Outline
H
As we experience the Lord's shepherding and remain under His kingship, we enjoy His covenant of peace, which is secure and unchanging, and are no longer subject to spiritual troubles and disturbances—Ezek. 37:24-28:
１
Under His shepherding, all the evil beasts, evil persons, are kept away from the Lord's recovered people—34:25a; cf. Acts 20:28-29; Phil. 3:2-3.
２
The Lord breaks our yoke, delivers us from slavery, and promises that we will not be a prey to the enemy but will dwell in peace and safety—Ezek. 34:25b, 27b-28.
I
Through the experience of the Lord's shepherding, God's recovered people have God's presence, God is among them, and they are before God; this portrays the perfect fellowship with God—the fellowship in oneness—in the mingling of God and man, in which we are one with God and He is one with us—vv. 30-31.
J
Through His shepherding, the Lord brings us into the enjoyment of His blessing and causes us to become a source of blessing under the showers of blessing—vv. 26-27a, 29; Gen. 12:2-3; Rom. 15:29; 2 Cor. 1:12, 15; Zech. 10:1:
１
The blessing in Numbers 6:23-27, like that in 2 Corinthians 13:14, is the eternal blessing of the Triune God, which is the Triune God dispensing Himself in His Divine Trinity into us for our enjoyment.
２
In order to receive the Lord's blessing, we must practice the oneness, and the practice of the oneness is the one accord—Psa. 133; Eph. 4:3-4a; Acts 1:14; 2:46; Rom. 15:5-6.
Morning Nourishment
Ezek. 34:25-26 And I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish evil beasts from the land, so that they will dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing, and I will cause the showers to come down in their season; there will be showers of blessing.Certain portions of Ezekiel speak of God’s covenant with Israel. Ezekiel 16:60 and 62 say, “Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an eternal covenant for you…And I will establish My covenant with you, and you will know that I am Jehovah.” In 37:26a the Lord promised, “I will also make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them.” Once a matter has been covenanted, it is established and secure and it cannot be changed…As we experience the Lord’s shepherding and remain under His kingship, we enjoy His peace and are no longer subject to spiritual troubles and disturbances. (Life-study of Ezekiel, pp. 181-182)
Today’s Reading
Ezekiel 34:25a says…that, under the Lord’s shepherding, all the evil beasts will be kept away from the Lord’s recovered people…In the proper church life there are no wolves, only lambs. In His recovery the Lord banishes evil beasts.In Ezekiel 34:27 the Lord promised to break all the yokes, including the yokes of sin and the world…Jesus breaks every fetter! In the local churches we have no yokes. Instead, we have full liberty and full release. Verse 27 also indicates that the Lord delivers us from all kinds of slavery…The more we enjoy the Lord’s shepherding, the more we are liberated from every kind of slavery.
[In verse 28a] the Lord promised that those in His recovery would never be prey to the enemy. This means that they would never be defeated or captured by the enemy. In the church life we share the spoil of the Lord’s recovery, of the Lord’s victory. Instead of struggling to gain the victory, we are simply enjoying the victory of the Lord.
Eventually, the Lord promised that all those in His recovery would dwell in peace and security. Verse 25b says, “They will dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods”; verse 27b says, “They will be secure in their land”; and verse 28b says, “They will dwell securely, and no one will make them afraid.” This indicates that we will dwell securely and restfully in Christ, without any fear. In Christ we have peace.
In verse 15 we have the phrase lie down, and in verse 25, the word sleep. Under the Lord’s shepherding, it is safe to sleep even in the woods. In the Lord’s recovery, there is no need for us to be afraid of anything…In the proper church life in the Lord’s recovery, there is nothing for you to be afraid of. In such a church we have the sense of security…There should never be a situation in the church life that causes you to be fearful. For instance, you should never be afraid to talk to an elder or to an older sister.
The Lord promised not only that His people would receive His blessing but also that He would make them a blessing [v. 26a]. If there is the peace that is the peace of the covenant, the Lord’s blessing will follow. First, we ourselves will enjoy the Lord’s blessing, and then He will cause us to become a source of blessing to others so that they may be supplied.
God will cause the showers of blessing to come down in their season [v. 26b]…There will be timely rain. As we are abiding in Christ, the rain, the Holy Spirit, will often come upon us. Sometimes even at home after the meeting, we have the sense that the showers of blessing are still coming down upon us. This is the strongest sign that the Lord’s blessing is upon the local church. He sends us showers of blessing in season, so timely. (Life-study of Ezekiel, pp. 182-184)
Further Reading: Life-study of Numbers, msg. 11; The Intrinsic Problem in the Lord’s Recovery Today and Its Scriptural Remedy, ch. 2