LOCUSTS AND HONEY

Vol. 7, Part 4

Finding the Will of God in New Testament Times

Introduction 

In our previous edition of Locusts and Honey, we discussed how people in the Old Testament could ascertain the specific will of God.  Some of the methods which were mentioned included direct encounters with God, guidance through the Pillar of Cloud, the Urim and Thummim, dreams and visions, and through Holy Spirit inspired prophets.  In this edition we look at how Jesus found the will of God and how the people in New Testament times found the will and direction of God.  There are many similarities about how people found direction about God’s will in the New Testament with those methods found in the Old Testament.  However, there are also some changes on how the love of God manifested itself and how the revelation of God expanded in the New Testament period to more and more people.  Let me give some examples.  In New Testament times, the Revelation of God appears through the person and work of Jesus Christ. If one wants to know about God, instead of approaching Mount Sinai which is fearsome; now one must go to Mt. Calvary and embrace the sacrifice of Jesus.  In Old Testament times, the angel of the Lord often was the manifestation of God.  In the New Testament, Jesus the Messiah becomes the focus of the movement of God.  In the Old Testament, one looked to guidance on whether to stop or go from the Pillar of Cloud.   In the church, one looks to the Holy Spirit.

In the New Testament there is a growth in the manifestation of God’s love for us.  There is an expansion of understanding leading to the truth of John 3:16 that “God so loved the earth that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have ever-lasting life.”   Instead of the Revelation of God being primarily centered upon the Jewish people, the understanding of that love expands to encompass the Gentile Nations (the Non-Jews).  The covenant relationship is expanded to include you and me.  Instead of the animal sacrifice of the lamb, there is the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.  Instead of the Spirit being on Sinai or in the Pillar or in the Cloud leading the Jews, there is now the Holy Spirit which rests in each of us.  Instead of Isaac, the only son and heir, being an example of the sacrifice of the Son of God for us, there is the actual sacrifice of God’s only begotten son. 

In the Old Testament, the prophets testified of things to come.  David testified precisely of the Messiah and the details of his death.  Isaiah testified of the Messiah and the finest description of Jesus and His work is found in the 53 Chapter of Isaiah.  All of the prophecies of Moses, David, Isaiah and the prophets are completed by Jesus Christ and his life and sacrifice for us.  Therefore the Revelation of the Messiah which is predicted in the Old Testament and which was seen from afar, comes clearly into focus by its completion through the work and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  The leadership of the Holy Spirit which is manifested in various ways in the Old Testament including by the Pillar of Cloud and the Shekinah Glory of God becomes more concrete and specific through the resting of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit to the church and to believers such as you and me. 

When Adam began there were no Scriptures in place.  There also were no Scriptures in the time of Abraham.  However, as time went on the revelation of God in the written word of God became more substantial.  By the time of Moses we have at least the beginnings of the Torah.  Later these Scriptures would grow to include other writings including the Psalms, the Prophets and other writings.  In short the written word of God grew slowly.  At the time of the birth of Jesus there was no New Testament.  There were no Gospels, no writings of Paul or other New Testament writings.    Gradually, the writings of the New Testament developed.  My point is that God’s revelation has some type of progressive development.  It grows.  What we have today for our instruction and correction is obviously far more than what Abraham had.  As such, God may give us prophecies, dreams, visions and the like; however we are to measure these personal revelations responsibly with the tools and benefits which God has given us including the written word of God.  We seek to know the will of God for our lives utilizing the Word of God, prayer and the personal guidance in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit and Jesus

In the Old Testament, we see the Holy Spirit appearing in a multitude of ways.  We see the Holy Spirit giving leadership in the Pillar of Cloud.  We also see the presence of God appearing in the Ark of the Covenant between the two Cherubim and later entering into the Temple of Solomon.  We also see the Holy Spirit giving utterance to the words of God through the prophets.  In the New Testament, we learn that the Holy Spirit came and rested upon Jesus.  John the Baptist testified to this when he saw Jesus and said, “Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”  (John 1:29).  John witnessed to the fact that the Holy Spirit came and rested upon Jesus.  John 1:32-34 says:

I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove,

and He remained upon Him.   I did not know Him, but

He who sent me to baptize with water said to me,

“Upon whom you see the Spirit descending and

remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes

with the Holy Spirit.”

Note that the Holy Spirit remained upon Jesus and that Jesus would in the future baptize others with the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit was given to the believers of Jesus (See Luke 24:49; John 10:22 and Acts 1:4-8).

Despite having the Holy Spirit, Jesus also sought to understand the will of the Father by other means as well.  Jesus was knowledgeable regarding the Scriptures and had even listened and asked questions to the teachers when he was twelve years old ( Luke 2:41-52).  Jesus utilized Scripture when He was tempted by the Devil.  (See Matt. 4:1-10).  Jesus also prayed regularly to God for guidance.  We know that Jesus stayed on the mountain all night praying before He selected his disciples ( Luke 6:12-13).  In addition Jesus in teaching his disciples to pray taught them to pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  (Matt. 6:9-10).  Just before Jesus went to the cross he spent the night praying and finally concluded:  “Not my will be done but Thy will be done” ( Matt. 14:36; Luke 22:42).  Jesus was guided by the Holy Spirit, by prayer and by the Word of God.  Jesus was intimately familiar with the prophecies regarding the Messiah in the Old Testament and the words that the Holy Spirit had spoken in the past through the prophets.    Jesus knew far in advance through the Holy Spirit and his knowledge of the Scriptures that he was to go to Jerusalem and be crucified.   (Matt. 16:21-28; Matt. 17:22-23; Matt. 20:19; Matt. 26:1-2; Mark 8:31-33; Mark 10:34; Luke 9:22-27).

Jesus operated under the power of the Holy Spirit and it was He who told us that we as followers of Christ would receive the Spirit of Truth.

In the Old Testament, Moses wanted to see God “face to face.”  Today if we want to see God we have an easier time of it.   We can view the face of Christ and in doing so understand what the nature and character of God is.  God has enabled us to see His Image in the face and life of Christ.

Jesus received guidance from the Holy Spirit which rested upon Him.  Likewise we, the children of Christ, receive our guidance from the Holy Spirit.  Jesus asked for guidance in faith through prayers.  We ask for guidance in the same way.  Jesus said that God’s will be done rather than his own individual will.  Like Jesus we ask that we do God’s will not our own.  Jesus knew prophecy and the Scriptures.  We, like Jesus, rely on the Word of God for our guidance and for help in resisting temptation.

Specific Methods of Guidance Found in the Old Testament are Also in the New Testament

We are often taught a type of dualism where there is the God of the Old Testament who is harsh and almost evil and then there is the God of the New Testament who is good.  This type of heresy is called dualism.  It is a form of an old heresy called Marcionism.  You can also find this concept in Zoroastrianism where you have a duality of two gods, a good god and a bad god.  The fact of the matter is that God’s plan for Christ and our salvation was developed before creation ( Eph. 1:3-6;

1 Pet. 1:19-20).  The coming of the Messiah was predicted in Genesis where the Seed of Woman would crush the head of the Serpent (Satan).  Since Creation it has been the will of God to have fellowship with man.  Some of the means for receiving specific guidance in the Old Testament, we also find in the New Testament.  In the first part of this edition, I have already covered the fact that God has allowed man to come face to face with the image of God by the coming of the Messiah and the work of Jesus Christ who is the Son of God.  As Jesus said, if you have known the Son, then you have known the Father.  ( John 12:44-45; John 14:7-9; Hebrews 1:3; Col. 2:9 ).  We no longer need to guess about God, but can know God because God sent his only begotten (unique) son.  Unfortunately most of mankind did not want to know the Father so they have cast out and rejected the son and when you reject the son, you reject the father

We have also previously discussed the work of the Holy Spirit and the Pillar of Cloud and the Pillar of Fire.  In the New Testament, we see the Holy Spirit resting on Jesus just as in the Old Testament, the Spirit of God rested on Mt. Sinai, rested on the Tabernacle of Witness and rested between the Cherubim of the Ark of the Covenant.   In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus.  It also seals and comes to rest as tongues of fire at Pentecost, giving guidance to the church and not only guidance but truth, power and comfort.  Below, we will touch upon some of the methods of guidance utilized in the Old Testament, which we also encounter in the New Testament.

Guidance through the Urim and Thummim

Out of all of the methods of guidance found in the Old Testament, which we would never expect to be found in the New Testament, is the Urim and Thummim.  The Urim and Thummim are not mentioned in the New Testament at all.  However, a very similar process was used on one occasion in the New Testament.  In Acts 1:23-26, Peter leads the Apostles in selecting a new apostle to replace Judas.  The disciples decide to pick a disciple who is a witness to all that Jesus did.  The disciples narrowed their selection down to two names.  Rather than selecting the final name, the disciples actually prayed to God for guidance to pick the apostle to replace Judas and made the selection by casting lots.  Yes, I know this is absolutely incredible.  However, it is totally within the tradition of using the “yes/no” process utilized by the Urim and Thummim in the Old Testament.  In short, the Apostles pray and then utilize lots to select between the two candidates.  To me, this is somewhat like seeking a pastor and getting two great candidates and then praying to God and flipping a coin with the certitude that God will select the right one of the two.  Whether this process was successful or not, I leave to you. 

Dreams

God used dreams in the Old Testament times.  Remember our key verse regarding Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:17 when he quotes Joel 2:28 regarding the work of the Holy Spirit.  That verse says the following:

I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and daughters

shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old

men shall dream dreams

Dreams and visions did not die in the Old Testament and they did not die in the New Testament.  God has used them throughout history.  Today, we have better methods to test these dreams and visions.  They can now be measured against the written word of the Lord.  Let’s take a look at the way in which dreams were used in New Testament times.

• The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and told him that he should not fear to take Mary for a wife and that that which was conceived in her was from the Holy Spirit. (Matt. 1:20-21).
• The wise men were warned in a dream not to return to Herod and report the birth of Jesus (Matt. 2:12).
• An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to flee to Egypt to protect his family from Herod (Matt. 2:13).
• Pilate’s wife was warned in a dream that Pilate should have nothing to do with Jesus. (Matt. 27:19).

God used dreams both to protect Jesus and to lead people in taking the correct course of action.

Visions

God used visions in a number of occasions to help people know his will in the New Testament.  A vision is somewhat like a dream but generally it happens when a person is awake instead of asleep.  In a vision one sees something which appears to be real and which conveys a message to the individual seeing it.    Some examples of visions in the New Testament are the following:

• The transfiguration where Peter, James and John saw Jesus transfigured and talking with Moses and Elijah was a vision according Matt. 17:9.
• Just before Stephen got stoned, he had a vision of Jesus standing beside the right hand of God. When he shared this vision, the Jews were outraged and stoned him for blasphemy (Acts 7:55).
• Paul stated that he had visions and revelations (2 Cor. 12:1).
• Saul had a face to face encounter with Jesus or a vision of him on the road to Damascus ( Acts 9:3).
• The Lord appeared to Ananias in a vision and told him to go and pray for Saul and Saul would receive his sight (Acts 9:11).
• Saul (Paul) had a vision of Ananias coming in to pray for him to be healed (Acts 9:12)
• Cornelius, a Roman centurion, had a vision of the angel Gabriel telling him to call for Peter (Acts 10:3).
• Peter fell into a trance and saw a sheet being let down with both clean and unclean beasts in it and was told to kill and eat. This was a sign to Peter that the Gentiles were acceptable to God and that he was no longer to discriminate between Jews and Gentiles resulting that the Gospel and the Holy Spirit was shared with the Gentiles (Acts 23:11).
• Paul had a vision of a Man of Macedonia asking him to come to Macedonia. Paul adjusted his plans and went to Macedonia to share the Gospel (Acts 16:9).
• The Lord appeared to Paul in the night by a vision and told him not to fear but to continue speaking and that the Lord had many people in the City of Corinth (Acts 18:9).

Guidance through the Prophets

God continued to give guidance through the prophets even after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Prophets spoke the word of God as inspired by the Holy Spirit.  Prophecy was utilized in a number of different ways including encouragement but also to predict the future.  Prophecy appeared in Old Testament times, in New Testament times and today as well.  All prophecy must be tested against the revealed written word of God and cannot be in opposition to that word.  Some instances of prophets and prophecy in the New Testament are found below:

• At Antioch there were prophets and teachers such as Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius and Manaen (Acts 13:1).
• Prophecy is listed as some of the ministry gifts of the church (See 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11).
• Prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch (Acts 11:7).
• Prophets judge the prophecies of other prophets (1 Cor. 14:29).
• Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied (Luke 1:67).
• Paul said in 1 Cor. 14:1 that we were to desire spiritual gifts “but especially that you may prophesy.”
• 2 Peter 1:21 says “for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
• The prophet Agabus prophesied by the Spirit that there would be a world-wide famine which took place during the reign of Claudius (Acts 11:28).
• The daughters of Philip were prophetesses (Acts 21:9).
• By prophecy Paul and Barnabas were set aside and anointed for mission work (Acts 13:2).
• Various prophets warned Paul that if he went to Jerusalem he would be bound and that he should not go to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4).
• Agabus took Paul’s belt and bound his (Agabus’) hands and feet and said that Paul would be bound in a similar manner if he proceeded to Jerusalem (Acts 21:10, 14).

Guidance through Angels

The appearance and guidance by angels occurred both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.

Angels often serve as messengers of God.  We find angels appearing and ministering many times in the New Testament.  Some of the instances of angelic appearances and work in the New Testament are the following:

• The Angel Gabriel appeared to Zecharias (Luke 1:19).
• The Angel Gabriel was sent to Mary (See Luke 1:26, 30, 34).
• An angel of the Lord announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-10).
• An angelic heavenly host sang “Hallelujah” when Jesus was born (Luke 2:13-16).
• Angels ministered to Jesus after the temptation (Matt. 4:11).
• Angels opened prison doors to set the apostles free and instructed them to go and minister in the temple (Acts 5:19).
• An angel set Peter free from prison (Acts 12:7).
• An angel spoke to Philip and sent him to minister to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26).
• The Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away (Acts 8:39).
• An angel told Paul that there would be no loss of life on his ship when it wrecked (Acts 27:23-24).
• Angels were present at the tomb of Jesus after his resurrection (Matt. 28:1-7; Luke 24:1-8; John 20:1-13; Mark 16:1-8).
• There were angels (two men dressed in white) present when Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:10-11).

The fact of the matter is that there are angels all around us.  We do not experience them due to our  skepticism and doubt.   We need to expect God to deal with us in supernatural and miraculous ways.

Final Thoughts

In both the Old Testament and the New Testament periods, God spoke to people in a variety of means and methods.  Sometimes, God spoke to the hearts, other times it was in face to face encounters.  God utilized angels and in particular the Angel of the Lord to give people guidance.  God began the process of giving man the written word of God, beginning with the Torah and later added the Prophets and other writings.  In the New Testament period God added to his word through writers who testified according to the Holy Spirit.  In both the Old and New Testaments, God utilized the Holy Spirit as a way of giving people direction and guidance.  God through his Holy Spirit also utilized other means to communicate His will to people including through dreams, visions and prophecies.  All of these means were used in the Old Testament; they were used in the New Testament period and they are used today. 

God, in particular, has blessed us today in numerous ways over people in Old Testament times.  Today we can look back and see how the actions of Christ fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies.  We can look back and have advantage of all the prophecies and wisdom of the Old Testament believers in faith.  Likewise, we have advantages over the people of New Testament times because we have the writings of the Apostles and those inspired in New Testament times.  Further we have additional sources to supplement us in our studies of the Christian life including the writings and examples of people such as the early church fathers and many Christian writers and musicians who can help us draw closer to God.

Despite the views of some, God has not put away the tools and methods that He has used in the past to communicate with us.  Instead, God retains and can use all of the methods that he has used in the past to communicate with us.  As an additional blessing, we have the full revelation of the New and Old Testament books to measure any dream, any prophecy and any vision.

 In conclusion, I want to share that I believe I personally on more than one occasion have seen or had an encounter with an angel and believe that I have received angelic protection.  Many years ago, I asked a relative of mine who had been one of the first Protestant missionaries on the Amazon River whether he had ever heard the voice of God.  He responded to me that generally He heard God speaking in his heart but on one occasion heard God say to him audibly, “Clem, Go to Brazil.”  Do not limit God.  Do not let doubt and unbelief and lack of faith seal your ears, eyes and hearts.  Both Old and New Testaments refer to those who had eyes which did not see and ears which did not hear.  Please do not let doubt turn you into a person who does not see God moving or cause you to have ears which are closed to God.  If we do not believe the miraculous, we will not see the miraculous.  God wants to speak to you.  Open your hearts, as well as your eyes and ears, to God today, and do not limit the ways that God can communicate with you.