BUT
WE SEE JESUS
In the second chapter of Hebrews, Paul refers to the
writer of Psalm 8 when he says, "One
in a certain place testified, saying, 'What is man that You are mindful of him?'"
(2:6 NKJV). He then goes on to describe
how God made man lower than the angels in might and strength, but then crowned
him with glory and honor by setting him over all the works of His creation and becoming
so involved in man's affairs (v. 7). But
then the psalmist writes, "You have
put everything in subjection under his feet." This is a powerful statement. When God says everything, He excludes
nothing. God has said that everything is
in subjection to you and me. There is
nothing that we do not have power over in Christ Jesus! Verse eight continues, however, by saying, "But now we see not yet all things put
under him [man]." These verses remind me of Joshua and the
Israelites' plight. God said Jericho was
theirs, but they did not yet see the city put under them. So they circled the city one more time until
God fulfilled the thing that was His will all along.
Not everything has been made subject to us yet. There are many enemies that we have yet to
face and to conquer. We must yet
overcome the devil and see him cast into the Lake of Fire, and death and hell
must yet be vanquished. There are walls
that we have not yet seen collapse before us, but there is one thing that we do
see. We see Jesus! "But
now we see not yet all things put under him [man]. But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the
angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by
the grace of God, might taste death for everyone." (Hebrew 2:8b, 9). The Word of God became a man and experienced
everything that we do, yet without the sin.
He embraced every promise, and overcame every foe. He was victorious over sin, the devil, death,
and hell so that He could be the Savior of all mankind. Because He overcame, our victory is now
assured. There is no wall that can stand
before us, no enemy that can defeat us, and no weapon that can prosper against
us if we trust in the might of our Commander and King! Our focus must always be on the Lord Jesus,
and not on the circumstances at hand. If
God has said it, and we believe it, then the outcome is always certain. We must never struggle in our own power or
will, but we must fight the good fight of faith. Faith is the victory that overcomes!
THE
ARK OF THE COVENANT
Throughout the
conquest of Canaan there was one element that was at the heart of God’s
strategy and played an integral role in every step of the plan that He had for
Israel’s victory. That was the Ark of
the Covenant of God. Without it, Israel
would not have crossed Jordan; and without it, they could not take Jericho, or
any other city or obstacle that would follow.
The Ark
represented the presence of Almighty God in the midst of His people
Israel. They could not see the invisible
God, but they could see the Ark and know that God’s glory rested on it. They knew also that if they followed the Ark,
then God would be with them and defend them.
In this way the Ark was a picture of Christ. As the Israelites circled Jericho, the Ark of
God was with them and gave them hope and confidence that He was present and
would assure their victory.
As one examines
the construction and contents of the Ark of the Covenant, it is easy to
recognize the abundant imagery that all points to Christ. First of all, Moses was instructed to use the
wood of the Shittim tree in constructing the Ark. This wood is also referred to as Acacia
wood. It is said to grow plentifully in
the Sinai and Jordan Valley regions of the Middle East. It is a very tough and durable wood that is
impervious to insects and therefore good for use in making things that are
meant to endure for long periods of time.
It is a gnarly wood and the tree produces large, sharp thorns. The Ark was overlaid entirely inside and out
with fine gold which speaks of the divinity and purity of Christ. At the heart of the Ark however, was a common
wooden box made of this gnarly, thorny wood; and that speaks of Christ’s
humanity and suffering. The Prophet
Isaiah glimpsed both sides of Christ’s character when he spoke of Messiah in
his book. On one hand Isaiah saw
Christ’s humanity and said, “For He [Christ]
shall grow up before Him [God] as a tender plant, and as a root out of a
dry ground: He
hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that
we should desire Him.” (Isaiah 53:2). On the other hand, the Prophet saw Christ’s
divinity and said, “Behold, My servant
shall deal prudently, He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.”
(Isaiah 52:13).
On the top of
the Ark was the mercy seat which was framed on either side by two cherubim of
gold. It was here that the high priest
would sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice once a year and obtain redemption for
the nation of Israel. This of course speaks
of the atoning power of the blood of Jesus as we approach the throne of mercy
and confess our sins. It is here before
the Savior of our souls that we experience the presence of Almighty God in our
lives.
The imagery continues as we examine the contents of
the Ark. Inside were three very
important items to the Jewish people. First of all, there was a copy of the Ten
Commandments which Moses received at the hand of God on Mt. Sinai. Contrary to what some may teach, Jesus did
not come to abolish the Law, but rather to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17-19). The Law’s primary function from the beginning
was to be a teacher. It teaches man that
he cannot keep the Law in his own strength and will power – he needs a Savior
to deliver him from the power of sin and justify him by faith (Galatians 3:24).
Secondly, there was a pot that was full of the Manna
which God sent to sustain and nourish Israel as they were traveling for so many
years in the wilderness. Today, Jesus is
our Bread from heaven. He sustains us and
nourishes our spiritual life by the Word of God which is our heavenly Manna. Jesus said, “I am that bread of life. Your
fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from
heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from
heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread
that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
(John 6:48-51).
Lastly, there was a rod of an almond tree that
belonged to Aaron who was the first high priest of Israel. The Israelites at a certain point had grown
jealous of Moses and of Aaron and of the ministries that the Lord had given
them. In response to that, God commanded
that every tribe submit a dead almond rod to be closed up inside the tabernacle
overnight. Aaron submitted a rod also
for the tribe of Levi and inscribed his name on it. God told the people through Moses that the
one rod that would blossom by morning would be the one whom God had chosen to
serve before Him. The next morning,
Aaron’s rod had budded, blossomed, and even produced almonds. This miracle also points to Christ. It is He whom the Father has chosen to serve
as our great High Priest. His is the
only ministry that can produce life and fruit because that life comes from God
Himself, the source of life.
The Ark also had
rings fashioned on either side of it through which long staves or poles could
be passed so that it could be easily carried to wherever God directed it. This speaks of the presence of the Lord that
is constantly in our lives. Jesus is
always with us in every circumstance of life.
He said, “I am with you alway,
even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20). It is important to note, however, that the
Ark led Israel and went before them, not the reverse. Some think that God is duty bound to bless us
in whatever we choose to do with our lives but, in reality, He wants to lead us
in the choices we make. Our prayer
should always be “Not my will, but Thine
be done, O Lord.”
For Israel to venture forth
without the Ark would be to proceed without God being with them at all. This is something that Joshua would not let
happen. It is
also something that we should never let happen!
God’s glory should always go before us and lead us in every circumstance
of life.
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