The Inward Journey

ENTERING THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES, Part Two:

THE FEAST OF WEEKS
By Douglas B. Clark

Seven weeks after Passover the Israelites celebrated the agricultural Feast of Weeks, (Lev 23:15; Deut 16:9) also known as Pentecost in the New Testament, which literally means fiftieth day. The Feast of Weeks was a celebration of the grain harvest and God’s provision for Israel. It was observed exactly fifty days after Passover. (Le 23:15; Deut 16:9)

The Freewill Offering
“Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you.” Deut 16:10

During the Feast of Weeks the Israelites were told to give a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord had given them (Deut 16:10). This opened the door for man’s interpretation since it was up to each Israelite to determine what amount was proportionate to their blessing.

I find this significant because it typifies our entrance into Pentecost. Here we see a picture of the interplay between Divine instruction and man’s interpretation. To start with, what we perceive as freewill is not what is commonly believed — that God gave us freewill because He desires for us to choose to love Him. This is not the purpose of freewill at all!

In the realm of the Spirit, freewill is God’s method for REVEALING the contents of the heart. As we exercise what we perceive as freewill, the desires of our heart become manifest. Some of these manifested desires may proceed from the divine life within us, while other desires are an expression of the self-life. For those who have heard the call to sonship, the expression of the self-life becomes part of the processing as SELF is consumed in the fire. The exercise of freewill becomes the catalyst that places us in the corrective hand of God.

Years ago my wife and I had a Chevy Cavalier that was paid for. It was only a few years old and ran well. We never experienced any problems with it. Then one day I noticed a used Volvo for sale. It was a sporty looking thing with chrome wheels and a sunroof. It also had a special lacquer paint job, so it glistened in the sunlight. This was during the 1980’s when everyone was getting caught-up in the yuppie craze of materialism.

When I saw that Volvo I really wanted it. Immediately I began to think how this car is known to be one of the safest cars on the road. Our first child was still a baby, so it was easy to justify my desire for this car, so I convinced my wife that we should buy it, even though I had not felt a leading to do so.

On the way home I noticed an old, beat up looking red Plymouth on the side of the road with a for sale sign in the window. The price was $300.00. Immediately I sensed the presence of God come over me in a most unusual way. I could feel Him smiling, then I heard Him speak to me. He said, “Before it is over with you will wish you had bought this red Plymouth.” I wasn’t sure what He meant at the time and I didn’t dwell on it for too long. Then a few months later we began having car problems. I would be driving somewhere and the engine would stop. Sometimes I would arrive at a destination and then when it was time to leave the car wouldn’t start. We had it towed so many times that our insurance company cancelled our towing. None of the mechanics that worked on the car could find out what was wrong with it.

Two years later, after putting hundreds of dollars into the Volvo, we finally got rid of it. We were given precious little on a trade-in for that car. Ever since then a car does not hold the same value in my heart. Now it is a means of transportation and not a status symbol.

This episode is an example of how God used my freewill as a catalyst to correct me. The reality is I lusted after that car. I was caught up in how I appeared to others, even though I could not see it. The desire in my heart for the Volvo was a fleshly, “self” desire. Still, God allowed me to have the desires of my heart, but then used that very thing to bring correction to me. This is how God uses our free will and desires of our heart to correct us and bring us to a place of surrender. This principle will happen repeatedly in our lives until the Holy Spirit has subdued the self-life and we no longer desire to have our way. It is easier to recognize this process when it pertains to materialism and other outward manifestations pertaining to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. It is not so easily recognizable when the self-life is shrouded in a religious form that appears moral and Christian like.

I recall a sister in the Lord sharing a pertinent story relating to this process. Peggy had a strong desire to be a witness to her husband who did not know Jesus. She was making every effort to love him and to let the love of Jesus Christ show forth in her. This was her mindset when she and her husband went to the store in his eighteen-wheeler to buy groceries. Everything was going fine, but on the way home someone suddenly stopped in front of them causing Peggy’s husband to slam on the brakes. As the groceries flew through the cab Peggy cried out to her husband, “You fool!” Immediately she was overcome with grief. “Oh God, what have I done,” she cried. It was then the Holy Spirit spoke to her and said, “I wanted to expose you.”

Peggy was concerned about being a proper witness to her husband, while the Holy Spirit saw something much different in play. The entire episode was a lesson for her growth at the expense of her husband seeing something in her that was definitely not of God. Her effort was an exercise in self-assertion, masked by a sincere desire to reveal Christ. Her offering to God was to be a witness of Christ’s love to her husband. That is good and we all should be witnesses of the love of God. But can we see that presenting our freewill offering to Him is the process and not the end result? In Pentecost it is not the offering we bring to God that is so important. “Lord, look at what I have done in your name. I have built this great ministry, I have prophesied, I have had great healing campaigns, look at how so many have been set free.” Then the Lord says, “depart from me, I never knew you.” (Mt 7:21-23) Most of us have been in this place where freewill and self-will overlap. It is the process, or act of approaching God with our freewill offering that reveals the innermost recesses of our heart. When the offering is one of self-will, even though it may be religious in nature, it becomes the catalyst that brings the corrective hand of God in our lives as He exposes us!

When we view the landscape of Pentecost, we see much activity as the participants bring their freewill offerings to God. Each one does what he or she thinks is appropriate according to the gifts that God has given them. But moving in the gifts is not enough. We must KNOW HIM. His seed must penetrate our spirit in order for a new life to form. This is what it means to be born again.

In our inward journey He must expose ALL that is not of Him. He cannot increase without us decreasing and for us to decrease the consuming fire of God must reveal what is in our heart. It is amazing the situations orchestrated through the relationship between our freewill and our desire to offer up a sacrifice to God. It is not the fruit of our labor that He is after, but it is US that He desires upon the sacrificial altar. We think the power of Pentecost is to go out and evangelize the world, and certainly there is plenty of Bible verses to back up this idea. But I tell you that God’s intentions go far beyond the power for us to be witnesses.

Hearing The Voice of God
During the Feast of Weeks the Israelites were told to give a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord had given them (Deut 16:10). As I have already mentioned, this opened the door for man’s interpretation since it was up to each Israelite to determine what amount was proportionate to their blessing.

We begin our journey into Pentecost learning to hear God’s voice. The journey begins by us mostly using our own reasoning to determine what He is saying. There is a great deal of human reasoning that is injected into trying to understand the voice of God. God speaks and then we interpret to the best of our ability what we think He said. We start out with first learning scripture and then expanding into other methods of Divine communication, such as, prophesy, dreams, visions, and impressions. These are some of the ways God reveals Himself to us. The problem in learning to hear God’s voice is there is a great divide between what God says and what is heard or perceived. God continues to speak through the Holy Spirit, but there is an inability on our part to clearly understand the depth of what He is saying. God has placed enmity between our natural reasoning and the life of the spirit. The natural man cannot understand the things of the spirit for they are spiritually discerned. (1 Cor 2:14)

This is the great dilemma each of us must face in our inward journey to know God. For just as an angel stands guard with a flaming sword, protecting the way of access to the tree of Life, the Holy Spirit stands in opposition to natural mind. There is no way anything of SELF is going to enter in and receive ANYTHING of the Spirit. It is not possible for God has placed enmity between the two. The veil that was torn in two when Jesus died physically is still very much in place within the recesses of the carnal mind. There is only one way to remove it. We must follow the path of the pattern Son, and be crucified with Christ. The Self-life in us must die in order for His life to flourish.

We start out in darkness, but the light of God continues to grow brighter in an experiential way. The veil of our natural mind is removed gradually as the life of the Spirit increases in us, overtaking the self-life. The more we become like Him, the more we see Him as He is. It is always the natural mind that clouds our vision and separates us from God, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Ro 8:6)

Learning to understand God’s voice is a continual process as we are changed from glory to glory. Even those who have grown in the Lord and have functioned in the gifts of the Spirit often miss the voice of God by filtering what He says through their religious mindset.

Kenneth Hagin Sr. once said that the Lord appeared to him and told him that what he believed was 60% truth, 30% tradition and 10% error. Kenneth Hagin Sr. was used by God in the Pentecostal realm and I believe he fulfilled the purpose for which God had raised him up, yet he was also responsible for introducing the faith teaching that led many down a path that focused on our freewill ability to claim certain scriptures for our own benefit. It is difficult for a believer to progress in spiritual growth when their focus remains on what God can do for them to make their natural life more comfortable, for where your treasure is their will your heart be also.

Sometime ago I shared with some brethren how the Holy Spirit told me, “the flesh works of man and the spirit of antichrist are one and the same thing.” This caused quite a stir. At least two brethren assured me that there was no such spirit at work in them! One precious brother who I know hears from God thought that maybe it was my semantics that he misunderstood and that my statement really wasn’t what it sounded like. I assured Him that the Holy Spirit was very clear with me on the matter.

I have noticed that many in the new crop who have left the institutional church in the past few years have not recognized that the enemy hides within us. They are still looking outside of themselves in identifying the anti-Christ, the beast, and the false prophet. Though there may be facsimiles of each of these that rise up in society and in religion through the annals of time, the spirit of each of them resides in the heart of man! It is the fire of God that reveals these truths for they cannot be perceived intellectually.

When John the Baptist foretold of the coming Messiah he declared the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire. (Mat 3:11) When I first experienced Pentecost I thought the fire was the passion I felt in my inner being. I felt like Jeremiah with fire burning in my bones. It was the mid 1970’s and society was overflowing with the peace and love culture. People were open and not as jaded as they are today so I did a lot of street ministry. I was the guy with the guitar on the street corner singing my heart out while my brother-in-Christ preached the good news in syncopated rhyme. We were on fire for Jesus!

After a couple of years past I discovered another kind of fire I had not anticipated. It was a fire that was sparked from the conflict between what I wanted to do for God and Him wanting me to be still. I found out very quickly that the all-consuming fire bridges the gap between what God is saying and our interpretation.
This was the beginning of the transformation necessary to go beyond the feast of Pentecost toward the feast of Tabernacles.

Our understanding of Divine truth is always filtered through the carnality that remains active in our life. When we think of carnality what frequently comes to mind is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. (1 Jo 2:16) All three of these things relate to the “self” life that we put off when we follow Christ and all three of these influence how we interpret God’s voice. However, there are nuances to these carnal manifestations that are religious in nature, having the appearance of spirituality, making it impossible to recognize without the discernment of the Holy Spirit. We cannot see it until the Holy Spirit provides the right set of circumstances to reveal it and it is always revealed by fire. The fire is what exposes the carnality in us that masquerades under the guise of Christianity.

In my Pentecost experience, God allowed me to use a lot of my own discretion and self-will as I was busy spreading the good news. In other words, there was a lot of latitude that allowed for the expression of self. It was a mixture. In all the activity of working for God I was like an unbridled horse full of self-will, only I could not recognize it because in my self-will I was busy working for God. But then the Master called me in from the rolling fields and pleasant meadows and placed a harness upon me and removed the freedom of Pentecost that I so enjoyed.

Bill Britton had a vision regarding the harness of the Lord that reveals much about our experience in Pentecost and the self-will we experience in the beginning of our walk with God.

The Harness of the Lord

I Saw the King’s Carriage

On a dirt road in the middle of a wide field stood a beautiful carriage, something on the order of a stagecoach, but all edged in gold, and with beautiful carvings. It was pulled by six large chestnut horses, two in the lead, two in the middle and two in the rear. But they were not moving, they were not pulling the carriage, and I wondered why. Then I saw the driver underneath the carriage, on the ground on his back, just behind the last two horses’ heels, working on something between the front wheels of the carriage. I though, “My, he is in a dangerous place; for if one of those horses kicked or stepped back, they could kill him, or if they decided to go forward, or got frightened somehow, they would pull the carriage right over him.” But he didn’t seem afraid, for he knew that those horses were disciplined and would not move till he told them to move. The horses were not stomping their feet nor acting restless, and though there were bells on their feet, the bells were not tinkling. There were pom-poms on their harness over their heads, but the pom-poms were not moving. They were simply standing still and quiet, waiting for the voice of the Master.

There were Two Young Colts in the Field

As I watched the harnessed horses, I noticed two young colts coming out of the open field, and they approached the carriage and seemed to say to the horses: “Come and play with us, we have many fine games, we will race with you, come catch us.” And with that the colts kicked up their heels, flicked their tails and raced across the open field. But when they looked back and saw the horses were not following, they were puzzled. They knew nothing of harnesses, and could not understand why the horses did not want to play. So they called to them: “Why do you not race with us? Are you tired? Are you too weak? Do you not have strength to run? You are much too solemn, you need more joy in life.” But the horses answered not a word, nor did they stamp their feet or toss their heads. But they stood, quiet and still, waiting for the voice of the Master.

Again the colts called to them: “Why do you stand so in the hot sun? Come over here in the shade of this nice tree. See how green the grass is? You must be hungry, come and feed with us, it is so green and so good. You look thirsty, come drink of one of our many streams of cool clear water.” But the horses answered them with not so much as a glance, but stood still, waiting for the command to go forward with the King.

Colts in the Master’s Corral

And then the scene changed, and I saw lariat nooses fall around the necks of the two colts, and they were led off to the Master’s corral for training and discipline. How sad they were as the lovely green fields disappeared, and they were put into the confinement of the Corral with its brown dirt and high fence. The colts ran from fence to fence, seeking freedom, but found that they were confined to this place of training. And then the Trainer began to work on them, with his Whip and His Bridle. What a death for those who had been all their lives accustomed to such a freedom! They could not understand the reason for this torture, this terrible discipline. What great crime had they done to deserve this? Little did they know of the responsibility that was to be theirs when they had submitted to the discipline, learned to perfectly obey the Master, and finished their training. All they knew was that this processing was the most horrible thing they had ever known.

Submission and Rebellion

One of the colts rebelled under the training, and said, “This is not for me. I like my freedom, my green hills, my flowing streams of fresh water. I will not take any more of this confinement, this terrible training.” So he found a way out, jumped the fence and ran happily back to the meadows of grass. And I was astonished that the Master let him go, and went not after him. But He devoted His attention to the remaining colt. This colt, though he had the same opportunity to escape, decided to submit his own will, and learn the ways of the Master. And the training got harder than ever, but he was rapidly learning more and more how to obey the slightest wish of the Master, and to respond to even the quietness of His voice. And I saw that had there been no training, no testing, there would have been neither submission nor rebellion from either of the colts. For in the field they did not have the choice to rebel or submit, they were sinless in their innocence. But when brought to the place of testing and training and discipline, then was made manifest the obedience of one and the rebellion that lay hidden in the heart of the other. And though it seemed safer not to come to the place of discipline because of the risk of being found rebellious, yet I saw that without this there could be no sharing of His glory, no Sonship.

Into the Harness

Finally this period of training was over. Was he now rewarded with his freedom, and sent back to the fields? Oh no. But a greater confinement than ever now took place, as a harness dropped about his shoulders. Now he found there was not even the freedom to run about the small corral, for in the harness he could only move where and when his Master spoke. And unless the Master spoke, he stood still.

The scene changed, and I saw the other colt standing on the side of a hill, nibbling at some grass. Then across the fields, down the road came the King’s carriage, drawn by six horses. With amazement he saw that in the lead, on the right side, was his brother colt, now made strong and mature on the good corn in the Master’s stable. He saw the lovely pom-poms shaking in the wind, noticed the glittering gold bordered harness about his brother, heard the beautiful tinkling of the bells on his feet. and envy came into his heart. Thus he complained to himself: “Why has my brother been so honored, and I am neglected? They have not put bells on my feet, nor pom-poms on my head. The Master has not given me the wonderful responsibility of pulling His carriage, nor put about me the golden harness. Why have they chosen my brother instead of me?” And by the Spirit the answer came back to me as I watched. “Because one submitted to the will and discipline of the Master, and one rebelled, thus has one been chosen and the other set aside.”

A Famine in the Land

Then I saw a great drought sweep across the countryside, and the green grass became dead, dry, brown and brittle. The little streams of water dried up, stopped flowing, and there was only a small muddy puddle here and there. I saw the little colt (I was amazed that it never seemed to grow or mature) as he ran here and there, across the fields looking for fresh streams and green pastures, finding none. Still he ran, seemingly in circles, always looking for something to feed his famished spirit. But there was a famine in the land, and the rich green pastures and flowing streams of yesterday were not to be had. And one day the colt stood on the hillside on weak and wobbly legs, wondering where to go next to find food, and how to get strength to go. Seemed like there was no use, for good food and flowing streams were a thing of the past, and all the efforts to find more only taxed his waning strength. Suddenly he saw the King’s carriage coming down the road, pulled by six great horses. And he saw his brother, fat and strong, muscles rippling, sleek and beautiful with much grooming. His heart was amazed and perplexed, and he cried out: “My brother, where do you find the food to keep you strong and fat in these days of famine? I have run everywhere in my freedom, searching for food, and I find none. Where do you, in your awful confinement, find food in this time of drought? Tell me, please, for I must know!” And then the answer came back from a voice filled with victory and praise: “In my Master’s House, there is a secret place in the confining limitations of His stables where He feeds me by His own hand, and His granaries never run empty, and His well never runs dry.” And with this the Lord made me to know that in the day when people are weak and famished in their spirits in the time of spiritual famine, that those who have lost their own wills, and have come into the secret place of the most High, into the utter confinement of His perfect will, shall have plenty of the corn of Heaven, and a never ending flow of fresh streams of revelation by His Spirit. Thus the vision ended.” (End of quote.)

Can we see that God has something beyond the open meadows of Pentecost? The Holy Spirit calls us onward to experience the confinement of Tabernacles, where we learn to be still and enter His rest.

To be continued.

Douglas B. Clark

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