Divine Guidance 1. 2

God will be no man's debtor: in keeping His commands there is "great reward" (Psalm 19:11). Part of that "reward" is a deliverance from being deceived by the false appearances of things, from forming erroneous estimates, from pursuing a foolish policy. Part of that "reward" is the acquiring of wisdom so that we choose that which is good, act prudently, and follow those paths which make for righteousness, peace and joy. He who treasures up in his heart the Divine precepts and diligently seeks to walk by their rule will escape those evils which destroy his fellows. "If any man walk in the day, he stumbles not, because he sees the light of this world" (John 11:9). To "walk in the day" means to be in communion with Him who is Light, to conduct ourselves according to His revealed will. Just so far as the Christian walks in the path of duty as it is defined for him in the Word, will he walk surely and comfortably: by the light of that Word the way is plain before him, and he is preserved from falling over the obstacles by which Satan seeks to trip him up.

"But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles, because there is no light in him" (v. 10). Here is the solemn contrast: he who walks according to the dictates of his lusts, following the counsel and example of the ungodly, falls into the snares of the Devil, and perishes. There is "no light" in such an one, for he is not regulated by the Sun of Righteousness. "I am the light of the world: he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). It is one thing to have "life," it is another thing to enjoy the "light of life"—that is only obtained by following Christ. Notice carefully the tense of the verb: it is not "he who follows Me," occasionally and spasmodically: but "he who follows Me," which signifies a steady and continuous course of action; and the promise to such a one is, "he shall not walk in darkness."

But what does it mean to "follow" Christ? First and foremost, to be emptied of self-will, for "even Christ pleased not Himself" (Romans 15:3). This is absolutely essential; self-will and self-pleasing must be mortified if I am to be delivered from walking in darkness. The unchanging order is made known by Christ in Matthew 16:24, "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." Christ cannot be followed until self is denied and the cross accepted as the distinguishing mark of discipleship. What does it mean to "deny self"? It means to repudiate our own goodness, to renounce our own wisdom, to have no confidence in our own strength, to completely set aside our own will and wishes, that we "should not henceforth live unto ourselves, but unto Him who died for us" (2 Cor. 5:15). What does it mean to "take up our cross"? It signifies a readiness to endure the world's hatred and scorn, to voluntarily surrender our lives unto God, to use all our faculties unto His glory. The "cross" stands for unreserved and loving obedience to the Lord, for of Him it is written that "He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." It is only as self with all its lustings and interests is denied, and as the heart is dominated by the spirit of Calvary, that we are prepared to "follow" Christ. And what is signified by "follow" Christ? This: to take His "yoke" upon us (Matt. 11:29) and live in complete subjection to Him. It is to yield fully to His Lordship, to obey His commands, and thus truly serve Him. It is seeking to do only those things which are pleasing in His sight. It is to emulate the "example" which He has left us, and He was in all things subject to the Scriptures. And as we "follow" Him, we "shall not walk in darkness": no, we shall be in happy fellowship with Him who is the "true light."

For our encouragement—for they were men of like passions with us—it is recorded of Caleb and Joshua "they have wholly followed the Lord" (Num. 32:12): having put their hand to the plow, they looked not back; consequently, instead of perishing in the wilderness with their disobedient fellows, they entered the promised land. Thus the great business, the life-task of the Christian, is to regulate his life by and conform his conduct to the precepts of the written Word and the example left us by the incarnate Word. As he does so, in proportion as he does so, he is emancipated from the darkness of his natural mind, freed from the follies of his corrupt heart, delivered from the mad course of this world, and escapes the snares of the Devil.

"Through knowledge shall the just be delivered" (Proverbs 11:9). Yes, great is the "reward" of keeping God's commandments: "Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you" (Proverbs 2:9-11).

"Therefore be not unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:17). It is clear from this verse that it is both the right and the duty of the Christian to have a knowledge of the Lord's will for him. God can neither be pleased nor glorified by His children walking in ignorance or proceeding blindly. Did not Christ say to His beloved disciples, "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knows not what his Lord does: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you" (John 15:15). If, then, we are in the dark as to how we ought to proceed in anything, it is clear that we are living far below our privileges. No doubt the majority of our readers will give their hearty assent to these statements, but the question which concerns most of them is, how are we to ascertain the Lord's will concerning the varied details of our daily lives?

First, let it be duly observed this exhortation, that we should be understanding "what the will of the Lord is," is preceded by "Therefore be not unwise." That word "unwise" does not here signify bare ignorance or lack of knowledge, otherwise the two halves of the verse would merely express the same thought in its negative and positive forms. No, the word "unwise" there means "lacking in common sense," or as the R.V. renders it "be not foolish." In Scripture the "fool" is not simply one who is mentally deficient, but is the man who leaves God out of his life, who acts independently of Him. This must be duly borne in mind as we seek to arrive at the meaning of the second half of Ephesians 5:17. Let it also be carefully observed that Ephesians 5:17 opens with the word "Therefore," which points us back to what immediately precedes. There we read "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (vv. 15, 16). Unless those exhortations are prayerfully and diligently heeded, it is impossible that we should be "understanding WHAT the will of the Lord is." Unless our walk be right there can be no spiritual discernment of God's will for us. And this brings us back to the central thought of the preceding article.

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