In Ezek. 47 we see that there is a Man of bronze who has a measuring line in His hand, and the more He measures, the deeper the flow of the water becomes! There is a Man of bronze in our spirit – Christ was qualified by His perfect and bright walk on the earth to be the One who measures and judges us. On the one hand we enjoy the Lord as the tree of life and the water of life, and on the other hand Christ as the Man of bronze measures us, tests us, judges us, examines us, so that He may possess us!
The Lord measures us to possess us
When a sister wants to purchase a certain kind of material for, let’s say, making a piece of clothing or some drapes for home use, she measures the material, she examines it, judges it, and tests it, for the goal of eventually possessing the material.
Whatever amount of material she measures, she also possesses. The Lord Jesus is measuring us day by day in everything related to our life, our expression, our attitude, our clothing, the way we spend our money, etc – so that He may possess us in many ways.
Even the way we dress, the way we speak to others, the reactions we have towards people, the way we spend our money, the way we spend our time, the things we watch or we speak – every aspect of our living is being measured by the Lord within until He fully possesses and takes over us.
More measuring results in a deeper flow
The Man of bronze measured 1000 cubits four times – each time He measured, the flow increased. Firstly there was a trickle coming out of the house, then water up to the ankles, then up to the knees, then up to the loins, and the fourth time – the flow became a river which could not be passed over but you could swim in it!
The more the Lord measures us and judges us, the deeper the flow becomes in our being. As creatures (number four) we need to be thoroughly measured, judged, and tested by the Lord so that we would be fully taken over by Him.
Being fully taken over by the Lord
The Lord doesn’t measure us “once and for all” – we still have reservations towards Him, we still need His continual measuring, testing, and judging.
He touches some things, some relationships, some matters, and we say, Lord, take this! Possess this!
Sometimes we may think that the Lord has taken over completely – but the Lord knows and we will realize that this happened only to a certain extent, we still preserve and reserve much for ourselves. In His shining light we can confess and experience His testing and judging…
Give up your effort and let the flow direct you!
Lord, may there be enough water in my being that one can swim in! When the flow increases to such an extent, there is no more human effort to go on in the flow – we are directed and guided by the flow of the river wherever it goes. No more human effort, human strength, or human struggle – we are carried along with the flow!
If we still are trying to stand and move on our own, the flow in us needs to increase! We need the Lord to measure us, judge us, test us, and examine us so that He may possess us and the flow of life would be deepened!
As the flow of life increases in our being, as we have many dealings with the Lord and remove the barriers and hindrances in our being, as the Lord measures more aspects of our being and our living, we also drop our trust in ourselves and our standing power. We forsake our own direction and our own intention to do this and that – and we are carried along by the flow of the divine life. We need to learn this – to give up our own effort and let the flow direct and guide us…
[sharing inspired from the life-study of Ezekiel msg. 26, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Four Great Pillars in the Lord’s Recovery. Picture: a wide river flowing.]
Lord, increase the flow in our being. We just want to open to Your measuring, Your testing, and Your judging. O, Lord, we open to You without any reservation. May there be no part of our being or aspect of our living that is closed to Your shining, Your measuring. We want to be fully possessed and taken over by You. Increase the flow in us, Lord, until there are waters to swim in our being! O, Lord, deepen and increase the flow of life!
Amen! He is our Measurer, Judge, Tester and Possessor! Praise the Lord!
[What is the meaning of measuring? According to Ezekiel, it means the separation of the holy from the common. The man whom Ezekiel saw in the vision measured several times. Ezekiel 42:20 says, "He measured it by the four sides: it had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place." The measuring in this verse discriminates between the sanctified and the profane; it separates the sanctified from the profane. After measuring a piece of land, it is regarded as a sanctified, no longer profane, place and it is consecrated to God. God wants us to be consecrated to Him. This is why He measures us. Any part in us that is measured is no longer profane; it is sanctified. What was once worldly becomes godly after it is measured.–Collected Works of Watchman Nee, The (Set 2) Vol. 38: General Messages (2), by Watchman Nee]
Amen, thank You the Author & Perfecter of our faith.
Praise the Lord!Amen
Amen Lord