The Dove and the Desert from 29.7.16
Personal Matters
Several young Christians in Perth recently and independently had a vision of a dove flying over a vast desert, and believed this was a message from God about Australia. The desert certainly represents the dry spiritual state of nation and Church and the dove is a prominent biblical image of the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:22 cf. Gen 1:2). What however is preventing the dove from landing amongst us? This is an important question, for where the Spirit alights in today’s relational desert he will create an oasis of peace and love drawing many to Christ.
Refreshment in the Wilderness
Throughout the Old Testament the LORD first exposes his people to the deprivations of the desert and then refreshes them with bountiful oases. After leading Israel into the barren Sinai, “they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.” (Ex 15:27). This well of refreshment was a seal on an immediately preceding promise, ““If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right…I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.”” (Ex 15:26). Elim was a temporary respite, but the prophets speak of lasting relief in the end-times. “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water;” (Isaiah 35:5-7 cf. 51:3; 58:11). In citing Isaiah 35:5 of his own ministry, “the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear”, Jesus points to himself as the one in whom the healing refreshment of God has already arrived (Matt 11:5). Dried up humanity is revived in Christ’s presence. As he promised the disillusioned Samaritan woman, “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”” Then later; ““If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit” (John 4:14; 7:37-39). A pointer as to why the Spirit is not alighting amongst us bringing wonderful spiritual renewal in Christ is found in an unusual story in Genesis.
Blocking the Wells
Isaac is the beloved son of promise whose figurative child sacrifice on Mt Moriah makes him a powerful prophetic type of Christ (Gen 22:2). After the death of his father Abraham a famine had came on the land of Canaan. Despite this, God multiplied blessing to Isaac so he became “very wealthy”. Because of his prosperity “the Philistines envied him” and repeatedly filled in the wells Abraham had previously dug for his livestock (Gen 26:1, 12-22 cf. 37:11). The water supply needed to sustain Isaac’s household was cut off in order to expel him from the land; symbolically, envy quenched the flow of the Spirit. The power of the sin of envy to grieve the Holy Spirit comes out clearly in Paul’s warning, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Gal 5:25-26). Envy at another’s favour with God can become a powerful spiritual force for evil. Seeing all the wonderful things that Jesus did by the Spirit’s power (Matt 12:28; 21:15) Israel’s religious leaders were moved “out of envy” to have Jesus crucified (Matt 27:18; Mark 15:10 cf. Acts 5:17). The Spirit could not move in the synagogues while such a stronghold of envy had dominion over the hearts of the leaders. The origin of evil power of envy is however more than human.
Pleased for You
The angelic “sons of God shouted for joy” over creation when they saw the wonder of Adam’s sonship in God’s image (Job 38:7; Prov 8:30-31; Luke 3:38). They were exhilarated to know that humans like them were made to share in the divine rule over the world (Gen 1:26-28). More profoundly, in beholding the first people these pure spirits discerned the future coming of the Son of God who would rule all things in love (Col 1:15-17; 1 Cor 15:45). The irrepressible angelic rejoicing at the Father’s glorious love for his creation was a sure sign of their communion with the Spirit (Luke 1:35). There is however another angelic son who like envious people always finds fault with God’s plans to share his prosperity with others (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-6; Luke 15:30). When Satan promises Eve, ““You will not surely die…you will be like God”” he offers her the one thing she seems to lack in the luxuriantly watered garden of Eden; the ability to reign over the possibility of death and so enjoy herself forever (Gen 2:10, 17; 3:4-5). As soon as Eve “delighted” in the fruit of the tree rather than in God’s rule she grieved the renewing presence of the Spirit and all things fell into corruption (Gen 3:6; Ps 104:30; 2 Pet 1:4). Satan’s envy at God’s pleasure in prospering humanity brought us under the rule of death in a spiritual desert from which the Spirit has been driven (Heb 2:14-15). Only the faithful Son of God can reverse this desolation for only the blood of the cross can attract the abiding presence of the Spirit.
The Spirit and the Blood
On wilderness edge John the Baptist prophesies about Jesus; ““Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!….I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him….this is the Son of God.”” (John 1:29-34). Because Jesus is the Son come to sacrifice his life so others might be prospered by his Father the Spirit abides in him bringing renewing presence and power. For a Spirit-led man who delights only in what pleases God Satan’s worst temptations in the wilderness had no lure (Matt 4:1-11; Luke 4:1; John 8:29). Knowing all the Father has is his Jesus receives the Spirit “without measure” and envy is unimaginable (John 3:34-35). The sacrifice of the cross however must be the inner desert of Christ’s life. In crying out, ““I thirst””, he longs for the Spirit’s streams of living water to refresh his parched soul (Isa 44:3; John 19:28). The Son is unable to delight in the Father’s generosity because the Spirit is grieved by Christ’s carrying the sin of a world where people long to reign over death for their own sakes. Yet at this point of sacrifice the Spirit is in complete union with the outpoured blood of the Lamb, nothing can separate Jesus from the love of God (John 19:34; 1 John 5:6, 8 cf. Rom 8:38). The resurrection is the manifestation of the mysterious hidden truth of the cross, that the Spirit saw in the sacrificial love of Christ a quality of humanity to which he wanted to be united forever. In Jesus the wilderness has become a well springing up to eternal life (John 4:14; Acts 2:33).
Conclusion
Envy is at the heart of our possession driven society. Even pastors fall into jealousy over the apparent spiritual prosperity of more prominent Christian leaders. In such places the Spirit cannot abide. Jesus however reveals that sacrificial love is irresistibly attractive to the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5). “Times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord” when we accept that the “mind of Christ” is for us to lay down on lives on behalf of others so that their Father might joyously multiply blessings in their lives (Acts 3:20; Phil 2:1, 4-11). Perhaps a generation is arising which mindful of the spiritual superficialities of their elders can become part of a Church where the Spirit creates an oasis of peace and love drawing many to Christ?