The Waning Joy

by McIlree, A. | Category: General | May 1979

Joy can be such an elusive thing, yet why should it be? Why should the child of God feel that Christian living is just something to be coped with, a struggle, a warfare without victory, resulting in true joy being a remote possibility rather than a living reality? Where can we learn the secret that will overcome this spirit of defeatism and allow a lasting sense of joy to accompany the believer?

Go back to the Upper Room. Listen to the Master as He speaks with His disciples.

"These things have I spoken unto you that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be fulfilled. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:11,13)

Listen, again, as He speaks to His Father.

"Father, the hour is come;... But now I come to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves" (John 17:1,13).

Is not the lesson here? In the very anticipation of Calvary the Saviour has thoughts of joy and is pleased to share them with His friends, His Father

and, through the divine record, with us. His joy is related to the sacrifice of Himself and to what is to be accomplished through His death. Consequently we look off unto Him,

"Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross" (Heb. 12:2).

And so, we learn that in the ways of God joy is bound up inseparably with sacrifice. This was made clear in Exodus 29:3842 where God set out His daily requirement. The offering of two lambs, one in the morning and one in the evening, was the great foreshadowing of Christ in death God's Lamb. He was crucified in the morning (the third hour - Mark 15:25) and yielded Himself to God in the evening (the ninth hour - Mark 15:34). With each lamb a drink-offering was to be brought, for God could not see Calvary's sacrifice without Calvary's joy. For this reason the fourth part of an hin of wine was to be poured out on each lamb "Wine which cheereth God and man" (Judg. 9:13).

But how could wine cheer God? In Jotham's parable of the trees the vine probably referred to the drink-offering. Exodus 29 is God's commandment to His priests. Numbers 15 is His commandment to His people. In the latter, He spoke in anticipation of the people entering the land. Was not their joy to be manifestly full in the place of fulness? Was this where their joy was to be seen in accompaniment with their offerings? Without doubt, God had little pleasure from His people in the wilderness. Through disobedience they journeyed there for forty years, having failed to submit their will to the will of God. To cross Jordan was to enter the place where the divine will was in control, where victories through faith were assured and where their joy would be displayed. What an experience: to walk in fullest agreement with Him and, through the submission of the will, know increasing joy!

Note the progression in Numbers 15 - the fourth part of an hin, the third part of an hin, and half an hin. Increasing joy! Perhaps the reader looks back on earlier days and feels that joy has decreased. Is it that yours is a waning joy? In a certain sense has the half become a third and then a quarter? Has something interrupted your communion with the Lord, and now you seek the way to fulness? Nevertheless, even if -

Waning joy has resulted from waning communion,

God speaks once, yea twice. He spoke to Jacob in Genesis 31:13.

"Now arise, get thee out... "

He spoke again in chapter 35:1.

"Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there... "

What a disservice we do ourselves when God's "now" becomes our "later"! Consciously or otherwise it is the glorification of the self-will.

Tragic it is when we imply by our actions that we know better than He. However, Jacob and his household went, returning at the intreaties of God and, on arrival, set up a pillar and poured out a drink-offering. Glad to be back, what joy! but before they went back they had to rid themselves of certain things. Note them carefully as they put away their strange gods, purify themselves and change their garments. In the pursuit of holiness we must learn, as they did, that the way back cannot be travelled with the things that kept us back. Idols, uncleanness, and an acknowledged poor testimony must be overcome in every generation. As God calls us to face up to these things, it may be that joy is being withheld because we withhold ourselves and allow lesser things to occupy our time and attention. Such things come between ourselves and God. And that is idolatry! There are some things in our lives that would be better buried, never to rise to disturb our walk again. Jacob hid the idols, buried beneath the oak. How much we lose if we fail to enter into an experimental understanding of Galatians 6:14.

"But far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world hath, been crucified unto me, and I unto the world".

Beneath that tree we are able to leave our idols!

The pouring out of the drink-offering at Bethel was ample proof of

Jacob's unhindered joy and a lesson to us that Waning joy can be the result of waning commitment.

In Joel's day God was greatly dissatisfied. The sad commentary is set out

in the first chapter of his prophecy.

Verse 9:The drink-offering is cut off from the house of the LORD.

Verse 10:The new wine is dried up (Heb. withered).

Verse 12:The vine is withered, joy is withered away from the sons of men.

Verse 16:Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?

How striking the relationship among the vine, drink-offering and joy in these verses: cut off, withered. Absolute barrenness! The land, the people and the house of God each bore the mark of it. Of course, if there is no gleaning there can be no giving, and if there is no giving there can be no gladness. The only remedy would be a complete turning to God. The rending of the heart must precede the blessing of the Lord. Deep, heartfelt, out-poured confession must precede the restoration of the drink-offering, (ch.2:12-14) from the hand of a gracious God who ever waits to bless the contrite. Unless we know what it is to be broken before Him we will miss His clear indication that

Waning joy can be the result of waning confession.

Perhaps, as we look at the various presentations of the drink-offering, we wonder , Wherein lies the challenge for ourselves? If we truly desire to know it, the Holy Spirit will direct our thoughts as He did the apostle Paul's. He spoke of pouring himself out as a drink-offering "upon the sacrifice and service" of the faith of the saints in Philippi. He was not only prepared to do it, but confessed

"I joy, and rejoice with you all" (Phil. 2:17).

What a Christ-centred ministry: ready to pour himself out as an imitator of his Saviour, even unto death (2 Tim. 4:6)! Why pour out? Why seek joy at such a cost? for how much it had cost Paul to be such a sentinel of divine truth. No doubt he would join with Peter in saying,

"But insomuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, rejoice; that at the revelation of His glory also ye may rejoice with exceeding joy" (1 Pet. 4:13).

The secret of joy was in the surrendered life, then and now. If we share Paul's enjoyment of the Saviour and his all-absorbing hunger - "that I may gain Christ" - we have learned the secret. But we will only gain Him to the degree that we allow Him to gain us! God only gathers up what we pour out.

How much God received from Hannah! What a fulness she possessed as she made her way to Shiloh! Some would have noted the value of her offering of three bullocks. It was so much to give, but God saw more than that. He saw her ephah of fine flour for the meal-offering. Had He asked her for that? No. All she was due to take was three tenths of an ephah for each animal, but overflowing joy could never stop at nine tenths. She had to give ten tenths. Joy had conquered duty! The more perceptive onlooker would have seen her skin of wine and grasped the significant fact that she was going up with joy. Her silence was turned to audible praise, her sorrow to joy and yet, at the heart of her experience was sacrifice, giving up her boy for the service of God.

Years later another mother came, not with the riches of Hannah but claiming God's provision for the poor. With her Son she took two turtle doves, the sign of her poverty. But richer than Hannah she is, for hers is not the bringing of Samuel to God, but the bringing of Immanuel. Where was the expression of her joy? Had she no wine? No drink-offering? It was not hers to give. He would give it Himself. In that Upper Room He took the cup of wine and poured it out, the emblem of His precious blood poured out for us. He delighted to do the will of His Father and poured Himself out as the true Drink-offering. What giving and what joy!

The Lord Himself and none beside

Its bitterness could know,

Nor other tell the joy's full tide

That from that cup shall flow.

The secret of our joy will be in the sacrifice of ourselves. In the satisfying of Him there will be the satisfying of ourselves. A life of communion, commitment and confession is the route we must all travel. A consuming passion for the Saviour, a pre-occupation with the will of God and a Spirit-filled addiction to the field of service must occupy our undivided attention. If so engaged, we will learn the reality of true discipleship. Is it not only in this that, sacrificially, we will overcome the waning joy? Now, not later!

McIlree, A. | May 1979
General