David B Robertson
Numbers 10: 33
1 Corinthians 10: 1-4
I have a simple but definite impression, dear brethren, about the way divine love would adapt itself to need. It is seen in many scriptures, for instance in John 4, where divine love adapted itself to meet the need of a poor sinful woman. I would like to say a brief word that might bring a touch of rest into our spirits. It says of the ark here, “And they set forward from the mountain of Jehovah and went three days’ journey; and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah went before them in the three days’ journey, to search out a resting-place for them”. I believe that Christ Himself would come into this situation today in His own way and give a touch that would bring rest. The ark going before is a remarkable thing because it left its normal place! The normal place of the ark was in the midst of the encampment surrounded by military, priestly and levitical circles. The ark obviously left that place. It is the way that it is expressed typically, how divine love adapts itself to need. The ark is a type of the Lord Jesus. Think of where He is! We have sung of that. He is not only risen, but He is ascended and He is the Centre of a great system of glory. We may say great things are in His hand, and yet He would move into an occasion like this. It would be love adapting itself to our need. What are our needs? A need for comfort, a need for rest; and who can lead us into rest like the Lord Jesus Christ? He says, “Come to me, all ye who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest”, Matt 11: 28. I would say that to any burdened soul here today, that there is rest for you if you come to Christ. I believe that Christ would come into this occasion in His own inimitable way and give us a touch. He would lead us. He would lead us to see that the ark would secure rest for us. Think of that! What grace! What blessedness to understand the leading of the Lord Jesus! Glorious type of the Lord, the ark! That really sets out the glory and power of God. There is more than that in the movement here. There is divine love moving towards us today in order to lead us, so that we may find rest. Mr Darby’s hymn says,
There is rest for the weary soul
(hymn 85)
- and for every weary soul here, especially for those who are bereaved, and we are all bereaved, there is rest.
It is three days’ journey, not an easy way. There were no roads, no way; it was the wilderness. We might say, ’How are we going to get on?’. How are things going to be? The answer is in the leading of Christ. That is the answer. In the earlier verses Moses slipped a little; he had wanted a child of the wilderness to lead them, but God Himself, typically, in Christ, moved. He moved out of His normal place to take this journey. Think of that in the three days’ journey, and the people followed His lead! I trust we will be able to follow the leading of Christ. The people must have looked at the ark as it moved. No doubt it was carried, but it does not say so, just that the ark journeyed. It is the glorious power of grace through Christ in a display of divine love, searching out a resting place! I trust something of the ark comes into the occasion; I believe it has already come into it, some sense of the personal touch of Christ. There is nothing to compare with that. You could give a lecture of great eloquence, but what would it mean if Christ is not there? What would our meeting be if Christ did not come to it? We would be nothing more than traditionalists. But we are not traditionalists. We have a living faith in a living Man. We have sung of that and our hearts were stirred by it. That living Man has operated, coming into this scene in His own way to lead us, and to secure rest for our souls in a fresh way .
We come to 1 Corinthians 10, and I read of the rock that followed them. What a wonderful thing! Scriptures speak of that and says, “the rock was the Christ”. Who else could it be? There is no doubt this suggestion flowed out of Exodus 17. It is not the idea of a stationary object, but it is a living matter. The rock is following them. It is a spiritual matter, and they all drank of it. The drinking of it brought refreshment. What is the effect on my spirit and yours of the departure of our beloved brother? At such a time maybe I have found rest and refreshment from a living Christ. It is a very touching matter. He would do that for every soul here. “And all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank of a spiritual rock which followed them”. How beautiful, our Rock, who is the Christ! What is Christ able to give you in the way of spiritual drink? He gives living water. What a vital need there is to have a personal link with the Lord Jesus. He is bringing it home to us freshly, a vital need of a personal link with the Lord Jesus, that in and through Him we may find both rest and satisfaction.
I trust our beloved sister and the family, and all of us, know what it is to be led by the One who would secure rest for us and who would provide spiritual drink for us. These two thoughts were in my mind, laid upon my spirit, that we might find rest and that we might find satisfaction as it is only found in Christ.
May God bless the word!
Grangemouth
4th August 2011
(At the meeting for the burial of Mr William Lamont)