Numbers 24:4-64He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: 5How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! 6As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river's side, as the trees of lign aloes which the Lord hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. (Numbers 24:4‑6).
Would we have happy thoughts about the saints? we must rise up to what the Church of God really is to God. We must get “the vision of the Almighty,” (the knowledge of the beauty and comeliness of the Church in all Christ’s perfectness) in order to have our souls soft, and tender, and humble about what passes around if we do, not see this we shall not be able to maintain the sense of Christ’s love. And, further, unless by the power of the Spirit we get away from circumstances, so as to see the Church, and the saints individually, as Christ sees them, instead of seeking to nourish and cherish them as Christ does, we shall be disappointed. This often makes us angry; it should not, but it does. We shall either lower our standard, and be content with conformity to the world in the saints, or become discontented and judicial, angry and bitter against them, the flesh being disappointed and vexed. Faith assumes the acceptance of the saints in Christ, while it seeks in the exercise of godly and gracious discipline that they should be maintained and bloom in the fragrance of Christ’s grace.
“As the valleys are they spread forth, as the trees of lign aloes which Jehovah has planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters.” What a most blessed picture! And could we be happy in seeing them stunted, dishonoring the Lord? The glory of Christ is concerned; He gets His character from us. Paul says to the saints at Corinth (not “Ye ought to be,” but) “Ye are the Epistle of Christ, written with the Spirit of the living God.” No, I must grieve when I find in them that which is contrary to their beauty in Christ. They are “as trees of lign aloes, and as cedar trees.” It is not merely that God has not seen iniquity in them — He has seen beauty.
O beloved, our souls need to see the Church, and, the saints individually, thus in God’s vision, with our eyes open, in the Spirit: otherwise we shall not get into the power of God’s thoughts. We do not want “the vision of the Almighty” in order to ace that a saint is a saint; neither do we want “open” eyes, to discover inconsistencies in the walk of our brethren. We do want to rise up, and have our eyes open to see, as God sees, this beauty and glory of the Church.
God is in possession of us.
And remember this was said in the very presence of Balak. It is blessed we should have the certainty of these things in the midst of Satan’s power.
What does David say? “Thou preparest a table bore me in the presence of mine enemies.” The enemies can only look on and see how blessed I am, while I feast on what God has provided. “Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” Not only have I got mercy and peace, but I have understood its fullness an overrunning cup. He can both dwell upon the proved faithfulness of God, and count upon it for the future also; as he goes on to say, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,” and finishes with, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
“How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob and thy tabernacles, O Israel!”
We have the strength of God’s love to think of for present comfort, and where there is a right view of the beauty and comeliness of the Church, and yet of her failure, there will be great humbleness and tenderness of spirit towards the Lord, and towards one another.
The Lord grant we may not sit down content in wretched coldness of heart, with evil in ourselves, or in our brethren. The waters of God are at the root of the plant, however miserable the pruning. How precious this! May we rise up in the sense of the beauty we have in God’s mind, to delight ourselves in Him who is our comeliness, to glory in him who is God’s delight, and our joy and glory. Amen.
J. N. D.