Scripture Reading: Exo. 3:8; Deut. 8:8; 32:14; 1 Pet. 2:2; Psa. 119:103; S. S. 4:11a
Ⅰ
The purpose of God's calling is to bring God's chosen people into the enjoyment of the all-inclusive Christ, typified by the good land flowing with milk and honey—Exo. 3:8:
A
The Christ who is typified by the good land is the processed Triune God as the life-giving Spirit indwelling our spirit—Gal. 3:14; cf. Isa. 8:8; 2 Tim. 4:22.
B
Christ as the grace of God is the good land flowing with milk and honey for us to enter into, enjoy, experience, partake of, and possess:
１
In 1 Corinthians Paul likened the Corinthians to the children of Israel, who came out of Egypt into the wilderness—5:7; 10:3-4; cf. 2:14-15; 3:1.
２
In 2 Corinthians the good land flowing with milk and honey is Christ Himself as the embodiment of the processed Triune God given to us as the divine grace for our enjoyment—1:12; 12:9; 13:14.
３
The temple, the building of God, for God's rest and expression comes forth out of the enjoyment of the riches of Christ as the grace of God, which is typified by the good land of Canaan—Eph. 2:21-22; 3:8; 1:23; 3:19.
Ⅱ
Milk and honey, which are the mingling of both the animal life and the vegetable life, are two aspects of the life of Christ—the redeeming aspect and the generating aspect—Deut. 8:8; 32:13-14:
A
The redeeming aspect of Christ's life is for our judicial redemption, and the generating aspect of Christ's life is for our organic salvation—John 1:29; 12:24; Rev. 2:7; Rom. 5:10.
B
The symbols of the Lord's table signify the redeeming and generating aspects of Christ's life for God's complete salvation—Matt. 26:26-28; 1 Cor. 10:17.
Ⅲ
The way to enjoy Christ as the land flowing with milk and honey is to partake of Him as our God-allotted portion in the light—Col. 1:12-13:
A
We must be in the light in order to enjoy the all-inclusive Christ in His redeeming and generating aspects—1 Pet. 2:9; Isa. 2:5:
１
God is light—1 John 1:5.
２
The word of God is light—Psa. 119:105, 130.
３
Christ is light—John 8:12; 9:5.
４
The life of Christ is light—1:4.
５
The believers are light—Matt. 5:14; Phil. 2:15.
６
The church is a lampstand shining with light—Rev. 1:20; Psa. 73:16-17.
B
We must eat God's words (Jer. 15:16) to enjoy the all-inclusive Christ in His redeeming and generating aspects—John 6:57, 63, 68; Eph. 6:17-18:
１
God's word is milk for us to drink—1 Pet. 2:2.
２
God's word is honey for us to eat—Psa. 119:103; 19:8-10; Ezek. 3:3.
３
God's word as milk and honey is the word of His grace in Acts 20:32.
C
Chapter one of 1 John reveals a cycle in our spiritual life, through which we enjoy God's complete salvation in its redeeming (judicial) aspect and its generating (organic) aspect:
１
This cycle comprises the eternal life, the fellowship of the eternal life, the divine light, and the blood of Jesus the Son of God—vv. 2-3, 5-9.
２
First John 1:6-9 reveals that God's organic salvation with Christ's generating life, signified by the plant life, needs to be maintained constantly through the blood of His judicial redemption, signified by the animal life.
３
Whenever we come to experience Christ, we must always apply Him as the redeeming One, as the Lamb who has been slain, that we may enjoy all the riches of His generating life—John 1:29; 1 John 1:7; Rom. 5:10.
D
Through the discipline of the Holy Spirit, we can enjoy and be constituted with Christ as the grace of God, the reality of the good land flowing with milk and honey—2 Cor. 12:7-10; 1 Pet. 5:5-7:
１
The environmental arrangements of the Holy Spirit to break us and His inner working to constitute us are the discipline of the Holy Spirit—Rom. 8:28; Heb. 12:10.
２
The discipline of the Holy Spirit breaks and destroys our natural disposition and habits, and it brings in the constitution of the Holy Spirit in maturity and sweetness—vv. 5-11; Jer. 48:11.
３
When trials arise, it may appear that we are failing, but His grace will always carry us through and be wrought into us so that we may reach maturity and become channels of grace to others—2 Cor. 1:15; 1 Pet. 4:10.
４
Especially when we are weak in spirit and come to the Lord to experience and apply Him, we sense that He is the milk and the honey, the richness and the sweetness of the life of Christ—2 Cor. 12:9-10.
Ⅳ
By enjoying Christ as the land of milk and honey, we will be constituted with Him as milk and honey—"Your lips drip fresh honey, my bride; / Honey and milk are under your tongue"—S. S. 4:11a:
A
Honey restores the stricken ones, whereas milk feeds the new ones.
B
The seeker has stored so many riches within her that food seems to be under her tongue, and she can dispense to the needy ones at any time—Isa. 50:4.
C
This sweetness is not produced overnight, but comes from a long period of gathering, inward activity, and careful storage—S. S. 4:16.
D
From the mouth of the maiden issue forth words of grace, sweet and refreshing words which are good for building up, not noxious, offensive, or worthless words—Matt. 12:36; Luke 4:22; Eph. 4:29-30.