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CHAPTER 7

ATTRACTION, ACTION AND APTITUDE

Ezekiel 47, Luke 10-11

Christ the Hospital, Acquittal,
Restorative, Celestial Regality

ATTRACTION

Attraction is often thought of as a glamorous, or merely psychological force; but there is far more to man than the swirl of the psyche. There is the attraction of truth, of peace, of reality, of knowledge and of course, of wisdom. Take love: it may be mistaken for physical charm experienced, mental thrust appreciated or spiritual embrace; but truth is inseparable from love, since neither we nor our love come from nothing, but from the spiritual source of spirit and the emotional bond of creation, to the Creator.

There is a movement, at first perhaps slight, but one which grows, which brings to man an answer to his insatiable appetite for his source, destiny, meaning and life's basis, of his power to love, to work or to wander.

In Ezekiel, we see a picturing of a stream coming^*1 from the altar of the temple. This means sacrifice (altar object), acknowledgement therefore of sin and its consequence with the God of all truth, and the necessity of cleansing and pardon. This stream however proceeds to the ankles of the prophet as he is led to its scene, and it affects him, like an attraction, but it is rather here an impulsion, a thrust to move with it. This represents the Spirit of God as He moves into the life of some orphan, lost and wondering.

Then the waters increase to his waist and then higher until it is an overwhelming torrent, that moves him along with its power. Then he can only swim in it, moved as it goes. So does the Spirit of God bring its impulse to our feet, its thrust to the heart with its cleansing power and direction for life, connecting to the sacrifice, now fulfilled, in Jesus Christ.

These waters bring LIFE, wherever they go, flushing and moving along conveying vitality and refreshing as they proceed. Meanwhile, there are seen to be trees on the banks of the river, and it comes at last to the sea, whose waters are 'healed'. In other words, the people to whom the water comes are in large measure healed. Yet not all are covered; for there are marshy areas on the way to the sea, which remain brackish bogs or bitter waters. So it is in life: many do not respond to the Spirit of the Lord, to the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, to HIS PLAN to redeem life; and so there remain not only unhealed, bitter, but blighted, horrible areas where needlessly, sin remains like mud.

On the banks are fishermen, and for what do they fish ? It is for men, as Jesus made so clear when He came, "Follow Me," He said and "I will make you become fishers of men" (Mark 1:17).

Notice, then, at first the INCLINATION, as when the water comes to the ankles, as it proceeds from the temple arena. Next, see the INTIMATION, or information. The river waters now rise to the point of pressing on his waist,  and it is difficult to resist their flow. Then there is the THRUST, as in an engine which drives wheels, but this is not rigid like that. It moves with pressure that mounts; but some still  run away. Some make a practice of rushing off~ (cf. Acts 7:51).

Finally one must swim. If one does not resist the Spirit (as in Acts 7:51), an evil of which Stephen told those seeking to kill him as He testified of Christ, then there comes a time when one is blessedly moved by His power to swim, that is, to move as He leads and to follow His power to His desired end, passing this bank and that on the way, as it brings healing to the people. Perhaps one will be set upon a bank, and engage in fishing, fishing for men. Fishing ? Why it indicates an effort to bring those who have never seen the land of peace and joy in Christ, to that place (Psalm 143:10). The image of 'fish' indicates how unwilling many are, but it also shows the care to be taken as people are brought back from having as little understanding as fish, to the bank of life and its solid structure and beauties of botanical and sky life (cf. I Cor. 7:19ff.).

"I,” said Christ, “if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all towards Myself!" (John 12:32). This we read, He spoke of the death which He was about to suffer, by plan, to become a sacrifice sufficient for the sin of any, broad enough to win sinners, low enough to cover sin, high enough to bring the very pardon of God, from whom, His everlasting word, He came: intense enough to purge sin, and holy enough to confer peace, as after a storm. Those won, He then led as with His disciples, and He provides for all of us who believe in Him, the Lord’s Christ, as He is.

ACTION

We turn now to another image, which speaks of the things essential to man, to any, to all. Our next visit to the word of God is to Luke 10:25ff.. Here we see a simple scene. A man is journeying. Immigrants know the feeling - and I myself have immigrated to Canada, New Zealand and the USA, all in my time and know the feeling of 'alien' in someone else's motherland; but as he travels, being on foot, and readily visible to robbers who hide on the way, he is attacked. Left behind, he is wounded and lies visible, on the road. He is even stripped of his clothing, so that he represents a dirtied muddle of left-over humanity.

Two religious professionals, a priest and a Levite, pass but are too occupied with themselves and their purposes, to notice, or if any notice, to do anything to the point.

Along came someone from  Samaria. Now it must be understood that this was the former Northern part of Israel which had first separated from the Temple sector, the South, often called Judah, though it contained Benjamin as well; and this Northern part had later been invaded. Such had been their continued sins of the Northern kingdom that as predicted in Leviticus 26, they were even carried away and no more were allowed to live in their own country. Indeed other peoples were brought in, forced immigrants, and these then became the new population of the North. If any Jews came back to that sector, it was only to a country of aliens.

Not unexpectedly, the people of this country were not appreciated by the Jews, who continued in Judah. In fact, they had lost this piece of their former territory, and now had foreigners with various religions, often idolatrous, living in it. Thus when a Samaritan came and saw a Jew lying half dead on the road, you might expect a number of possible reactions. Firstly, he might stab him to death, as giving him an opportunity to exploit hatred. This resembles the Arab action against Israel, seeking more and more land, though Islam has vast lands in the Middle and further East, and  more and more deaths to Jews, while then complaining when their murders are countered. Indeed, they have even been seeking to gain help from others as they continue attacking Israel, and to take more land from its tiny nation.

However THIS Samaritan did not so act. Instead, what he saw was a wounded man, half dead, and this concerned him. He had love before hatred, desire for good before evil, sought to help rather than indulge his desires, passions or his own will. He was a 'good Samaritan'. Not only did he feel pity, but he acted. He bandaged him, poured oil on his wounds, put him on his own donkey (highly inconvenient and making it necessary in all probability for him to walk this distance, himself), and taking him to an inn, was not even satisfied with that. He gave to the one to provide for the wounded man, the inn-keeper, enough money to look after him; and he undertook to pay more if needed.

THAT, said Jesus, is what it is like to be a neighbour! You must love your neighbour as yourself! He declared (Luke 10:27). In fact, this parable came when a lawyer asked Him how he might inherit eternal life. You must love the LORD you God, Christ replied, citing from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, "with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself."

What a task! one might respond. Imagine that nothing in you, mind, heart, soul, strength is to be exempted. ALL must love God, and each one, the neighbour as oneself. Who is sufficient for such things ? Of course, as Jesus told Nicodemus, a well-known teacher and leader in Israel, when He came to this earth as Saviour, you need to be born again, to have such a work of God in your life that sin being pardoned through Christ-crucified and risen from the dead, He actually confers life on you, His own eternal life (I John 1:1-4, John 3:1-16). Your sinful self,  being crucified with Him (Galatians 2:20, 5:24), new life flows freely from Him. In this way,  you are subjected to a vast operation, comparable with being born.

It is like birth in the first place, that of the ordinary kind; but this is the second place. The Spirit of God, active in creation, moves in this new creation, to create a new heart, and there now is a contact both sure and secure, with the Lord by His Spirit because of His Son, who in this way lives in one (Colossians 1:27).

Meanwhile, this item being from another day, we return to Luke 10. The lawyer then asked the Lord, a second question.  WHO IS my neighbour ? the scholar persisted. The parable just given, was an ... explanation of THAT!

Such things as this help us to do TWO THINGS. Firstly, it moves us to seek God as Father through salvation in Jesus Christ, so that linked to HIS love and power, we may act in wisdom and with heart, knowing not only what to do, but how to do it. Secondly, it moves us to be compassionate and to care. The world is doing the EXACT OPPOSITE, telling us to be religious if we want to be, but NOT in any way which involves Christ as LORD; for governments increasingly want to play God themselves, and reduce all to mere subjects of men. IF however, one follows Christ, it is like swimming in the lively waters, and there is no room to be sitting in chains in the prison of politics. This by no means implies that it is well to resist force with force, for Christ declared this,

"My kingdom is not of this world. If it were of this world, My servants would fight,
so that I might be delivered from the Jews, but now My kingdom is not from there."

It DOES however mean that one follows the Lord and His word WHATEVER anyone else, man, woman, government, army, may do; for this is eternal life, that you should know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent (John 17:1ff.). What is the use of being a leaf in a storm of man's making, driven about like a bit of material! (cf. Psalm 1:5). A person must be moved by the Spirit of God, as by the river of life, and being instructed and pardoned, walk in truth without fear, confident that He who has called, is able to keep what is committed to Him safe till the day of Judgment itself (II Timothy 1:12), when Christ as Judge sets men where they belong, His sheep on the one hand, goats on the other (Matthew 25).

APTITUDE

It is relatively easy to be clever, to make money, to make friends, to influence people, if one's heart is sold to that sort of thing. It is even easier to be proud of it, and to imagine that one's savvy little artifices, plans and ideas deserve praise, and worse still to bring God into it, and to have some sort of religion which acknowledges oneself, and commends and forwards one's plans. Remember the Pharisee and publican parable!

However, spiritual life (remember the river earlier today!) is very different. If YOUR AIM is to please God, HOW CAN it be to serve yourself ? The ‘river’ is not of our creation. Is God to be regarded as a mere extension of yourself, or worse, a cheer squad for your work, exploits, attainments ? (Romans 10:1ff.). Heaven forbid. The case is the precise opposite. It is necessary, if you love God, to love His kingdom, work, ways and life and so to FOLLOW Him. A dog does not dictate to his master, nor does a servant to his employer (cf. Psalm 123); and when it comes to God, He is better than any who loves, who serves, who helps, wiser and purer, so that life itself flows from Him.

Jesus said this:

v       "Whosever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, will keep it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world
and loses his own soul!" (Matthew 16:25-26).

Life in God starts there, and is governed there; and who better than the pure, incorruptible Creator and Redeemer for the Governor, the Lord of one’s life! As Creator-Redeemer He is infinitely safe, but also wonderfully lovely.

In life, then, we must never confuse fruit with soil; and to change the image, we who are Christians are like trees PLANTED in the soil of faith with the sun of righteousness shining on us, and the sap of the Holy Spirit rising throughout our branches. Fruit is the result and not the cause of our condition! You do not plant yourself by bearing fruit, and much that is called fruit is merely artificial, or bitter! It is God Himself who does the planting (Matthew 15:13). We must not confuse the results with the cause: for the results of faith are to move mountains, but the cause of this power is the presence of God, through the pardon of Christ and in the peace of His presence. We must not, thirdly, confuse our works with His, for in the Christian,  "it is God who works in you both to will and to do" as you see also from the earlier image of the river (Philippians 2:13) “for HIS good pleasure.” It is far better than remaining in the swamp, resisting His clearing, cleansing, leading.

Finally, we need to avoid another error, not confusing the grace that saves with the goodness which results BECAUSE of this salvation. All praise is to Jesus Christ.

Let us therefore, who are His,  praise God for His life in Christ, His peace because of Him, and believing and receiving Jesus Christ, Lord and Saviour, in all His offices and work, walk in the Spirit, being cleansed, corrected, blessed, refreshed and borne along as the Lord wills.   That way, your enemies do not include God, your life does not include judgment, your mind does not include a basic ignorance and you are being made anew, your kinship restored, able to become a friend of God. This world can have its fanfares, its popularity parades, its insidious programs of charm and moral appearance to gain political power and position, its other deceits; but it will pass, like weeds before the blade of the tractor. That, it simply is not worth growing; and where there is a choice so to grow, then as weeds come, so they go (cf. Matthew 13:24ff.).

NOTE

EXCURSION ON THAT BUILDING SUBLIME

WHICH IS THE BIBLE, THE WORD OF GOD WRITTEN,

WROUGHT BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD

FASHIONED IN PROFUNDITY, FUNCTIONAL IN SIMPLICITY

FROM HIM WHO IS GLORIOUS IN HOLINESS,

WHO MADE NOT ONLY MAN'S BODY, BUT HIS HEART AND MIND

*1 The river of water comes from UNDER the threshold of the Temple, as if to indicate from its foundations: and the heart is of course the mercy seat where the annual sprinkling of blood occurs, in the Holy of Holies, once per year, at the instrumentality of the High Priest.

Keil points out that the water, is found flowing down from the right shoulder of the house. This shoulder , he indicates, is the part of the eastern wall of the holy place between the door and the pillars ... The water therefore issued from the corner formed by the southern wall of the porch and the eastern wall of the holy place ... and flowed past the altar of burnt-offering on the south side..." (Keil and Delitzsch Commentaries on the Old Testament, Prophecies of Ezekiel Vol. 2, p. 353)

Hence it moved not only from under the threshold, but past a wall of the holy place and then past the burnt offering altar. In other words, the practical side of its flow is conjoined with the typical side, and in this ambit, not only is the holy place indicated but the altar for burnt offerings.

Thus there is a composition involving the basics of the temple and its meaning, such as the threshold leads to show, together with the two vastly important sites for sacrifice or sacrificial blood, with the atonement thereby in central focus, for there is nothing more significant than this meeting of the mercy of God as shown in the Holy of Holies, the pardon through blood and the love which intimates both. Again, the additive of the burnt offering altar adds to the intensively holy day of atonement,  hence mercy seat configuration, its own contribution, indicative of the large and frequent means for sacrifice and its vast purposes of peace and guilt-annulment, fellowship and justice, in mercy prodigious and profound.

The mercy seat and its specialty, and the altar and its mediation, then,  both move into sight as the temple meaning, meat and message is linked to the waters which flowed, so that their cleansing, flowing from such a source, indeed from God who gave such symbolism of the realities of reconciliation in the first place, is seen in the dynamic for its application. Further,  the means of 'fishing' and those waters from which they are fished, as the Spirit of God works, are all magnificently connected in this glorious little allegory, so abrupt, so deep and so adroitly and pointedly employed, indeed deployed by Christ in his reference to 'fishers of men'.

Such frequent 'resonances' as they have been named on this site, are one of the special features of the word of God. While dozens of people through dozens of centuries are employed by the Almighty to write dozens of books forming a composite library, even utilising different tongues, wrought in different cultures, with history like a starry universe in which these are individual stars that shine momentously above all their brethren, there is this coherence of symmetry, sympathy and con-sensual unity, a relish of interchange. This is like a symphony of deity, fashioned by His Spirit for man (cf. I Peter 1:10ff., 2:19ff., I Corinthians 2:9ff., II Timothy 3:16).

It is precisely like the work of one mind, referring here, expanding elsewhere, applying, all with the same thrust and Spirit, focus and flight, and yet each able to bring (as II Peter does, when there IS only one man writing that ensemble, for I Peter) a sharp reminder, or to lead to an intensive explosion of completion, as when bud blooms into flower. This imperial feature, for it is one mind in Majesty disclosed, this intimate deliverance, for though justice is never slighted, mercy and grace are ascending, as glorious as delicate, seems like one mind, and surpasses any, because it is such a work, as its fulfilments continually confirm (cf. SMR Chs. 8    -   9, The Pitter-Patter ... Ch. 4, Highway of Holiness Ch. 4).

What a mind is that, which made the mind of man, and which invented derivative consciousness, fashioned spirit for mankind and has outcomes in liberty and law, tenderness and triumph, sagacity and splendour, kindness and heart!

It is one heart.

Isaiah and Revelation, for example, move with a facility of perspective and an ease of survey, from point to point, sphere of discourse to sphere, depth to depth, while Daniel works at the precision of the inter-relationships over time and Moses at the first, is used with the various records at hand, as it appears, at the inspiration of God, to give not only the laws to be met in the end by the sacrifice of Christ, one and all, as required, but the perspective for thousands of years.

As to that, it thrusts from an imminent movement towards departure from the Lord (Deuteronomy 31:26ff.), on the part of Israel, and various, itemised stages in the results of that (Leviticus 26) on to the dispersion (Leviticus 26:33ff.). Indeed it moves even as far as the eventual restoration (Deuteronomy 32) of the nation, after much mockery and assault from its adversaries, and the threats which it will then suffer.

Indeed, Deuteronomy 32 also specifies a phase in  God's oversight of Israel, that nation to disperse His covenants (Isaiah 43:21), though it failed so much,  when "He sees that their power is gone" (32:36). Zechariah 12 gives specific light on the impact of the Gospel in this pahse.

Then in Deuteronomy 32:39ff., after rehearsing the folly of trusting in gods that are not actually there,  the Lord acts with His own. For long, it indicates, they stirred wrath, but His heart did not forget them, and in a solicitude which nothing could obliterate, even though their rebellions hit the heights (as Isaiah showed in 49:7, 52-54), the Deity acts in such a way that even Gentiles will rejoice with His people. After all, as Isaiah 42:6, 49:6 show, the Lord's solicitude in salvation itself is too great to be kept to just one people! The Gentiles will have their part in this.

This however is not all. There is a rebellion which Israel merely illustrated. Are not the nations enmeshed in their evil crusades and power lust, self-glorying!

Accordingly, here in Deuteronomy 32 as in Micah 7 we see that God plans not only to overcome at last the foolish rebellion, even from their own Messiah, of Israel, but the blatant and hypocritical self-elevation of the Gentile nations (as also in Isaiah 2), so that NONE will be able to exalt himself (Isaiah 2:10-11), and none will be able to seize the glory, though vast is the desire to do so on the part of many for whom this world is merely a site for triumphalism, victory and submission (on the part of others, of course, not themselves).

The themes pulse, the ideas interact, the container that holds it all vibrates with mental energy, spiritual dynamic, and rests without clamour, in invariable unity, as God exhorts, explains, infers, implies, implicates, applies, reminds, fulfils and completes all that He has to say. Wise is the one who heeds his Maker, and inveterate in foolishness, the one who spurns such wisdom as God has granted to this race. It is to be sure, available only on repentance towards sin, with reception of the Lord's Christ, the one Israel IN CONJUNCTION with the Roman Empire (per Pilate) slew, but whom neither could keep dead, who lives and who is soon to return (cf. Answers to Questions Ch. 5).