'The first sin was that of discontent'
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Satan and the angels that followed him left their appointed places of authority and responsibility. Divine resurrection Life is given only to those who find contentment in doing the Father’s will with a joyful heart.
Our Lord Jesus Christ rules the creation of God by the power of endless, incorruptible, resurrection life. This life flows from the cross of self-denial.
He who would rule with Christ must go the way of the cross. It is only as we are brought low continually that we can be trusted with the power and Glory of God.
We human beings by nature are rebellious and self-seeking. The cross of patience, of self-denial, of frustration, of pain, of delay teaches us to wait for the flowings of the Godhead.
It is impossible for us to abide in Christ and Christ in us until the desire to be preeminent has been crucified in us. It is only as we suffer that we can be trusted to reign.
When the Word of God has come to maturity in us we are submissive to the government of God. We do not jump off the pinnacle of delay and frustration. We wait for God. We do not put God to the test. We do not "step out in faith," or "speak the word of faith," except as our Lord Jesus Christ directs us to do so.
Those who today are stressing that by faith we can have what we want now, are of the False Prophet.
We do not seek to be prominent or successful. We seek to wait on the Lord’s will. We take up our cross and follow Christ. We do not attempt to lead Christ. We follow Him in all meekness and submission, working out our own salvation with fear and trembling.
The Ark of the Covenant, which typifies Christ and those who are in the image of Christ, contained the golden pot of manna and also Aaron’s rod. In addition, the two tables of stone on which were written the Ten Commandments were located in the Ark.
The Ten Commandments are an expression of the eternal moral law. They are ten judgments against the demon gods of the world. As the jar of manna corresponds to our learning to trust God each day for our needs, and Aaron’s rod corresponds to our learning to be content in the incorruptible life of the eternal priesthood, so the Ten Commandments correspond to the need for holiness on the part of the servants of God.
It may be noted that the three items in the Ark conform to the three temptations of Christ. The jar of manna refers to the invitation to turn the stone into bread. Aaron’s rod refers to the test of the pinnacle, that is, of presumption. The Ten Commandments refer to the invitation to worship Satan, to live in uncleanness while we "enjoy" the filth of the world.
Violation of the eternal moral law of God takes place whenever we choose to worship Satan. The mature son of God is not a worshiper of Satan.
On many occasions the Scriptures refer to the Ten Commandments as the Testimony . The Ark of the Covenant was termed the Ark of the Testimony because the Ten Commandments were the covenant and the testimony. The Ten Commandments were God’s covenant with His chosen people and the testimony of His moral Character.
So it is today. The new covenant is the writing of the law of God in the heart and in the mind of the believer. The Substance of that writing is the body and blood of the Lord Jesus.
There is no testimony of God apart from righteousness and holiness of personality and behavior. There is much Christian ministry in the world today but not nearly enough testimony.
To come to maturity in Christ means to come to maturity in the ability to judge between good and evil, and consistently to choose the good and reject the evil.
The Ark of the Covenant, a major type of Christ and also of the believer who is changed into the image of Christ, is the expression of God’s eternal moral law. The moral law reflects the righteousness and holiness of God. The moral law is the testimony, the covenant.
When the Word of God comes to maturity in us, the holy and righteous Personality and behavior of Christ have come to maturity in us. We then are willing to walk each day in humble dependence on the provision of the Lord.
We do not strive for preeminence, particularly spiritual preeminence. The lust for spiritual preeminence, including its handmaiden, envy, is "the city . . . where also our Lord was crucified" (Revelation 11:8). It is spiritual pride.
The Ark of the Covenant is one scriptural type of the fullness of the image of Christ.
Another important type of Christ, which we shall understand and experience when the Word of God has come to full growth in us, is the four faces of the Cherubim of Glory.
As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. (Ezekiel 1:10)
And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. (Revelation 4:7)
The four faces of the cherubim reveal the four dimensions of the Glory of God.
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