Revival

by Doodson, A. T. | Category: General | Jan 1962

There are many arresting questions that are asked in the Scriptures, and such were those that were asked by Sanballat when he saw the attempts of the Jews to build again the walls of Jerusalem.

What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned?" (Nehemiah 4.2).

The use of the word "revive" gives a significance which Sanballat probably had not dreamt of giving. Before writing on the actual question we may enquire as to the occurrences of the Hebrew word used. It is used in Genesis with regard to the years of life of the patriarchs and there it refers to natural life, but it is used also of Samson after his victory with the aid of a jawbone of an ass, when he was sore athirst and God wrought a miracle for his benefit, "and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived" (Judges 15.19). Then we have the incident when in the power of God Elijah dealt with the son of the widow in Zarephath: and "the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived" (1 Kings 17. 22). Another incident is recorded concerning the burial of Elisha:

"It came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band (of the Moabites); and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha:

and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet" (2 Kings 13. 21).

It may be commented that in the incidents mentioned there is no reference to the way in which the men who were revived used their after life, but in the vision of Ezekiel 3,7, concerning the valley of dried bones, we find Ezekiel, when asked the question, "Can these bones live? " answering, "0 Lord God, Thou knowest" (verse 8), after which he sees bones come together, bone to bone,

"and to, there were sinews upon them, and flesh came up, and skin covered them above " (verse 8). The final miracle took place in the vision when the winds of heaven breathed upon the slain ones "and they lived" (verses 8 to 10).

The purpose of the LORD in all this was to give a lesson to Ezekiel, and through him to the people of his day, and to the generations that should succeed them, that the power of God can work such a wonder and has a purpose in so doing:

"I will put My Spirit in you, and ye shall live... and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD" (verse 14).

This was an exceeding great army (verse 10), who were to be caused to know the LORD, which is the great object of revival, the first thing of all, so that men may experience the power of revival. There can be no limit to the power of God to effect this, as was stated by John the Baptist,

"God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham" (Luke 3.8),

and when the multitude of disciples were rejoicing and praising God, then, in answer to some of the Pharisees who protested against it, the Lord Jesus said,

I tell you that, if these shall hold their peace, the stones will cry out

(Luke 19.40). God had power to cause the dumb ass to speak (Numbers 22.28, and 2 Peter 2.16), and Paul challenged his accusers and judges with the question,

Why is it judged incredible with you, if God doth raise the dead?

(Acts 26.8).

Undoubtedly there are difficulties that men place in the way of God's dealings with them, as witness the days of Noah when God said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man for ever " (Genesis 6.8), and Romans 1.24, 26, 28, concerning men whom God has given up. The chief hindrance that men have is the lack of heart-response to the extent of hardening their hearts. Nehemiah refers to the pride and the hardening of the neck against the commandments of God (Nehemiah 9.16, 17), and indeed the Scriptures give many instances of the hard task which sometimes God had in this way. It is to be remembered that the Epistle to the Hebrews three times warns against. hardening the heart, the great enemy of revival. The apostle Paul refers to things written upon tables that are hearts of flesh (2 Corinthians 3.8). This is the truly best material on which the Spirit may operate, for its results are of an eternal character. It is better far than what was before the mind of Job when he said,

Oh that my words were now written

Oh that they were inscribed in a book

That with an iron pen and lead

They were graven in the rock for ever

(Job 19.23, 24).

We know that what men have thus done, thinking it will endure for all time, is but a vain hope, but that which is written on the heart endures, and it is very precious Godward. It was testified to Josiah,

Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest His words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and host humbled thyself before Me, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me ; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD (2 Chronicles 34.27).

It led to a spell of reviving in Israel such as had not been experienced before. Something like this humbling is essential if there is to be a real reviving in our midst, and the importance that is given to such a. state is shown in the following scripture,

"For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose Name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones " (Isaiah 57.15).

How is reviving to be judged? Taking its literal meaning of "living again we must ask ourselves what is the nature and purpose of the life in question. A thing is alive when it is capable of doing the work for which it has been created, and when it ceases to do that work it becomes dead. The Lord Jesus defines Eternal Life, for its purpose is to know God and Him that has been sent, our Lord Jesus. If there has been a process of reviving in us then the first object is the knowledge of God, and then to do His will. All created things rejoice together so that their voice is heard by the Creator. As the poet has said, There are tongues in trees, books in the running brooks and sermons in stones. What then have the revived stones written about at the outset of this article in the way of teaching for us? When they were first put together in the walls of Jerusalem they conveyed to men the idea of a city compact together, with a within and a without, a place of divine service and a place of government. Those stones speak a deeper language than that of ordinary stones as such, as they are seen joined together after a law and a commandment. That was the lesson when they were first put together and such was to be the lesson of revived stones. God is looking for a unity and for service and for subjection as manifested by the rule of the city.

Doodson, A. T. | Jan 1962
General