shalt LIVE! Not like the wicked, who exist eternally in a place and state called “The second death” (Revelation 21:8). Nay, thou shalt live for ever in all the gladness and glory of that which rightly connects itself with the thought of true life. Immortal, incorruptible, unfading, peaceful, joyful, loving, holy; thou shalt indeed live; yea, “live for ever”; thou shalt live with Jesus eternally.

It is not surprising then to find in John 6 that this meat of the mighty, this new and heavenly food, our Lord Jesus Christ, is unfolded for us by an eightfold description.

(1) The true Bread (6:32).

(2) The living Bread (6:51).

(3) The life-giving Bread (6:51).

(4) The life-sustaining Bread (6:35, 48, 50).

(5) The satisfying Bread (6:35).

(6) The enduring Bread (27:50, 58).

(7) The heavenly Bread (6:33, 50, 51, 8).

(8) The divine Bread (6:33).

Words fail to express the wonders of this bountiful provision so freely and graciously given to us.

“Jesus, the Bread of life, is given

To be our daily food;

Within us dwells that spring from heaven,

The Spirit of our God.

Lord, ’tis enough, we ask no more;

Thy grace around us pours

Its rich and unexhausted store

And all its joy is ours.”

The Christ of God

Luke 9:20; John 1:41; Ephesians 1:15-23, 3:17; Romans 9:4

You will have gathered from the Scriptures I have read that our subject is to be “The Christ of God.” We must distinguish His title as “The Christ” from other titles, such as “Lord.” He is, we are told in Scripture, made both “Lord” and “Christ.”

You will find no difficulty in seeing the difference between the two titles. The head of the British Empire is spoken of as His Majesty the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and also as Emperor of India. The two titles convey distinct thoughts to your mind.

And when we talk of the Lord Jesus Christ as “The Christ of God,” we should be able to apprehend Him as the divinely appointed Head and Centre of all the display of glory with which the universe—the heavens and the earth—shall yet be filled. And as we ourselves are brought to understand a little of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ in this way, we shall be able, in communion with God, to look out upon God’s vast scheme of splendour.

Away in Northumberland I once climbed to the top of Cheviot—the highest hill of the Cheviot range—and from thence hoped to view the wide landscape, but, before my objective was reached, down came a heavy cloud and everything was obscured! Why do I tell you this? Ah! if you allow the Spirit of God to lead you to His objective you need never fear a cloud! The shadow dwelt on Calvary’s Cross, when He hung there in its darkness that sinners might be redeemed, making atonement to God for sin, that they might be brought from darkness to light.

But now, exalted at the right hand of God, we see Jesus upon the throne! There is no cloud on His victorious brow, and the Spirit would lead us up to those heights in faith, that we may be able to look out upon “the breadth and length and depth and height” of those glorious scenes of which He is the Centre.

In the Scriptures read we have Christ presented to us on earth—manifested here; then on the cross, lifted up between heaven and earth, suffering; next we see Him risen—on Resurrection ground—raised by God from among the dead, a real, living Man; higher still, we behold Him ascended, sitting upon the Throne of the Majesty in the heavens above all; and lastly, we are told who that Person is in Himself.

On earth He appears, born in Bethlehem—come, as to the flesh, of the royal line of David. He was legally the true Messiah as the genealogy of Matthew 1, shows clearly. As a child He was subject to His parents; but being about thirty years of age He was baptised of John, and was anointed by the Holy Spirit for the public service of God in Israel. Tempted too, of Satan, He came forth victorious to set men at liberty, to bring them into blessing for the glory of God. Were there any blind by the way? Not one need remain blind when the Messiah was there! Were any dumb? He gave them speech! Did the deaf seek Him? He gave them hearing! He went about healing all manner of diseases, preaching the Kingdom of God, and expounding doctrines which even the best scholars of the present day have to acknowledge outstrip their highest thoughts. Even in this so-called advanced twentieth century His teaching excels all.

Was He only a man who did such wonderful works and taught as none other? Whence His power and wisdom? Was He simply a man who was in that tempest-tossed boat with His disciples, and, standing up, rebuked the winds, and said to the waves, “Peace, be still?” Would the wind and the waves obey a mere man? Was it only a man that passed into that chamber where lay a little girl—mourned of her parents and friends—and said, “Maid, I say unto thee arise!” and she rose up? Death had taken place, but Christ brought in life.

Take another instance. Lazarus was dead and corruption had set in, still that same wonderful Person called to him with a loud voice, “Lazarus come forth,” and he came forth from the tomb, from death, and from corruption! Was He who did that only a man? Moreover, He Himself rose from among the dead!

Resurrection has declared Him to be the Son of God! He is Man truly, but He is also God. “Whom say ye that I am?” He once asked His disciples. To this question Peter, always ready, said, “The Christ of God” (Luke 9:20).

It does not appear that they then understood all that was involved in this reply. Moreover, there was one thing they all seemed to fail to apprehend concerning Christ, and that was the necessity of His sufferings, for not only was it foretold that the Christ was to be the centre of all the coming glory, but—and this is where the difficulty came, a difficulty with thoughtful Jews even to the present day—that “the Christ must suffer.” All those glowing prophecies concerning Him, the throne, the dominion and the glory they might believe, but when it was said He was going to be wounded for their transgressions and bruised for their iniquities, they seemed unable to connect with the Messiah, the Christ who is yet to reign so gloriously. And so our Lord Jesus Christ after He had suffered and risen, had to correct some who sincerely loved Him, saying to them, “O fools and slow of heart to believe ALL that the Prophets have spoken: ought not the Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:25-26). Then He unfolded the Scriptures to them, and expounded to them out of all the Old Testament Scriptures “the things concerning Himself.”

Again, later, He showed His disciples that the Christ must of necessity suffer and rise from the dead the third day (verse 46).

Thank God for the love that led Him to suffer. Had He not suffered, where would you and I be today? What would have been our lot had Christ not borne our sins and our judgment upon the Cross? How would He have been able to bring in the glory, and bring us to that glory, and establish His throne in righteousness, had He not suffered first? No, it had to be done. There He hung upon that cross, the Messiah suffering before entering into His glory, solving every judicial question raised by the fall and sin of man. His great love for us and for His God and Father sustained Him; the joy set before Him cheered Him; He endured the cross, and finally could say, “It is finished.” “I have glorified Thee on the earth,” He said to His Father; “I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do.” He has done the suffering. Work, the atoning work, is completed, and presently He will bring in the glory.

But before He does that, what is He doing now? He is maintaining the gospel for the saving of sinners. He is calling men and women out of the world, and bringing them to Himself. He calls them, and gives them the Holy Spirit, thus forming His assembly. And soon He will take that assembly away to be with Himself in the Father’s house, and afterwards, when He comes out to reign in splendour and glory, He will bring that assembly—His body and His bride—with Him!

We have seen Him confessed upon earth, suffering upon the cross, and risen as a Man from among the dead—not to return as a spirit into the eternal, as some tell us—but as a Man exalted to the right hand of God! Yes, as a real Man. That is what defeats all the speculative theology, rationalism and spiritism of today. He was raised, not simply “from” the dead, but raised “from among the dead” as it should read—others were left in their graves.

Thank God, Christ, “the Man Christ Jesus,” is risen! Our faith is therefore not in vain, and we who believe are no longer in our sins. Our faith is the faith of God’s elect; but it is written, “If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). We know, however, that He is raised, and all our sins are put away, and those who believe are justified. “Handle Me, and see,” He said to His disciples after He rose from among the dead; “for a spirit has not flesh and bones as ye see Me have” (Luke 24:39). He is a Man risen from the grave!

When the Jews look for and accept “another” (John 5:43) as their Messiah, they will have some difficulty in proving him to be truly of the seed of David, and the Christ of God must be that. Thank God, we know where to look for the seed of David today. The scholars among the Jews must feel very uncomfortable when they turn to the first chapter of the New Testament, and read the royal genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ, and see that opening statement—“Jesus Christ, the son of David!” They cannot deny the truth of it. The Christ who is risen from among the dead is of the seed of David, and when He speaks to us from heaven today, what does He say? “I am the Root and the Offspring of David:” I am before David—his “Root!” but as become Man, am after David—his “Offspring!” To Timothy Paul wrote, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from among [the] dead, of [the] seed of David, according to my glad tidings” (2 Timothy 2:8).

To the Church He says, “I am the Bright Morning Star.” Do not lose heart at the darkness in theological circles at the avalanche of apostasy that is taking place today, for the Bright Morning Star shines out just after the deepest darkness of the night. Christ is coming! The apostasy is a sign of its imminence! It is foretold in the Word. Meanwhile, He waits in heaven and we wait on earth.

God said to Him “Sit Thou at My right hand until I make Thy foes Thy footstool” (Psalm 111). We have got not only a triumphant Saviour raised from among the dead but we have a glorified Saviour on the very throne of God.

In the epistle to the Ephesians the Apostle speaks of the exceeding greatness of God’s power towards us who believe—the power by which “He wrought in the Christ in raising Him from among the dead” (1:20). And then he goes on to say, “He set Him at His own right hand in the heavenlies, far above every principality and authority and power and might and dominion and has put all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the Church [the Assembly] which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.” This power which raised Christ from the dead is the power which has quickened us, raised us up together and livingly connected us with the Christ. That power has already united us together as His body, and presently that same power will by His last mighty movement in regard to the members of the body of Christ, transfer us in the twinkling of an eye from earth to heaven and put the assembly where her Head and Bridegroom already is. It is called not simply “The power of God” but “The surpassing greatness of His power towards us who believe.”

There are His acts of power in creation, in the heavens, on the earth, in the history of the nations, in Israel and with individual men but the exceeding greatness of God’s power, which works on our behalf, is that which took our Saviour—the Christ after He died for our sins upon the cross—out from among the dead!

And now beloved brethren we have seen Him exalted above every principality and authority and power and dominion, above every range of government in the universe and He is set there by God as the Christ the Head of the assembly. Would to God that the Church, the assembly, could be wakened up to see her proper association with her glorified Head. The Head of the assembly is Head over all things and she is united to Him in His place of supremacy. Do you wonder, brethren that the Apostle went down on his knees and prayed the rather we might be strengthened so that the Christ the Centre of all the glory, might have His dwelling place, through faith, in our hearts—that in the very centre of our beings He might dwell in our affections, enshrined there by faith? He is indeed Centre of all the glory that is yet to be displayed and meanwhile He is not to be given a visitor’s place in our hearts, but a dwelling place there.

Nor does He desire the assembly which is His body and His bride to allow Him as a King to rule upon the throne of our hearts, as some say, but He would “dwell” there. He values the faith and the love of our hearts during the time of His rejection from the world, and as Christ fills our hearts, we shall love all who belong to Him, and be able to look upon the breadth and length and depth and height of the wide range of glory of which He is the appointed Centre as the Apostle says “That ye may be able to fully apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height.” What a prospect! With the eyes of the Spirit of God to view the vast scene of His glory is surpassingly wonderful and entrancing. Nor is that all; the Apostle prays that something still more precious may be the increasing portion of our souls—“The love of the Christ!”—the love which surpasses all knowledge, the love which makes us more than conquerors!

We have spoken of the Christ as confessed upon the earth suffering on the cross raised from among the dead, and exalted at the right hand of God.

And now, may I in closing beg of you earnestly, in these dangerous and apostate days, to lay hold of the truth as to who He is, to accept in faith the Spirit’s testimony of His deity as given in Romans 9:5. There He tells us who the Christ of God is in Himself. It was to Israel the Christ first came. He was of Israel according to the flesh, but, mark what is written of Him—“Who is over all God blessed for ever. Amen.” Do not be like Thomas when he first said to the disciples, “Except I shall see I will not believe.” Rather be like him when he afterwards exclaimed in the presence of the risen Lord Himself, “MY LORD AND MY GOD!”

We have already shown that our Lord Jesus Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us, manifested when here upon earth that He was more than a man, that He was God manifest in the flesh, seen and heard. Now from heaven in the last book of the inspired volume, in the Revelation, He Himself tells us that He is “the Alpha and the Omega” of all divine revelation, the First and the Last of all that is divinely numbered, and “the Beginning and the End” of all the creation of God. In communication you never cease to use the alphabet, in number you cannot go further back than the first nor go past the last, and in all being you cannot go beyond the beginning and the end. We reach finality and eternal rest in Christ and that is explained because He is rightly described as “the Lord which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8), and again in chapter 21:12 and 13, “Behold I come quickly … I am Alpha and Omega etc.”

Yes indeed, beloved brethren, He is God over all blessed for ever more. As a Man He is of the seed of David and of Abraham. As God—“Unto the Son”—it is said in Hebrew 1:8—“Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever.” God has become visible to us in Him as the Son of the Father’s love, the Image of the invisible God and when we get to Heaven what a wonderful and glorious sight it will be to see “JESUS.”

His servants shall “see His face!” In eternal rest and rejoicing “His servants shall serve Him!” Where no night is—where He is their eternal sun—“They shall reign for ever and ever.” “These sayings are faithful and true but what joy can surpass seeing in that glory the face of Him who suffered the agonies of the cross, who redeemed us by His precious blood, that we might be with Him in that glory.

Is there one here who is not yet sure that he or she will be there? Ah my dear hearer, simply trust in that Almighty Saviour here and now. “Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.”

And shall not we who have known Him for many years seek to answer increasingly to the Word of God, so that “holding the truth in love, we may grow up to Him in all things, who is the Head, the Christ” (Ephesians 4:15. New Translation).

The Corn of Canaan

“The children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. And they did eat of the old corn (or produce) of the land on the morrow after the Passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn (produce) of the land” (Joshua 5:10-12).

In a former paper we have pointed out the miraculous character of manna—the corn of heaven, the meat of the mighty—given by God to Israel for their journey through the wilderness. The corn of which Israel ate in the land of Canaan was different from that, in that it was not then given miraculously but grew and multiplied naturally, in the ordinary way, in suitable soil. And yet there is that which is miraculous about corn, for it is not found in a wild state like other cereals which can be developed by cultivation, neither is there any grass which can be regarded as its parent form. Naturally speaking, if Joseph had not with God-given wisdom stored up the precious grain in Egypt, wheat would have disappeared from the earth altogether. Its place in nature has been unique, since the beginning when God first gave it in that once most favoured East; for with it came the knowledge to those whose life was dependent on it, that to let it go out of cultivation was to lose it, so that through seed time and harvest it has been reproduced and its place maintained in the earth as the true staff of life. Its vital element none can explain. Still it is; and in it—given of God—we have a remarkable type of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He is the heavenly One, and heaven is His home. Of this Canaan speaks. He is “the Corn of wheat” (John 12:24), and He, even on earth, was “the Son of Man which is in heaven” (John 3:13). And with the heavenly harvest in view in resurrection He is spoken of as “the firstfruits” (1 Corinthians 15:23).

The Spirit speaks specially in Scripture of corn as signalizing the blessing of God. When Isaac blessed Jacob his son, he said, “God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine” (Genesis 27:28), and again he said, “Yea, he shall be blessed … with corn and wine have I sustained him.”

The heart is impressed with the singularity and beauty of this remarkable type. The Lord spoke of Himself as “THE corn of wheat” (Revised Version). He stood alone in His heavenliness, until through His death others should share His life and character. He was the One who only answered to the promised blessing of God, and He was divinely provided in an exceptional way for us; but His death was an absolute necessity, or we could have had no part in Him or with Him. In all His singular and solitary heavenliness and beauty He would have remained eternally beyond our reach, as He said, “Except the Corn of wheat falling into the ground die, it abides alone” (John 12:24). But, blessed be His Name, in His great grace and love He has been into death; He has died; and much fruit is the happy result, even according to His own word. “If it die, it bears much fruit.” Therefore, in risen life, He is not only our food; we not only participate in Him, we also participate with Him, in the heavenly character, and in the out-of-death life, which is His as the risen Man. Praise God! our part is now in Him and with Him for ever! He is the Firstborn from among the dead! He is the Firstborn of the many brethren, and God has predestinated these brethren to be conformed to His image, to the image of God’s Son.

“Thou wast alone, till like the precious grain,

In death Thou layest, but didst rise again;

And in Thy risen life, a countless host

Are ‘all of one’ with Thee, Thy joy and boast.”

“Corn shall make the Young Men Flourish”

The Corn of Canaan is for the blessing and sustaining of the soul in the strength and energy of the resurrection life, which is the life of all believers as identified with Christ, but it is also that which God has given to cause us to flourish in heavenly things. He says, speaking of Israel when they shall be associated with Christ in the promised land, “They shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His land. For how great is His goodness, and how great is His beauty! Corn shall make the young men flourish (or grow)” (Zechariah 9:16-17). We are distinctly told that grace and peace are multiplied to us in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; and we are encouraged to grow in grace and the knowledge of Himself.

As being risen with Christ, and as having mortified the sinful members which are upon the earth, we are shown in the Epistle to the Colossians, chapter 3, how the saints flourish as being of the new man, where Christ is everything and in all. They put on bowels of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, long-suffering, forbearance. The peace of Christ and the word of Christ dwell in them with divine love; whilst thanksgiving and singing with grace in their hearts to God, show how those flourish who feed on the true Corn of Canaan.

We cannot feed upon Christ in this way apart from the Word. Paul exhorted Timothy to give attention to this that he might flourish in the things of the Lord, “that his profiting might appear to all” (1 Timothy 4:15). He was also to meditate on these things, and be wholly in them. Many lose the power of meditation in the hurry and rush of the day. They destroy the bulwarks of their minds. They lose the ability to discern between good and evil. The Produce of Canaan, rightly assimilated, is the food needed for this.

The Corn and the Dew of Heaven

It is a noticeable fact that, as with the manna so with the corn, “the dew of heaven” is immediately associated with it. This speaks of God’s presence by the Spirit. It is in the consciousness of this we feed rightly. Blessing, sustenance, strength and growth surely accompany this. In Hosea 14, where God tells us of the restoration, revival and prosperity of Israel, He says, “I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon” (verses 5-6). In a spiritual sense, those flourish who feed on Christ, the Corn of Canaan, in the power of the Spirit in the blessed presence of God, giving attention to the written Word.

God must have His Portion First

A very important feature connected with Israel’s appropriation of the Corn of Canaan must be noticed here. No one was to eat of the precious grain until a wave sheaf of it had been waved before God. The divine statute reads thus: “When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord … Ye shall neither eat bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God” (Leviticus 23:10-11, 14).

This striking statute teaches us in a most explicit manner that the fresh fruit of the heavenly country, the Corn of the heavenly Canaan, upon which those who are risen with Christ now feed, is in the first place appreciated in all its worth by our God and Father Himself; and is afterward given to us for our appreciation. In simple words, that our blessed risen Saviour is first for the delight of the Father’s heart and then for ours. It is meet that this should be the ordered way. But what wonderful grace is here disclosed! We are called to find our delight in the same perfect One in whom God Himself finds His delight! Great indeed is the divine grace that outshines here! We, who once groaned under the oppressive power of darkness, under the authority of Satan, the prince of this world, as Israel did under Pharaoh, should, being redeemed in Christ through His blood, be brought in faith to the heavenly land, and there be given to feed upon the heavenly fare, the portion of our God and Father, and of the saints in light!

“Yes, He has made us meet

With Him in light to dwell;

And there we taste the fruit so sweet

Of love we know so well.”

The Corn Awaited Israel’s Entrance to Canaan

When Israel entered Canaan they did not bring the corn up from the wilderness with them. It was in the land before they were there; nor had they to labour to produce it. The precious produce, the fresh fruit of the country, was grown, gathered and garnered, and awaited their approach and their appropriation. It is just so with our heavenly food now. Christ risen and ascended is the food which divine grace has provided and prepared for us at this present time. Christ is our life. Christ on the other side of death, Christ in heavenly glory, awaits the approach and the appropriation in faith of those who are His own. The Holy Spirit is the power for this; and in holy leisure and liberty our rejoicing souls may satisfy their new desires by feeding on the full provision which is ours in Christ the Firstborn from among the dead, the exalted One at God’s right hand, the heavenly Man of God’s purpose and providing.

We have not to get up and get down to gather this food, as with the manna in the wilderness; for, as we have said, the natural food of this heavenly sphere simply awaits our appropriation. It is the proper provision freely given for the support and sustenance of those who are dead and risen with Christ, stimulating and strengthening them in the sphere of God’s purpose.

How the Corn was to be Eaten

In Joshua 5:11 we are told of two ways in which this Corn of Canaan was partaken of by the Israelites. They ate “the produce of the land on the morrow after the Passover, unleavened cakes and parched corn in the selfsame day.” Both “unleavened cakes” and “parched corn” are explanatory of the previous words. Therefore it would seem that “produce” is the right rendering rather than “the old corn” of the land; for parching was a special treatment of the fresh corn of the land (see Levitcus 2:14 and 23:14).

Leaven is typical of evil in the Word, and the unleavened cakes speak of the sinless perfection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The fact that the cakes were eaten on the same day as the parched corn reminds us that in feeding upon our blessed Lord in this day—“the day of salvation”—we are to remember that He suffered, being subject to fiery trial and testing, of which the parching or roasting speaks. In all things He was tempted and tried, but entirely apart from sin (Heb. 4:15).

We feed upon Him today as the ascended One, as the glorified One in heaven, the One who, full of heavenly grace, separated from sinners, is become higher than the heavens; nevertheless, knowing Him there, we are told to “consider Him well” who is there, and “who endured such great contradiction from sinners against Himself that ye be not weary, fainting in your minds” (Hebrews 12:3). It is this food which strengthens and sustains the renewed mind of the believer.

Moreover the action of the fire had a very distinct effect upon the Corn of Canaan. Of our blessed, sinless, holy Saviour we read: “It became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make perfect the Leader of their salvation through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:10, New Translation).

The Corn of wheat was perfect: Jesus was perfect. This suffering, however, tells us of that with which He had not been in contact before; but being so, how could it be otherwise than that further perfection should become manifest in Him? Not that the suffering itself added anything to Him, but rather that it became the means of manifesting His own perfectness. Wonderful indeed it is to ponder these further words of the Holy Spirit as to His suffering: “In the days of His flesh, having offered up both supplications and entreaties to Him who was able to save Him out of death with strong crying and tears (and having been heard because of His piety), though He were Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered; and having been perfected, became to all them that obey Him Author of eternal salvation” (Hebrews 5:7-9, New Translation).

In this way, He who spake with divine authority, who commanded in supremacy unquestioned, came into testing circumstances, where the perfection of obedience showed itself in Him; as He, God the Son, amidst fiery sufferings, learned this which was not previously familiar to Him; but being perfected—as Man having come through all in perfection—all now who obey Him who thus perfectly obeyed, find Him to be the Author of eternal salvation. This is indeed both blessed and wonderful.

This parched Corn, the Corn of Canaan, prepared by the action of fire, has a peculiar place in the Word. We might dwell long and profitably upon it; but in bringing this meditation to a close I will just indicate a little how it was used, so that we may ponder it over and “CONSIDER HIM WELL of whom it speaks.

1. In a very exceptional way it was a sweet savour to God Himself. A special meat offering to the Lord could be made of it; of “firstfruits of fresh ripe corn parched by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears” (Leviticus 2. 14). Oil and frankincense were to be added to it.

2. It is the sustenance of the heavenly warriors, of those who are in the conflict of Ephesians 6. As typical of this, Israel ate it before their victorious warring in Canaan (Joshua 5:11). It was taken to the trenches by David to his warrior brethren who were facing the Philistines at Elah (1 Samuel 17:17). This incident sets forth for us the fact that Christ feeds those with it whom He is not ashamed to call brethren! Parched corn imparts strength and support to us. It also cheers and gladdens the heart. In a spiritual way God feeds the hearts of His warring’ saints with Christ in glory who Himself has suffered and endured.

3. It is the food with which the blessed Lord satisfies those who are drawn to Him now, before they share in His glory above, as His heavenly bride.

This is beautifully pictured for us by the Spirit in the story of Boaz, that mighty man of wealth, who spoke kindly to Ruth, who afterwards became his bride, and set her, a poor and needy seeker after corn, at ease in his presence, and handed her with his own hand parched corn as she sat with the reapers, so that “she did eat and was sufficed” (Ruth 2:14). Yes, truly, Christ satisfies. He more than satisfies.

“Thou, O Christ, art all I want,

More than all in Thee I find.”

This ends our reading for this session. Until next time, have a great day, and God bless.