November 2003

HINDS’ FEET IN HIGH PLACES

Part 23

“He makes my feet like hinds’ feet,
and sets me on my high places!”

(2 Sa 22:34)

In our last sharing, we learned from Isa 58:14 that through fasting God’s people are able to “delight themselves in the Lord; and be fed the heritage of our forefather, Jacob; and be caused to ride upon the HIGH PLACES of the earth!” Verse six shows us that the fasting God ordains is to:

“Loose the bands of wickedness,
release all heavy burdens,
let the oppressed go free,
and break every yoke!”

       Jesus said, “The Lord’s Spirit is upon Me, anointing Me to preach good news to the poor; sending me to heal the brokenhearted, speak deliverance to captives, restore sight to the blind; and release the oppressed!” (Lk 4:18) The word, “fast”, in both Hebrew and Greek lit. means: “To deprive of food; to not eat”. The question is, from what food do we abstain? Carnal man thinks that fasting is to withhold food from the flesh body; which is one way; as religious ones have proven over the ages. But non-religious people also subject their bodies to this ritual for a natural cleansing and rejuvenating of their physical well-being. But the Lord has taught me, by experience, a far deeper kind of fasting! As beings comprised of body, soul and spirit, all three elements need to be cleansed and rejuvenated!
       What would be considered “food” for the soul and spirit? To answer this, we must realize that each of these components is triune in nature. The soul consists of intellect, emotions and will; the spirit consists of conscience, intuition and the desire to worship. Both need nourishment from WORDS- whether written, spoken, or materialized. Soulish fellowship is vital to the soulish man as spiritual fellowship is vital to the spiritual man. When human nature is dominated by darkness, the body is aroused by “lust of the flesh”, the soul is incited by “lust of the eyes”, and the spirit is intoxicated by the “pride of life”. Since all creation is but a manifestation of WORDS, we can see why God says in Pr 18:21, “DEATH AND LIFE ARE IN THE POWER OF SPEECH (language, vocabulary, tongue); AND THEY SHALL EAT OF THE ONE THEY LOVE!” Then Jesus says, “This is the condemnation of men, that LIGHT (OF LIFE) IS COME INTO THE WORLD, BUT THEY LOVED DARKNESS RATHER THAN LIGHT for their deeds were evil! Everyone that does evil hates and refuses to come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be reproved.” (Jn 3:19)
       Crops are grown as food for the body when soil is cultivated and sown with seeds of life. The word, cultivate, shares the same root as culture; and one is said to be “cultured” if his intellect and moral faculties are developed by education; or if enlightened excellence of taste and refinement are acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training. Intellect and moral faculties are parts of the soul and the soul is a conduit between flesh and spirit, as Jesus Christ is our Intermediate between earth and heaven. Of body, soul and spirit, the highest power is spirit; but if the spirit abides in darkness, it is an unholy spirit which dominates the soul and body with its dark power! Like a darkened sun, an unholy spirit gives no warmth of life to its moon (soul) or earth (flesh), thus they are condemned to eat of its fruit of death!
       It is from this sinful and deadly world of words that our Lord and Savior came to save us; so it is from the things of this world that He makes us fast! When He withholds creature comforts from our flesh, or denies human fellowship to our soul, He is causing us to fast from this world to make us seek after His Kingdom! My own experience includes two episodes of homelessness, the loss of most of my household furnishings, a faithless husband, estrangement from grown children, distancing from unsaved parents, and removal of close friends. As devastating as these experiences indeed were, each period of fasting from that which gave me strength and comfort in this world, did draw me deeper and deeper into the Kingdom of my Lord! In God’s time, His Mercy provided me with a new home and new furnishings, and a restored relationship with my children and parents, and especially, a bond in Christ’s Blood with a small, but precious, Kingdom fellowship here on earth!!
       The severest fast to which a true believer is subjected is having his open vision of the Lord withheld, so that the heavens seem like brass when he prays! Job experienced a fasting of the body when his enormous wealth was wiped out in one day! He experienced a fasting of the soul when all of his 10 children were killed in one day; and his wife and three friends turned against him! And he also experienced a spirit fast which he well-describes in Job 23:8-10.

“Behold, I go forward, but He is not there;
I go backward, but cannot perceive Him:
He works at my left hand, still I cannot
behold Him; He conceals himself at my
right hand so that I cannot see him! But
HE KNOWS THE WAY THAT I GO
AND AFTER HE HAS TESTED ME,
I SHALL COME FORTH AS GOLD!”

       Jesus Christ experienced a fasting of the body during His public ministry; as He carried no money, no change of clothes, no food, and shared the good will of others as “The Son of man had nowhere to lay His head” (Lk 9:58). Jesus experienced a body fast when the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tested by the devilish mind of His flesh after He ate nothing for 40 days! Jesus also experienced a soul fast in His personal relationship to His earthly family, as seen when His natural mother and sisters and brothers summoned Him as He taught His disciples. He said, “Who is My mother? Who are My brethren? He pointed to the disciples and said, See My mother and brethren! All who do the Will of My heavenly Father are My brother and sister and mother!” (Mt 12:48-49) Jesus says, “Everyone that forsakes his house, land, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, or children, for My Name’s sake, will receive 100 fold, and inherit everlasting life!” (Mt 19:29) Then lastly Jesus experienced a spirit fast when He was dying on the Cross and cried, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mk 15:34)
       If we are seeking the “high places” of God, we must first be set free from the “low places” of this earth! In this regard, Jesus says to us, “I am The Way (to the high places); I am The Truth (that sets you free to ascend the high places); and I am The Life (enthroned on the high places)!” (Jn 14:6) Let us recognize, and rejoice in, our appointed times of fasting, dear ones, for this is the Will of God concerning us!

[TO BE CONTINUED]