Tokens

by R. DARKE, Vancouver | Category: General | Aug 1964

A rainbow, a scarlet cord, a fleece are some of the tokens revealed in Scripture to indicate the faithfulness of God. "Shew me a token for good," said David (Psalm 86.17), and his prayer no doubt finds an echo in our hearts as we seek to see the hand of God in our lives.

There is a possibility that some of us might have avoided much trouble and disappointment in our Christian experience if we had sought and received a token from the Lord instead of following our own plans and ideas. The idea is prevalent among men that our actions should be based on our own intuition and reasoning, but the child of God is only on a sure foundation when he has a word from the Lord; and so we pray, "Shew me a token for good."

Gideon, the mighty man of valour, who was sent by the Lord to save Israel, took time to obtain a divine token before entering the fray against Midian and Amalek (Judges 6.33-40). He sought it firstly in the wet fleece upon the dry ground, and then in the dry fleece upon the wet ground, " ... and God did so ... " It was only when he accepted the further sign that God Himself proposed for

his assurance, that Gideon was prepared to go forward with the small army of three hundred men to put the enemy to flight. Humanly speaking, everything about Gideon bespoke frailty. Three companies of one hundred apiece; empty pitchers with torches; trumpets and a challenging shout; could he defeat the mighty enemy by these, alone? Yes, he put them to flight, because as the Lord through Paul said later that He "chose the weak things of the world, that He might put to shame the things that are strong."

It could be that we would gain more victories in our battles for Him if only we would wait for His tokens. We are just as frail as Gideon and his three hundred men. In 2 Corinthians 4.6, 7 Paul speaks of earthen vessels which contain the treasure of "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ". The vessels speak of you and me, and the word "earthen" indicates how fragile we are, and as easily broken as the pitchers of Gideon's men: this in order that the divine light might shine forth from us. It is the "fragile vessel" that proves that the power is of God, and not of ourselves (verse 7).

From Rahab, the harlot, we can learn what a token can be. Knowing the power of God manifested on Israel's behalf, she pleaded with the spies to save her and her family when Jericho was attacked (Joshua 2.1-24). She said,

"Swear unto me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you that ye also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a true token."

The token was a line of scarlet thread, which she bound in the window as a token of the covenant.

In the days of Noah, after God had purged the earth in judgement by water, He placed a token in the sky. To Noah He said, "This is the token of the covenant which I make between Me and you and every living creature" (Genesis 9. 12). The Lord could not have chosen a more conspicuous place to manifest to all the evidence of His future grace! Every time we see the rainbow we are reminded of God's token for good, but He also looks upon the token of His everlasting covenant.

The Lord has used His tokens in the past.

Let us each pray,

"Lord, shew me a token for good."

R. DARKE, Vancouver | Aug 1964
General