In the book of Numbers we see that the one who has been appointed by God to be a deputy authority must be a proper representative of God; we need to see the characteristics of those who properly represent God with His authority to His people.
This week we have been looking at the book of Numbers and the Bible as a whole to see the matters of authority, rebellion, the vindication of God’s authority, and now we want to see a proper representative of God.
In the matter of authority, God is the supreme authority; He has all authority. We as human beings have no authority in and of ourselves; we may be one through whom God’s authority may flow, but we do not have our own authority unless we ourselves are under God’s authority and He bestows His authority upon us.
So God put us under many deputy authorities; at home there are the parents, at school there are the teachers, on the street there’s the policemen, at work there’s the managers, and there are all kinds of authorities that God has set over us.
If we touch authority we will see God’s deputy authority everywhere, and we will submit to it. God requires that we submit not only to Him but also to all delegated authorities; those who do not submit to God’s indirect authority can’t submit to God’s direct authority.
However, due to Satan’s rebellion, now there is the principle of rebellion operating in the universe, and the unique controversy between God and Satan concerns authority and rebellion.
When we sinned, we rebelled against God, we denied His authority, and we rejected His rule; however, God will not let this rebellion continue – He will establish His kingdom on the earth.
If we look around us in both our family life, work life, in society, and sometimes even in the church life, we see that there’s the principle of rebellion operating.
The center of dispute in the universe relates to who has authority; we need to set ourselves to submit to God’s authority and uphold God’s authority.
In Num. 12 and 16 we see the rebellion against God’s delegated authority; both the people and their leaders rebelled against God and His deputy authority, and God came in to deal with this situation.
God hears the words of rebellion, and when rebellion takes place against God’s deputy authority, God will come in.
Moses was humble in dealing with the rebellion of the people, of his sister and brother, and of the leaders of the people, but he didn’t give up his God-given position as God’s deputy authority.
In Num. 16 we see how man rebels against God’s deputy authority and how man opposes God’s deputy authority, and then in ch. 17 we see God’s vindication of His appointed authority.
In this article we want to see that the one who has been appointed by God to be a deputy authority must be a proper representative of God.
Learning the Serious Lesson of not Misrepresenting God but being Ambassadors of Christ
In Exodus and in Numbers 12 and 16, Moses represented God in a proper way; one who has been appointed by God to be a deputy authority must be a proper representative of God (Num. 12:3-8; 16:1-5, 28; 2 Cor. 5:20).
When Moses was before Pharaoh, he represented God, he even was God to Pharaoh. Then, all the way through Exodus, in relation to the children of Israel, Moses represented God.
When he was reviled by Miriam and Aaron, he was meek and humble; when there was a corporate rebellion, Moses properly represented God.
However, we need to learn the serious lesson from the one time that Moses failed to represent God, when Moses misrepresented God before His people (see Num. 20:2-13).
Moses made one mistake – he misrepresented God one time, and that was a sin unto death; he died at the age of 120 – his eyesight was not dim, he was in good health, but he died at the word of the Lord.
In striking the rock twice and in calling the people rebels, Moses didn’t sanctify God in the sight of the people of Israel (Num. 20:10-12). To sanctify God is to make Him holy, that is, separate from all the false gods; however, to fail to sanctify God is to make Him common.
When Moses was angry with the people and when he wrongly stroke the rock twice, Moses failed to sanctify God. Moses was angry; he lost control of his spirit, and he misrepresented God, for he gave God’s people the impression that Jehovah is angry.
But Jehovah was not angry – they were murmuring because they were thirsty, so God instructed Moses to speak to the rock so that the water would flow; however, Moses misrepresented God and made Him look like an angry, pagan God, full of rage and anger.
In being angry when God was not angry, Moses failed to represent God rightly in His holy nature; in striking the rock twice, Moses did not keep God’s word in His economy.
So Moses offended both God’s holy nature and His divine economy; even though he condemned the people as being rebels, he was the one who rebelled against God’s word (vv. 10, 24; 27:12-14).
We need to learn from this lesson, for in all that we say and do concerning God’s people, our attitude must be according to God’s holy nature, and our actions must be according to His divine economy.
For example, when saints come to the brothers to express a concern in fellowship about a matter in the church, we need to listen and not reject this.
When someone challenges or rebels against the authority that God ordained in the church, we should bring this to the Lord and not try to “smash” those who “rebel”; it is God who vindicates, and we humble ourselves before Him.
A way of misrepresenting God is being self-appointed as authority in a local church simply because you were there for such a long time, and thus considering the local church as being your kingdom. It is wrong to do this.
If we look at the apostle Paul, we see that he not only did not misrepresent God before His people but rather, he was an ambassador of Christ, properly representing God (2 Cor. 5:20).
A new covenant minister is one who has been authorized with the heavenly authority to represent the highest authority (2 Cor. 3:6; 5:20).
Paul exercised his apostolic authority not for ruling over the believers but rather for building them up (10:8; 13:10; 1:24); again and again he pointed out that, even though he had the authority, this was for their building up and not for tearing down.
Paul exercised the authority inherent in his apostleship by teaching others, by engaging in spiritual warfare, by moving within the measure of God’s rule, and by his jealousy for Christ over the believers (see 1 Cor. 4:17; 2 Cor. 10:3-4, 13; 11:2).
To properly represent God is to teach others the things of God’s economy, to engage in spiritual warfare by remaining in the Body, to move within the measure of God’s rule, and to be jealous for Christ over the believers that they would go on in the Lord.
A person who represents God rightly must submit to authority (Matt. 8:8-9); he must realize that in himself he has no authority (Matt. 28:18; 2 Cor. 10:8; 13:10), and be a person in resurrection, living in the resurrection life of Christ (1:9; 4:14; Num. 17:1-10).
Amen, may we learn the lesson of not misrepresenting God but being ambassadors of Christ, those who realize that in themselves have no authority but who seek to be in resurrection, live in the resurrection life, and submit to God’s authority!
Lord Jesus, we want to learn the lesson of not misrepresenting God to His people. Save us from representing God in a wrong way to His people. Oh Lord, may we realize that we are ambassadors of Christ, representing God to His people, being authorised with the heavenly authority to represent the highest authority. Amen, Lord, may we be those teaching God’s economy, engaging in spiritual warfare, moving within the measure of God’s rule, and being jealous over the believers for the Lord. May we be those who submit to God’s authority and His deputy authority, realizing that in ourselves we have no authority, and living in the resurrection life of Christ!
Characteristics of those who Properly Represent God with His Authority to His people
It is not easy to be a person who properly represents God with His authority to His people, but there are some characteristics that can be pointed out, based on the word of God, the ministry of the age, and our Christian experience.
A person who properly represents God doesn’t walk around being conscious that he has any authority; rather, he first takes the lead to submit to God’s authority, and he has a deep realization that in himself he has no authority.
Even if someone would revile him in any way, he will not rise up to rebuke them and “exercises his authority”; rather, he submits to God, and he refers all these things to God Himself, the supreme authority.
When such a person goes before God, he humbles himself to be on the same level as all the other believers.
King David did this; to the people he was a king, but when he went before God, he was a sinner saved by grace.
God knows whether this is real or not. Before we can represent God, we need to spend time with Him, humble ourselves before Him, and know that all authority in heaven and on earth was given to Him, the Son of Man; so we are in fear and trembling not to misrepresent God.
Those who properly represent God never exercise authority; authority is there flowing, but he doesn’t exercise it. He only represents God – he does not “deal with the rebels” but rather, he represents God who has the authority.
Toward others, such a person is gracious. God will judge according to righteousness, but a deputy authority is always gracious; when Miriam was judged by God with leprosy, Moses desperately prayed to God that He would heal her, for he didn’t have any bad feelings toward this one who rebelled against him…
For us to properly represent God with His authority we first need to express Him; He made us in His image and He gave us His dominion, and for us to represent Him, we first must express Him.
We represent God – who is life – by allowing Him to shine His light throughout our whole being. We come into the light, we welcome the light, and light shines in us and through us.
Those who properly represent God shine out God; they are not aware that they are shining – they just shine, for they allow the Lord as light to shine in them and through them.
To have spiritual authority means that there’s a river of water of life flowing out from within us, from the throne that is set up in the center of our being. Hallelujah, in this universe there’s a throne set up, and the river of water of life is proceeding from the throne; this river flows and brings God’s authority with it.
This is the ministry of life which also brings in God’s ruling. We need to take the lead to be under the Lord’s rule, and there will be a river flowing in us and through us; wherever this river flows, the divine life flows, and the divine authority is with it.
Whenever we sense the river of water flowing from a member of the Body to us, we see the Lord being represented, we are supplied, and God is enthroned in our being.
When one who represents God with His authority exercises spiritual authority, he does it in two ways – positively he exercises authority to serve the saints, supply them, shepherd them, and build them up in love, and negatively, he deals with the enemy and all things related to him.
May we give ourselves to the Lord and tell Him,
Lord, we worship You as the Son of God with all authority in Your deity, and we exalt You as the Son of Man to whom all authority was given in heaven and on earth! Thank You for delivering us out of the authority of darkness and transferring us into Your kingdom – the realm of love, light, and love. Lord, utterly negate in us what the enemy has done to us; break in us the principle of rebellion, remove the spirit of rebellion from our being, and deal with any heart of rebellion. We come to You, Lord, and we want to stay under Your throne and in the fellowship of the Body, being under the covering. May any rebellion be dealt with in us, and may we be enlightened to see and know God’s authority. Amen, Lord, shine in us and show us if there’s anything we need to repent of; expose any reviling words and any rebellious attitude in our being. Bring us fully under Your throne to drink the river of living water and flow out with living water to those around us! Amen, Lord, keep us here, under the throne, until we are raptured and have the honor of reigning with You on earth! Train us to smash Your enemy and drive him back. Release the power of the gospel of the kingdom to save thousands of people out of the satanic kingdom and bring them into God’s kingdom! Praise the Lord!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by bro. Ron Kangas for this week, and portions from, An Autobiography of a Person in the Spirit, ch. 6 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Numbers (2), week 8, Authority, Rebellion, the Vindication of Delegated Authority, and a Proper Representative of God.
- Hymns on this topic:
# ’Tis by His heav’nly rule within / As heav’nly citizens we live; / ’Tis by submission to His rule / Expression of His reign we give. / Here in this heav’nly realm we live, / And with this heav’nly pow’r possessed / We walk and fight in heav’nly light / Until the Kingdom’s manifest. (Hymns #942)
# Though in Thine image made by Thee / And given Thine authority, / Yet we are only made of clay / Without a trace of divinity… / Break all the natural life for us, / Deal Thou with each peculiar way, / That we no more independent be / But with all saints are one for aye. (Hymns #837)
# River of living water, / Fellowship freely bestows; / Bringing authority with it, / Through every place where it flows. / Water of life is the Spirit, / God as the life in it flows; / Carrying with it His Lordship, / Through every place where it goes. (Hymns #984)
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