May 2001

[Part 159]

“Issues of the heart”

[Part Seventy-seven]

Hope For the Fearful Heart! [III]

“WHO CAN I TURN TO?”

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (Jn 1:29)

              In our last five sharings [“Past Issues”; Parts 154-158] the Lord has been enlightening our understanding on His role as Savior of the world. We will see Scripture depict our God as all four members of the ovine family- the ram, ewe, sheep and lamb- after which, we will see Him as the Good Shepherd Who lovingly tends, calls home, corrects and saves all His lost sheep!

GOD IS THE “RAM”

              Heb 352 defines ram: “Great strength, a mighty man, a pillar for support, a chief and esp. an OAK TREE!” The first two places the a ram appears in the OT it is as a SACRIFICE offered to God by one, same man- but who had two different names! Childless Abram wondered about the disposition of his estate; for since he had no heir of his body, it was customary for the chief steward to inherit it all. Abram asked the Lord to make known His Will, and “The Word of the Lord (Jesus Christ) came to him saying, ‘Your steward will not be your heir...look up to heaven and count all the stars, if you can; for that is how many your seed will be!’ Abram believed the Lord and it was counted to him as (true) Righteousness!” (Ge 15:6) Let us pause here to receive a revelation.

God is saying here that a man’s BELIEF IN THE LORD is accredited to him as RIGHTEOUSNESS! This means two things: 1) everytime we hear Truth, [Jesus says, “I AM the Truth!!” Jn 14:6] if we BELIEVE in that Truth, our BELIEF is counted to us as Righteousness! Thus when certain disciples asked Jesus, “What can we do to work the Works of God (i.e. miracles like You?”) He told them, “Here is the Work of God- that you BELIEVE in Him and in the One Whom He has sent!” For “Faith comes by hearing; and hearing by the Word of the Lord (the same Word that came to speak to Abram above)!” (Ro 10:17) Then 2) UNBELIEF IN THE LORD must be counted to men as UNRIGHTEOUSNESS! As this is true, we now read Ro 11:32 with new eyes, “God has concluded (lit. finished, ended, terminated, caged, imprisoned, shut) all in unrighteousness (unbelief) so He can show Mercy on them all!”

Then we also hear 1 Co 6:14-15 warn each soul, “DO NOT BE UNEQUALLY YOKED WITH THE UNBELIEVING ONE (the man of sin/son of perdition” (2 Th 2:3) which is our own mind of flesh)”; it could be just as well reinstated, “DO NOT BE UNEQUALLY YOKED WITH THE UNRIGHTEOUS ONE!” When our soul was forced into an unholy, adulterous affair with the flesh mind, she became enslaved to, and powerless to resist, His endless, perverse thoughts of unrighteous unbelief! But then as the Christ Mind was first unveiled in Jesus the humble, Carpenter of Nazareth, He extended an invitation to all,“Come to Me all you laboring, heavy laden souls, and I will give you rest! TAKE MY YOKE (of Righteous Belief) and put it on now, and learn of Me; for I am meek (not arrogant) and I am lowly in heart (not proud or self-exalted) and you will find REST FOR YOUR SOULS! For MY YOKE IS EASY and My burden is light!” (Mt 11:28-30) So our Father counsels us, ‘Let this Mind (of Righteous Belief and Love and humility) which was in Christ Jesus be also in you!” (Php 2:5)

              After God prophesied to Abram of the progeny that would spring from his loins, He then said to prepare a 3 yr. old ram (3 = divine completion) as one of five offerings (5 = grace) “Then as the sun was setting, a deep sleep and a horror of great darkness fell on Abram and the Lord again prophesied to this sleeping man, ‘Know positively that your seed will be a stranger in a land that is not their own, but where they shall serve and be afflicted for 400 years! But then afterward, I will judge the nation that held them captive, and they shall emerge from there with great wealth!”
             The second appearance of a ram is in the same account where the word, worship, is first used in Scripture; where Abraham (note the new name) prepares to sacrifice his promised son on an altar of his faith! As he lifted his knife in unquestioning obedience, Jehovah-Jireh stopped him and substituted Himself for Isaac as a sacrificial “Ram caught in a thicket by his horns (that typify strength)” (Ge 23:13) That ram which we saw defined in Heb 352: “Great strength, mighty man, chief, pillar of support, and OAK TREE” is now suddenly “caught” (Heb 270) which lit. means: “IS HELD BACK!” God simply withheld His Christ-Power to become a weak and helpless RAM Who was willing to “Lay down His Life for His Sheep” (Jn 10:15) to be an ensample for His sons whom He also asks to lay down their lives for His sheep! This is a perfect type of the crucifixion of the Savior of the world Who withheld His Christ Powerand allowed Himself to be “caught” by the temple soldiers and led away to His Hour of Glory! Let us run after this Lord of Glory until we, too, are “caught”! Hallelujah!

[TO BE CONTINUED]