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Spirit of the Word - Covenant Eschatology - Introductory Note - New Stuff
THAT THEY MIGHT BE CALLED TREES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
by Ray Prinzing"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He has sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn, to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; THAT they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, THAT He might be glorified." (Isaiah 61:1-3).
Having taken note that our Lord was ANOINTED for His redemptive ministry, and rejoicing in the Spirit's energizing force to accomplish that which the Father sent Him to do, we are then taken with the particulars of His grace to us. Healing the broken-hearted, setting the captives free, giving them beauty for ashes, oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. All of this demonstrates the outflow of His love and mercy. Blessings so freely given! And as the beautiful hymn states:
"His love hath no limit, His grace hath no measure,But there is a twofold purpose being wrought out, and the grace of God that is given to us is toward this end-- THAT the inworking ministration of the Spirit might result in our becoming "TREES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, the planting of the Lord." And, secondly, "THAT He might be glorified." This is HIS HANDIWORK, and it redounds to His glory and praise. "Your people also shall be all righteous:... the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, THAT I MAY BE GLORIFIED." (Isaiah 60:21).
His power hath no boundary known unto men,
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again."
Praise His wonderful name!He has a goal in view, to have a people that are mature, fully conformed to His image, and partakers of His divine nature. "That they may be called oaks of righteousness (lofty, strong and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice and right standing with God), the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." (Amplified). The symbolism of trees, the cedars of Lebanon, the oaks, the teil tree, etc. are rich with meaning, and often employed in the Old Testament to indicate that His people are robust and strong, productive, and to His praise.
So the Psalmist says that they who find their delight in the Lord, and His Word, "shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper." (Psalm 1:3).
Jeremiah also bears witness to this. "Blessed is the man that trusts in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreads out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat comes, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." (Jer. 17:7-8). Filled with life, drawn from the River of Life, they are not affected by the negative conditions of drought or extreme heat. They have been so processed by the Lord during their "times of captivity," when the purgings of His judgments were upon them; when they walked through the ashes; coming to know that in themselves they are nothing-- while through all of the deep travail and mourning they sought Him with all their heart-- and now He has blessed them-- they are rooted and grounded in Him who is their life, and can say with Paul, "None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry... to testify the gospel of the grace of God." (Acts 20:24).
He alone shall be exalted, for it is truly ALL BY HIS GRACE. The inworkings have been thorough! Self is crucified with Christ, the new life is but a further manifestation of Him! No wonder Jesus said, "Every plant, which My heavenly Father has not planted, shall be rooted up." (Matt. 15:13). "That no flesh should glory in His presence." (1 Cor. 1:29). These are, everyone, HIS SOVEREIGN PLANTING, and with every fiber of their being they know it-- so that He alone shall be glorified.
It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word "elim" which has in this case been translated as "trees" literally means: mighty ones. It is the plural of "El" which means: THE STRONG ONE, and which has often been translated as God. These are His MIGHTY ONES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS! From the very beginning this was His announced intention. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness ..." (Genesis 1:26). He purposes to bring forth a people "after His own kind," that He might be the King of kings, Lord of lords, and yes, God of gods. Every one will bear His image, His nature, His likeness, one in HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS-- holy, and wholly His.
But long before we are known as "His mighty ones of righteousness," we are made partakers of vanity-- emptiness-- corruption, for He would purge out any trace of self-will, carnal egotism, the "I will" that brought about our fall, and utter disgrace. We read in Psalm 8:4-5, "What is man that You are mindful of him? and the son of man, that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels..." The Hebrew text literally reads, "You have made him lack a little from God (Elohim)." But one cannot be made to lack from a certain realm unless they had once been a part of it. So in this process there was a LOWERING-- a diminishing, a being made to lack, and we find ourselves struggling with the futility of limitation.
It is amazing how pompous and arrogant man can become in his nothingness. Nebuchadnezzar certainly manifested this-- a revelation of the heart of the carnal man. He said, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty." (Dan. 4:30). But while the word was yet in his mouth, God laid him low, until he would learn that "The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever He will." (v. 32). And when his discipline was finished, the very subdued king declared, "ALL the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, and He does according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What do You?" (v. 35).
Puffed up, and then deflated-- humanity wallows through the processings over and over again, until we learn "I can of mine own self do nothing." (John 5:30). And when we KNOW that our own self-righteousness is as filthy rags, we cry out for Him to clothe us with His fine linen-- and with grace and mercy He gives us blessings of salvation, beauty for ashes, and the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise. HE would have a people who are ALL RIGHTEOUS, and to this end our Redeemer comes to us, "THAT we might be made (become) the righteousness of God in Him."
(2 Cor. 5:21)."I have said, You are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High. But you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes." (Ps. 82:6-7)
God is "the Father of spirits," (Heb. 12:9), and because man's spirit comes OUT OF HIM, they are rightly called gods, or, elohim. Elohim is a plural word for gods, as well as betimes referring to Him as the Head of this God-family. But, in the outworking of His plan of the ages, He has caused us to lack, to be lowered from this realm, and man is presently unable to bear this yoke of divinity, or live out the fulness of this righteous state, and so we "die like men," literally, like Adam, who was the one by whom "sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." (Romans 5:12). Also, "and fall like one of the princes," even as the one who fell into the expressions of "I will..." as noted in Isaiah 14:12-15. But the fall-- the death realm-- was only to be for a season, and when its purposes are complete, there is a restoration.
Now the inworking of His grace has been such that "Of His own will He begot us with the Word of Truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." (James 1:18). Literally, "creatures of Himself." Which, as we stated earlier-- are to be conformed to His image, become partakers of His divine nature-- and truly become "ONE IN HIM." Then, "I will praise You with my whole heart; before the gods (elohim) will I sing praise unto You." (Psalm 138:1). "O give thanks unto the God of gods." (Psalm 136:2).
Praise God, all of His blessed inworking of grace is to bring forth these MIGHTY ONES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. "As many as received Him, to them gave He power (the right, or privilege) to become the sons of God..." (John 1:12).
"The man who is really God's son does not practice sin, for God's nature is in him, for good, and such a heredity is incapable of sin."
(1 John 3:9, Phillips). No wonder Isaiah prophesied of a day when, "Your people shall be ALL RIGHTEOUS." The inworking of the cross will be complete. The purging and purifying will end and God will have birthed a people INCAPABLE OF SIN. This truth is so awesome that we weep before Him, yearning for it to be a reality in us. While at the same time we rejoice, because we know that the end result is secure, for He is both the Author and Finisher of our faith.And all of this, THAT HE MAY BE GLORIFIED. It all redounds to His praise! He is magnified in a people who have BECOME all that He purposed for them to be. Jesus prayed, "Father, glorify Your name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." (John 12:28). Note the word "both" for it encompasses a double working. I HAVE, and I WILL AGAIN. The "have" was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. For the Father was glorified in The Son. Yet, just as sure as God was glorified in the Son, so also NOW HE WILL BE GLORIFIED IN THE SONS. There is an "again" and it is in a people who become ONE IN HIM.
"He shall come to BE GLORIFIED IN HIS SAINTS, and to be admired in all them that believe in that day. - That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be GLORIFIED IN YOU, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thess. 1:10,12). Here is the "again" fulfilled, in His saints-- His mighty ones of righteousness, a people become His praise.
How effective is the outworking of the ANOINTING that was upon Him? The answer is found in this people who have BECOME. Truly He was anointed to announce unto us the glad tidings-- "Who has abolished death, and has brought life and immortality (Greek, INCORRUPTION) to light through the gospel." (2 Tim. 1:10). HIS was the good news, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10). He proclaimed a LIFE that went far beyond prosperity, physical health, and a "good time for all" on this earth. He brought the LIFE OF THE AGES! Life that was SINLESS, incorruptible, and therefore age-abiding.
He was anointed to set the captives free-- free from every lust and passion that bound them to the realm of sin and death. He was anointed to heal the brokenhearted, every bruised, battered and wounded soul. He was anointed to proclaim that NOW IS THE RECEIVABLE TIME to partake of these blessings. He even became the vengeance/judgment which would bring a halt within us to the ravages of sin, and restore unto us the joy of our salvation, as in our personal experience we find that, "For judgment I am come into this world." (John 9:39). And He was anointed TO GIVE-- give all that was necessary to build up and restore His people until they become mighty ones of righteousness. And why bring forth such a people? As already stated, THAT HE MIGHT BE GLORIFIED. But there is more-- for in the outworking of glorifying Him, they become labourers together with Him in the great restoration to come.
So the prophetic word continues, "And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations." (Isa. 61:4). God alone knows the extent of the devastation-- and the tremendous restoration needed. "For thus says the Lord that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He has established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited..." (Isaiah 45:18).
Here is a glimpse into the ages past-- "HE CREATED IT NOT IN VAIN." Hebrew is "tohu" meaning: in ruin, vacancy, vanity. Genesis 1:2 reads, "And the earth was without form, and void (bohu, empty); and darkness was upon the face of the deep." Since God did not create it this way, something happened between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. And then there was a re-creation to bring forth this present kosmos, for the purpose of our subjection to this bondage of vanity and corruption. But when HE has brought forth HIS MIGHTY ONES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, there is going to be a SPIRITUAL RESTORATION that is far beyond what we can presently comprehend.
"They shall build the old wastes." The word "old" used here is the Hebrew word "olam" meaning: an age. Also used in Isaiah 58:12, "And they that shall be of you shall build the old waste places: you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in." Whatever devastation has occurred in past ages-- ultimately it is all to be fully restored. Whether we view this from the microcosm of our own little earthen vessel, and the grace of God which can restore us unto oneness with the Father, or if we view the whole macrocosm of the universe-- the victory is secure. It is a working that culminates in "Behold, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW." (Rev. 21:5).
Paul simply states it: "THAT God may be all in all." (I Cor. 15:28). Which the Amplified translation gives: "So that God may be all in all-- that is, be everything to everyone, supreme, the indwelling and controlling factor of life." All in God, God in all-- with revelations to be forthcoming that will go far beyond all that we could ask or think. And to become a part of the outworking of this plan-- truly, that is an awesome prospect.
"Build the old wastes ..." Hebrew word for "waste" used here, is "choreb" meaning: drought, a desolation, that which is dried up, laid waste because of the lack of water-- utterly parched and dry. Such barrenness! And what a challenge to be presented-- sent in to restore such a place to life and fruitfulness again.
Ezekiel was faced with such, when "The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones ... and lo, they were VERY DRY. And He said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?" (Ezekiel 37:1-3).
VERY DRY-- CAN THEY LIVE? Driving through an extreme desert area, and seeing a few bleached bones lying there, utterly wasted-- "can these bones live?" Sitting in a church service, with the driest of form and ceremony, and then let the Spirit ask you the question, "Can these bones live?" Ah, the prophet was wise in his answer. "O Lord God, You know." It was more than just saying, "Only God knows," for in HIS KNOWLEDGE is also the manner and means whereby it can be accomplished. GOD KNOWS HOW! And so the prophet was told to prophesy upon the bones, "And say unto them, O you dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live..."
This was more than just "a positive confession" by the prophet. This was far more than a "commanding cliche,"-- "in the name of Jesus live." It was not something out of man, naming, claiming, etc. but GOD GAVE HIM THE WORDS TO SAY, "So I prophesied as I was commanded." (v. 7). It was a God-given Word, and it accomplished what HE sent it forth to do.
"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." (Gen. 1:3). Over and over again you read it there, "And GOD SAID..." His Words are Spirit and LIFE. But methinks that most of the words that we utter today are yet a part of the DRYING WIND that is sapping the life out of the bones, rather than imparting His life. When God imparts a Word to be spoken, it will do what He said for it to do!
It was prophetically stated of our Lord, "I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people." (Ps. 89:19). HE WAS ANOINTED-- He was empowered-- "It is the Spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are LIFE." (John 6:63). Many times "The people were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as one having authority..." (Matt. 7:28-29). And well they could ask, "What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?" (Matt. 8:27). HE WAS A MIGHTY ONE!
And now His inworkings of grace are that we might become "mighty ones of righteousness." And He is infusing His people with His Spirit, so that "Out from his innermost being springs and rivers of living water shall flow continuously." (John 7:38, Amplified). Note the word "flow" that is used here, for it is the Greek word "rheo" which is the root for our English word "rhetoric" which bespeaks of an expressive flow of words. Praise God, WORDS OF SPIRIT AND OF LIFE are to flow out of us-- as we speak whatever HE COMMANDS-- and when we do, the dry bones will live. Not because of us, but because of HIS SPIRIT WORD that dwells within us. Mighty ones of righteousness, that become one with THE WORD-- "That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:17).
These "trees of righteousness" that have been PLANTED BY (in) the river of water of HIS LIFE in the heavenlies, shall become dispensers of that WATER OF LIFE to all the waste places. "Drop down, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it." (Isaiah 45:8). You cannot POUR DOWN RIGHTEOUSNESS until first you have become "all righteous, the planting of the Lord." It is not just a talking about a standard of righteousness, it is a STATE OF BEING, a doing that results from what we have become. "If you know that He is righteous, you know that every one that does righteousness is born of Him." (1 John 2:29). That, you see, is the secret-- being fully born of God!
All of the ministration of His anointed work within us-- is to transform us into His image, and then to empower us to share in this restoration. For so long we have tried in ourselves to do these great works, and utterly failed. We tried to build castles out of our ashes, and they crumbled. We tried to convince ourselves that we were happy with the joy of the Lord, as the deep mourning and travail continued within. But when He anoints with THE OIL OF JOY, then sorrow and mourning will flee away. When He gives us BEAUTY FOR ASHES, there will be substance and glory that abounds. When He clothes us with A GARMENT OF PRAISE, forgotten will be the vanity and dark nights of heaviness. His mighty ones of righteousness will do what He commissions them to do-- and it will GET DONE because He has fully equipped them for the doing. When HE has finished HIS WORK IN US, we will be able to do service for Him. It is that simple, it is that glorious!
He is THE MIGHTY ONE, and He is birthing His mighty ones of righteousness, to whom it shall be said, "As My Father has sent Me, even so send I you." (John 20:21). This is far more than just a text for a missionary service, to entice a few more to "go" and "work, work, work" in propagating creed and doctrine of some religious organization. "For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:17). Sent to save! To become, as Paul wrote, "unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish." And then well he asks, "And who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Cor. 2: 15-16). Later he gives answer: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; bit our sufficiency is of God; Who also has made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the Spirit." (2 Cor. 3:5-6).
"And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's." (Obadiah 21).
Paul knew that he yet ministered in the realm of the "in part," saying, "For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." (1 Cor. 13:9-10). But even in the limitations of the "in part" he could also say, "For so has the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set you to be a light of the nations, that you should BE FOR SALVATION unto the ends of the earth." (Acts 13:47). He knew he was sent by God, and that God had given him revelations which were to be declared to others-- and so he lived out the commission which God imparted to him. But he also felt that he was as "one born out of due time." (1 Cor. 15:8). He came after all the other apostles who had been with Jesus, though he had his personal encounter with the Lord; and he came before the "time of the perfect" when God's people would be filled with His fulness. But even so, there was a certain fulfillment of the scripture in Paul-- and he finished his course as appointed.
Likewise, we praise God for every "in part" ministry of today-- as men and women seek to walk with God, and obey whatever commission He places upon them. Not as 'MY ministry, or MY church, etc." but in humble obedience to God's leading in their life. But all of this present time is still looking forward to THAT DAY when He will have completed His work IN US, that we might become HIS MIGHTY ONES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. Then shall we enter "the times of restitution of all things," as spoken of in Acts 3:21. Praise God, the BEST IS YET TO COME-- for when His salvation is COMPLETE IN US, we will share that salvation, until "the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." (Hab. 2:14). Amen!
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