“The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and He will shew them His covenant.” Psalm 25:14
From the beginning of man’s sojourn of this earth, God has, in His mercy and grace, dealt with mankind by the act and intervention of revelation, that revealing of Himself and His ways by His Spirit, according to the truth. This is completely logical, for sinful man is born “dead” spiritually speaking, without the remotest possibility of learning about God, desiring and seeking Him, and certainly finding Him. It is God, and Him alone, who must come to shine on the lost sinner, awakening him to his state of deadness and hopelessness, so that he will look upward towards the One who is seeking him, and cry unto Him to be saved. Scripture tells us that, “…It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.” (Lam. 3:22) Thus, it is God who takes the initiative to seek lost man, to bring him to a saving knowledge of Himself. By this very act and pursuit, God demonstrates to the whole of creation that His ways are not those of men, nor are the things of heaven those of this earth. Just as God is holy, and separate from sinful man, so are the things of heaven in Christ. The great and marvelous news is that God has come in Christ providing a certain way to know Him. His way is the revelation of Himself and His ways, and the power that He gives for man to repent of his sins, come to Christ to be forgiven for all sins, and then be given the Spirit of God, becoming a new creation in Him. The question then becomes, “How is this new man to live before God, with all of his limitations, and needs?” The answer again resides in the revelation of Christ and His ways.
It was a “natural” response of Peter to the Lord Jesus, after Jesus had spoken to the disciples concerning His coming crucifixion, to say to him, “…Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee.” (Matt. 16:22) In a most forceful, and serious rebuke of Peter, the Lord responds: “Get thee behind Me, Satan, thou art an offence unto Me; for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” (Matt. 16:23) Why was it that Peter could not discern, and accept the truth of Christ’s work on the cross, especially since Jesus had spoken to the disciples of this several times? To answer the question, we are brought back to this matter of the revelation of the truth of God’s ways, and the power to work according to them.
After the Spirit of God came upon Jesus at His baptism, in a very special way, He was equipped to understand “quickly” in all matters that pertained to His ministry and work. There came into play a principle also by which the Lord Jesus would live, one that defied the ways of man, as opposed to those of God. Isaiah writes: “…And He (the Spirit of God) shall make Him (the Lord Jesus) of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears: but with righteousness shall He judge the poor and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth.” (11:3,4) Christ did only those things which He saw the Father do. He only spoke those words which the Father gave Him to speak. He did not lean unto His own understanding in any matter, but deliberately deferred all discernment to the Spirit of God. In other words, He was absolutely dependent upon the Spirit to be His eyes and His ears. His discernment came from heaven. So it is with the believer. He is instructed to: “…Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not lean unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” (Prov. 3:5,6)
Father, Teach us Thy certain ways. In Jesus’ name, Amen.