Schooled in the Wilderness
THE CHILD WAS IN THE DESERTS UNTIL THE DAY OF HIS MANIFESTATION [Lk. 1:80]
Being God’s spokesman is not a matter open to the individual’s choice. It is an appointment wholly dependent on the sovereign election of the Lord. No man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God—Heb.5:4. The prophetic charge constitutes great spiritual entrustment that must not be trifled with. It entails being totally set apart, not just from sin, but unto the Lord, so that God Himself becomes the prophet’s unchanging reference point.
Many think themselves to be set apart from the world, but they are not actually devoted to the Lord. Pharisees imagine themselves to be holy, having isolated themselves from the flagrant immorality and moral decadence of society. They would never be discovered in brothels or in drunken shame.
But the consecration of the prophet transcends mere avoidance of scandalous behavior. A thousand and one unconverted souls cry out against obvious social sins, like robbery, adultery, and fornication, though they have no heart for God. The Pharisee gauges his sanctity by maintaining a respectable distance from the world. But the true servant and prophet the Lord has the unchanging God of glory as his undeviating pattern.
Dear reader, you may pride yourself in not being a drunkard or an adulterer. You do well, but the Pharisees did the same! Spirituality and legalism are not synonymous. Even people who lay no claim to Christianity may likewise frown at vices such as gambling, violence, etc. This, however, is not the standard for the Christian. Separation unto the Lord alone, so that the fear of God governs our every step and decision, is the essence of true spirituality.
Separated from the world, set apart unto the Lord and constantly in touch with God, John was called prophet of the Highest –Lk.1:76. Such qualities constitute the high calling to godly service. Even the unconverted and naturally intelligent may attain theological degrees and diplomas, but they will not become true prophets thereby. Mere acquisition of accurate biblical information in a classroom through the same manner that one would earn a chemistry degree, is not God’s pattern for training His representatives.
John, prophet of the Lord, was devoted to pondering the ways of God. He was not called to a life of comfort and lethargic inactivity; no true prophet of the Lord is. Rather, he was ordained for a task in which he would have to spend himself and be consumed in the path of duty. He was chosen to be in constant touch with the Lord, to seek His face and bring His words in season and out of season to God’s people, and though the message be one of blessing or of judgment, both were proclaimed without fear or favor.
Do not be deceived. He is no prophet who reclines in pleasure and pours forth prophecies of ease and breakthroughs week after week. Seminaries may produce such “prophets,” but God will not approve of them. Do you aspire to represent the Lord? Then begin to ponder the ways of God, give yourself wholly to the study of His word, maintain a vibrant spiritual intercourse with the Most High and pursue an ever-deepening knowledge of Christ. Then the Lord can truly entrust to you His sacred message.
So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel—Lk.1:80.
Such withdrawal from the distractive routines and vain pursuits of life into the great deserts of spiritual meditation, serves to nourish and discipline the spirit of God’s prophet. By doing so, John avoided an empty carnal exhibition of self that would have disqualified him from obtaining the approval of heaven.
The wilderness has a reputation for being the most effective place for shaping future gospel workers. Great things are always fashioned in the wilderness [Jer.2:2]. It affords the establishment of contact with the Most-High in a way that is impossible amidst the hustle and bustle of city life.
But the wilderness is not to be taken literally, neither should it be mistaken for some church camp or conference which today are referred to as mountains of spiritual experiences. Such gatherings are not designed to prepare gospel workers neither can they do so. True preparation takes place in the wilderness.
The wilderness typifies retreat into spiritual meditation. It is a condition of the soul’s allurement and of God speaking comfort the heart of His servant. Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her—Hos.2:14. There God draws His chosen ones into deep and intimate communion with Himself, while He imparts peace to those grieving over the spiritually desolate religious landscape.
Joseph entered the wilderness of an Egyptian slavery where the Lord freed him from the pull of natural affection, both testing and proving his character. Thereby he was trained to deliver multitudes and experience the sufficiency of God amidst contrary situations apart from human support.
Moses encountered the great I AM in the flaming thorn bush of Midian’s wilds. The divine intention was that he might be purged of leaning on the broken staff of Egypt’s wisdom, fashioned unto humility with a shepherd’s heart as the requisite for the work ahead of him. Thus did this desert school bring him to the place of utter dependence on the invisible Lord alone.
David’s case proved the wilderness to be the fertile soil from which fruitful psalms bloomed. He was drawn into Adullam’s seclusion that he might discover Jehovah as the only true shelter from life’s storms while encountering Him as the Great Consoler of the saints. His spiritual education was furthered there with training for confrontation and conflict against God’s avowed enemies.
Paul withdrew into Arabia’s confinement that he might undistractedly ponder the message unveiled by revelation to purge him from the vain rabbinic traditions that had characterized his life. Here in the wilderness, Paul discovered the much-cherished rites of circumcision and law keeping to be bankrupt sanctuaries bereft of spiritual power to conquer fleshly indulgence. Thus it was in this soul-searching meditation that the inner resolve to abandon carnal religious concepts was formed. It was in this course of secluded reflection that his entire previous orientation underwent a complete revision.
Jesus the Christ frequented the wilderness of Nazareth’s carpenter shop that He might be proven fit for the faithful discharge of His public ministry. The Father’s sovereign design was that through consistent faithfulness to the menial and mundane chores of the woodworker, Christ might be developed for the necessary detailed discharge of divinely appointed duty.
The apostle John was imprisoned on Patmos’ isolated island that God’s ultimate purpose might be made known to him. In these discomforting scenes, he received consolation though afflicted with circumstances that were physically opposing. Here, the final unveiling of the ascended Christ was revealed to his attentive and devoted heart.
The Baptist, in the uninhabited regions surrounding the Jordan, had uninterrupted communion with the Lord and attained great heights of spiritual perception, so that we are told that he grew strong in spirit [Lk.1:80]. There he learned what no rabbi could impart. Far from the distraction of religious ceremony and apart from the delusion of temple scribes, the voice of the Eternal One was his sole instructor.
Beloved, this wilderness school is still accepting applicants. You can be in the world and not be of it. Seek time with the Lord. Move in Christ, go about your business in Him, and let the reservoirs of your mind be richly filled with the word of God. Do not allow the noise of engines and parties to upset the equilibrium of your fellowship in Christ. Spend quality time in the presence of your Maker. Study to show yourself approved unto God and your profiting will be evident to all. You must encounter Him in intimate communion. Only then will you emerge with a Spirit inspired boldness to fearlessly denounce the abominations of corrupt practices and strange doctrines.
This is the lesson set before all who would aspire to speak as representatives of God. Until this lesson is learnt, the prophet is not ready to launch forth into service. But once this truth is grasped, the stage is set for public manifestation.
True prophets like John are first reproved, corrected and instructed in the ways of God during their time of communion in the wilderness. Only then will they become equipped for every good work, for God always first fashions His servants before putting them into service. Afterwards, they are then sent to prepare the way of the Lord as the Baptist was.
But why do the ways of God need be prepared? As religion was not as it ought to have been in the days of John, so too has it declined in our generation. Ours is a hybrid Christianity. Morality and spirituality have degenerated into an unholy admixture that draws no distinction between the heavenly and the mundane. We attempt to weld an abominable alloy of spirituality and profanity in an impossible alliance of flesh and Spirit.
When things have gone that much awry, it becomes imperative that the preaching of a John precede the proclamation of grace. Via John’s fearless thundering, the towering superstructure of human tradition and self- invented doctrines must be reduced to ruins. Hear God’s prophet cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins—Isa.58:1.
The intended purpose of such preaching is to bring the people to the point of penitence. It is only as this is achieved that the gospel of grace can be declared. It then becomes essential for John to expose the inefficacy of countless ceremonial washings, the insufficiency of animal sacrifices, the fallacy of salvation based on inheritance and the impotence of strict adherence to mere religious codes.
His unusual and even startling appearance in and of itself negated the claims to a holiness derived from ceremonial codes. His very demeanor and message demonstrated that salvation is a thing of the heart, through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us—Lk.1:78. So we find that the prophet was not merely commissioned to declare woes on the carnality of a wayward generation; his mission also included the proclamation of God’s riches, sufficiency and visitation to His people; to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins [and] light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace—Lk.1: 77, 79.
Friend, superficiality in the church is the abomination of our time. Our unwillingness to withdraw into spiritual meditation before launching forth into public service accounts for the profanity of our religious perversion. It is alarmingly reprehensible that they who have no altars of personal communion shout the loudest on our pulpits. Study Bibles and religious literatures are the ready source of information instead of the Spirit of God! I do not say that aids to study the Bible are not beneficial, but I dare say that something is disastrously wrong when their availability cancels our times of personal fellowship with the Almighty.
The proliferation of Bible schools and seminaries have furthered the decay of the church. Their intellectual approach to spiritual things is a broken cistern that can hold no water. Thus the letter is gained and the Spirit is lost. Is this not the reason that though we have answers today, we lack solutions? The curse of our age is that though we are closely acquainted with facts, we are nevertheless bereft of spiritual insight and principles. Truly we are in a dark period and we have not discerned it.
Oh, that we might see that heaven is grieved as we dramatize rather than live out the essence of true spirituality! Hope is not to be found in the ecclesiastical orders of the day, neither will languishing and lamenting in self-pity offer a solution to our plight. Rather, we must return to the Lord and bend our proud necks to the method of Calvary; Yes, we must begin there in penitence and humility in order to proceed to the place of communion. Wisdom demands that we wail as we lay prostrate in the dust of self-abasement.
Let us lift our voices unto God and say, “Have mercy on us, oh Lord! We have been no different from our fathers for we also have dealt treacherously with Thee! We repent, O Lord, we repent of shamelessly trafficking in divine things while uttering the words of Thy law with ignorant, yes, uncircumcised lips. Ah, Lord do have mercy on us, for in the greatness of our folly we have concerned ourselves with things too profound for us. In our depravity we have failed to distinguish between Scriptural truths and earthly maxims. Our error of attempting to spread Thy kingdom through worldly methods is not hid from Thee.
“Help us Master, help us Jesus! Claim us now for Thyself. Thy glory, not our wisdom, Thy praise not our fancy, Thy power not our folly is our singular request from henceforth and forever more! O Lord, be pleased to hearken to our cry from broken and contrite hearts. Amen.”
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