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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Captured by the Holy Spirit
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
Notice the expression: "for with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people." Paul applies this passage to the speaking in tongues that we Christians do (I Corinthians 14:21).
"This is the rest," Isaiah claims. So it is that speaking in tongues, as well as the other manifestations of the Holy Spirit in us, brings us into the rest of God (Hebrews, Chapter Four), into the perfect will of God in Christ.
The man with the line in his hand (Ezekiel, Chapter Forty-seven), and the above passage from Isaiah, both portray a progressive capturing of us by the Spirit of God. The Spirit takes the Word of God and uses it as a hammer to break the rock of our heart into pieces. The Word of the Lord breaks us down each day as the Spirit applies it "precept upon precept, precept upon precept, rule upon rule, rule upon rule, here a little and there a little."
The purpose of the hammering on us is that we may "go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken."
"Go, and fall backward" refers to our turning away from the works of the flesh.
"Broken" speaks of our coming to the end of our own ability, and trusting God for the work of redemption. Our proud will is broken and we learn to trust in the atoning death and triumphant resurrection of Christ.
Coming to the cross for salvation is such a blow to the pride of the person who has trusted in his own merit, ability, and strength to make himself acceptable to God that some individuals never can take that step of faith and humility. Their pride prevents them from coming to the foot of the cross for salvation.
"Snared" reveals the actions of the Holy Spirit in bringing into captivity to Christ our deeds, words, thoughts, motives, and imaginations. We do not come into holy behavior overnight. We do pass from death to life, from the authority of Satan to the authority of Christ, and are forgiven all our sins, the moment we believe in Christ.
However, the change in us from unrighteous behavior to holy behavior requires a period of time for its accomplishment. It is command upon command, rule upon rule. We fuss, kick, complain, resist, but the Spirit of the Lord gently leads us into paths of righteousness for His name's sake. We are "snared" by the infinite wisdom of the Holy Spirit as He directs our circumstances until we come willingly into the kind of behavior that is pleasing to the Lord.
"Taken" is the end result of the dealings of the Holy Spirit with us. The waters of the Spirit come up to our "loins," up to the source of reproductive power and strength. We are not just broken, we are not just snared, we are taken as well. Our will is so transformed by the Spirit of God working through the Word of God that we choose to perform the will of God. We begin to please God by our thoughts and actions.
To be continued.