THE SERVICE OF THE SPIRIT
Rodney Brown
Genesis 1: 2; 8: 6-12
Luke 3: 21-22
Song of Songs 2: 12
The hymn that we started with (No 412) confirmed the few thoughts that I had in my mind. This scripture in Genesis 1 was referred to in one of our readings recently, and reference was made to the Holy Spirit hovering being the same word that comes in in Deuteronomy as to the eagle stirring up her nest, chap 32: 11. I found that helpful. What it suggests to me is the ceaseless interest that the Holy Spirit has in what is available on the earth in which divine Persons can rest. At this point in Genesis the earth is waste and empty. The Spirit of God hovering might suggest affection and anticipation of what would be brought about on the earth. Anything that comes about for the divine pleasure depends on the Spirit of God operating, as He loves to do, to draw our attention to Christ and to bring about some answer for the heart of God.
The scripture in Genesis 8 relates to Noah in the ark and the new earth about to appear, the cleansed earth. The dove could not find any place to rest; there was nothing here except death; she goes forth ceaselessly, seeking something that answers to what Noah was looking for. The thought of affection and the relationship between Noah and the dove is evident in this passage, “he put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her to him into the ark”. We see a suggestion of the consonance between divine Persons and the way that the Spirit operates selflessly in order to bring about what is for the divine pleasure. Then there is reference to the dove at eventide, speaking of the way in which the Spirit operates and works tirelessly. It is a full day’s work; eventide suggests that. It is like this dispensation, in which the Spirit has worked ceaselessly and unselfishly, and then at the end of it there is a glorious result and this evidence of life, “an olive-leaf plucked off”. It is not something floating on the surface of the water, but evidence of new life. The olive-leaf would suggest to Noah that the waters had become low, and then there was another seven days, another complete period, and the dove could go out and not return. Think of the way that the Spirit has come of His own volition in an unselfish way to draw hearts to Christ but too, to mark Christ out.
That is what we have in Luke 3; there is no hovering as there might be when He looks for something from us, but there is a perfect point of complacency here that the Spirit can rest on, He “descended in a bodily form as a dove upon him”. Think of the complacency here, the three Persons of the Godhead, as is often remarked, coming together to a point on earth when the Lord Jesus was here; and the Holy Spirit can descend and abide on Him, and a voice came out of heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I have found my delight”. That voice is still sounding out; here it is personal to the Lord, but elsewhere it is, “This is my beloved Son”, Matt 3: 17. We were reminded of it in the hymn that was read at the outset: how the Spirit loves to draw our attention to Christ. Heaven’s delight centres on Him, the Spirit operates in order that our delight should too. He loves to bring out these features that are so pleasurable to heaven, but we come into the benefit; we share heaven’s appreciation of this blessed One.
We are very favoured in that sense to be in the environment where “the voice of the turtle dove is heard”. We might take it for granted, but that is so. The voice of the turtle dove is heard, the time of singing is come: this might speak to us particularly of the service of praise when the Spirit is operating, but then the voice of the turtle dove is characteristically heard in the land. It is where you expect that voice to be heard and it is a particularly sweet note and it results in what is pleasurable. But then in all this tireless service and the detail of it and all the perfection of the service let us not forget that there is what is proper to the Holy Spirit Himself; as was mentioned in prayer, it is right to worship Him as we do. We think of that particularly in the service of God, and I am tested as to what I can say to the Spirit by way of worship in the service. We are very favoured to have light as to who the Spirit is, and it is only right and proper that we should acknowledge Him and respond to Him. While we benefit from His service He should be acknowledged and answered to.
May these thoughts be for our encouragement.
At a meeting for ministry, Linlithgow
3rd December 2020