Separation and Service Part 2

We have already seen the grace of G.o.d making provision that His people, who had lost the privilege of priestly service, might draw near to Him by Nazarite separation and consecration. And not as the offence was the free gift: those who had forfeited the privilege of priestly service were the males only, but women and even children might be Nazarites; whosoever desired was free to come, and thus draw near to G.o.d.

We now come to the concluding verses of Numb. vi, and see in them one of the fullest forms of benediction to be found in the whole Word of G.o.d.

The thought naturally arises,

WHY IS IT FOUND HERE?

And the reply is twofold. There is the Divine side. Flowing from G.o.d'S heart of love first came the _privilege_ of Nazarite consecration; and then, by the _act_ of consecration, His loving heart is so gladdened that it further overflows in these rich benedictions.

Looking, on the other hand, at the human side, we may learn that the soul which is fully consecrated _always_ receives the blessing of G.o.d.

Where that blessing is not enjoyed, there is always something unreal or defective in the consecration. It may be that we have separated ourselves to carry out _our own will, or thought, or plan of service_, instead of surrendering ourselves and _our_ will, to learn and to do _His_ will. But it is real consecration _to G.o.d_ that puts us into the position in which He can pour out His richest blessings upon us.

The prodigal was a son of the father all the time; but when he preferred _his_ will to the will of his father, _his_ way to the way of his father, _his_ management of his share in the property to his father's management, it issued but in ruin and misery--in hunger and nakedness and shame. The fact that he was a son was of no avail to him in the "far country," in the place of self-will and self-management. But as soon as he arose, and with true repentance and submission came back to the father's house, willing to serve, and to do his father's will, he found himself restored to his father's heart, and to all the privileges of sons.h.i.+p: the fatted calf was killed, the best robe was put upon him, once more he had shoes on his feet and a ring on his hand, and joy and gladness filled the home.

How many Christians there are who, in their self-will and attempted self-management, find themselves day by day full of sorrow, or full of care. Trying to keep themselves they are not kept; trying to be happy they are often unhappy; trying to succeed they fail; and they can but confess that their life is very different from that ideal life described in Ps. lx.x.xix. 15-18:

"Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: They shall walk, O LORD, in the light of Thy countenance.

In Thy Name shall they rejoice all the day: And in Thy righteousness shall they be exalted.

For Thou art the glory of their strength; And in Thy favour our horn shall be exalted.

For the LORD is our defence; And the HOLY ONE of Israel is our KING."

Instead of this many practically know very little of peace "which pa.s.seth all understanding," of joy that is literally "unspeakable"; adjectives far more moderate would be found strong enough to express all _they_ know of oft-troubled peace and intermittent satisfaction and happiness. Many there are who fail to see that there can be but one lord, and that those who do not make G.o.d _Lord of all_ do not make Him _Lord at all_. The slightest reservation in our consecration shows that we hold ourselves _as our own_, and consequently at liberty to give Him as much or as little as we think fit. If we recognize Him as LORD and MASTER, we have nothing to withhold, and nothing of our own, for we, and all we have, are already His. But then, in return, all He has, and all He is, become ours. Oh! blessed PORTION! Who would not wish henceforth to have no private property in himself--in his members--in his possessions--in his family--in his affections; but, in fullest consecration, to acknowledge and recognize G.o.d'S right and to be no longer a robber of G.o.d?

_"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel ... And they shall put My Name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them."_

Here we have the blessing that G.o.d _delights_ to give to those who have dedicated themselves and their all to Him. Before considering it in detail, let us notice, first, how spontaneous and unsought is this blessing from G.o.d--the LORD _commanded_ Aaron and his sons to bless Israel, to put His Name upon them; and declared His own unalterable purpose, "I _will_ bless them." And then, let us ask ourselves the question, what is

THE REAL MEANING OF BLESSING?

We frequently use the word so vaguely as to lose much of its preciousness, and to overlook the primary meaning in some of its secondary significations. For instance, we use it frequently as a synonym of praise, and in speaking of blessing G.o.d, we think of praising Him. But blessing does not merely mean praise, for G.o.d blesses us.

Again, sometimes we use it for some gracious gift, as when we speak of the blessing of peace or of plenty. But blessing does not only signify gift, for when we bless G.o.d we do not give to Him peace or plenty.

Blessing is _the moving of the heart towards an object of affection and complacency_. The out-going of the heart is naturally _accompanied_ by gift or ascription, as the case may be. When our hearts bless the LORD, we sing a song of praise to Him for the great love wherewith He hath loved us; but the blessing is not the song--it is the feeling that prompts it. When the LORD blesses His people with peace and plenty, it is His open Heart that moves His loving Hand.

Again, blessing is always accompanied with joy; it _is_ a joy, and it _gives_ joy, both to the giver and the receiver. A little child playing with his toys may be both happy and satisfied. But it hears the mother's footsteps, it sees the mother open the door, and instantly the toys are dropped and forgotten; the little arms are stretched out, and the little feet are running to meet the welcome mother. Nor is this all; the great, motherly arms are as quickly stretched forth towards the child, and with longer steps the mother hastens to meet the little one, and clasps it to her bosom, the loving little arms entwining themselves around her neck.

But whose heart is the more glad? The little one's heart is _full_; and the mother's heart is also _full_; but her capacity is greater, and so her joy is deeper. And is not this true of our HEAVENLY FATHER? When His heart blesses ours, and ours blesses HIM, _we_ are full of joy; but His heart is infinitely greater than ours, and His joy in His people as far exceeds all their joy in Him, as the infinite exceeds the finite.

Let us always remember in connection with blessing that the deep heart-feeling is the primary thought. "Bless the LORD, O my _soul_; and all that is _within me_, bless His holy Name." The praise of the lip may be insincere; the blessing of the heart cannot be.

THE THREE-FOLD BENEDICTION: verses 24-26.

_"The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:_

_"The LORD make His face s.h.i.+ne upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:_

_"The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."_

We have dwelt upon the meaning of blessing--the moving of the heart towards an object of affection and complacency, and noticed that this is naturally accompanied by gift or ascription, as the case may be. When love overflows, loving words, loving embraces, or loving gifts instinctively follow.

In the light of the fuller revelation of the New Testament we can scarcely fail to see in this three-fold benediction the overflow in blessing of the FATHER, of the SON, and of the SPIRIT; and we may read it as follows:--

"JEHOVAH, THE FATHER, BLESS THEE, AND KEEP THEE:

"JEHOVAH, THE SON, THE BRIDEGROOM, MAKE HIS FACE s.h.i.+NE UPON THEE, AND BE GRACIOUS UNTO THEE:

"JEHOVAH, THE SPIRIT, LIFT UP HIS COUNTENANCE UPON THEE, AND GIVE THEE PEACE."

So read, we see in these words fuller beauty and appropriateness. Let us now notice the first clause in particular.

THE BLESSING OF THE FATHER.

Considered as a father's blessing could anything be more appropriate than "The LORD bless thee, and keep thee"? Is not this just what every loving father seeks to do--to bless and keep his children? He does not find it an unwelcome task, but his greatest delight. Offer to relieve him of the responsibility and to adopt his child, and see what his reply will be! Nor may we confine ourselves to paternal love in thinking of this subject; but rather take it as parental love, embracing also the love of the mother, for "Thus saith the LORD, ... As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you." We all know how the mother-love delights to lavish itself on the objects of its care. With a patience that never tires, and an endurance almost inexhaustible, and a care all but unlimited, how often has the mother sacrificed her very life for the welfare of her babe. But strong as is a mother's love, it _may_ fail; G.o.d'S love _never_. "Can a woman forget her suckling child that she should not have compa.s.sion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee."

It was one of the objects of our SAVIOUR'S mission to reveal to us that, in CHRIST JESUS, G.o.d is also our FATHER. How He delighted in bringing out this precious truth the Sermon on the Mount bears witness: "Glorify your Father." "Love ... bless ... do good, that ye may be the children of your FATHER." Be "perfect, even as your FATHER." "Thy FATHER ...

seeth." "Your FATHER knoweth," etc., etc. And well may our hearts rest in the thought which so satisfied His heart, that G.o.d is indeed our FATHER.

And what a glorious FATHER He is! the source of all true fatherhood and motherhood. We have often walked in the fields in the early morning, and have noticed how the rising sun has turned each dewdrop into a glittering gem; one ray of its own bright light makes a little sun of each of the million drops that hang from the pendent leaflets and sparkle everywhere. But it is helpful to remember that the glorious...o...b..itself contains infinitely more light than all the dewdrops ever did or ever will reflect. And so of our heavenly FATHER: Himself the great Source of all that is n.o.ble and true, of all that ever has been loving and trust-worthy--each beautiful trait of each beautiful character is but the dim reflection of some ray of His own great perfection. And the sum-total of all human goodness, and tenderness, and love is but as the dewdrops to the sun. How blessed then to confide in the infinite and changeless love of such a FATHER--our FATHER in heaven!

How safe too! "There is none like unto the G.o.d of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in His excellency on the sky. The eternal G.o.d is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms."

Ofttimes where the love of earthly parents has not failed, yet have they been powerless to bless and to keep. The cruel tyrant has tortured the parent in torturing the child; while there has been no power to deliver.

And in the presence of human want or suffering how impotent has the strongest human love oft proved to be! Not so the love of our heavenly FATHER: His resources and His power are as inexhaustible as His love; and they are blest and kept indeed whom He deigns to bless and keep.

May we not add "they only"? The foolish prodigal imagines that he can secure greater happiness for himself when no longer curbed by his father's presence and will; such always come to want, and, alas! do not always return quickly to the home where reconciliation and blessing alone are to be found. He is poorly kept who tries to keep himself; and though the pleasures of sin may for a season gratify, they can never satisfy![B]

"JEHOVAH, the FATHER, bless _thee_, and keep _thee_." It is an individual blessing: and it includes every form of blessing, temporal as well as spiritual--"My G.o.d shall supply all your need"; and this "according to His riches in glory in CHRIST JESUS," not according to our consciousness of need. He is _able_ to bless, able to make all grace abound--to so wonderfully abound towards us, that we always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: He is able to keep--to keep us from falling, to keep us from all evil. And not only is He able, but He has already "blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in CHRIST," and He wants us, His children, to know and to enjoy the love that is the source of all blessing: the love that can never by finite words express its fulness: the love that eternal ages will never exhaust!

"Best of blessings He'll provide us, Nought but good shall ere betide us; Safe to glory He will guide us, Oh, how He loves!"

[B: When we speak of G.o.d as a FATHER we must not forget that He is only such in its full meaning to those who have become His children by faith in CHRIST JESUS; and that the sad and solemn words of the loving Saviour to the unconverted were, "Ye are of _your_ father, the devil." The prodigal was a backslider: when furthest from home he could yet think and speak of the privileges of his father's house.]

THE SECOND PERSON OF THE TRINITY.

The second clause of the blessing is the blessing of the SON, which is not less full and appropriate. Through eternal ages the SON of G.o.d, He became, in the fulness of time, the SON of Man. The Brightness of His FATHER'S glory, the SUN of Righteousness, He came to manifest, as well as to speak of, the FATHER'S love. He became the LIGHT of the world, as well as the LAMB of G.o.d; but in each aspect doing the will, as well as the work of G.o.d, He thus revealed the wondrous love and grace of the FATHER, and His own perfect Sons.h.i.+p. The FATHER'S will included CHRIST'S glad reception of all who come to Him, His meeting all their need--saving, sanctifying, satisfying, keeping, raising up at the last day--His giving Himself for, and giving Himself to, all those given to Him of the FATHER.

He is indeed a wonderful Saviour! What light the incarnate WORD of G.o.d (Who is Light) has thrown on the written Word of G.o.d! The law in its legal requirements He has fulfilled, bringing in everlasting righteousness, which is imputed to all those who are indeed in Him. He has also fulfilled the Law in its manifold typical aspects--Himself the Temple, the Priest, and the Sacrifice; Himself the Altar, the Offerer, and the Victim; Himself the Lamp, and the Priestly Trimmer of the lamps (as He is also the whole Vine, and yet the Life of each individual branch of the Vine). Time would fail us to enumerate the various objects and acts of typical service which were all fulfilled in Him. He too is the BRIDEGROOM, from whose wounded side the Bride is being formed; and He is waiting for His Bride, who will soon be caught up to meet Him in the air. The true SOLOMON is He whose glory we shall share, and not only so, but whose presence will be the ever-satisfying portion of His chosen Bride.

The Bride eyes not her garment, but her loved Bridegroom's face; I shall not gaze on glory, but on my KING of grace; Not on the crown He giveth, but on His pierced hand: The LAMB is all the glory of Immanuel's land.

May the HOLY SPIRIT give us more and more to realize the practical bearing of all that is thus revealed of the glory of the Person, and the fulness of the work of our SAVIOUR and KING!

THE BLESSING OF THE SON AND BRIDEGROOM.