This blog, Devouring the Distance for the King, concerns the Kingdom of God, the way of its King, and the King’s Redeemed. Its inspiration arises from a metaphor discernible from God’s view of the horse in Job 39:19-25.
What view is that? A high view. A majestic view.
The text begins with God delighting in the natural strength and beauty of the horse:
Have you given the horse strength?
Have you clothed his neck with thunder?*
No, we have not. He has.
God sees rightly, and ascribes accurately, what He creates. And what He creates communicates the majesty of His ways.
But the text continues. God proceeds with an astounding description of this creature’s inner frame, as seen from what flows from within:
Can you frighten him like a locust?
His majestic snorting strikes terror.
He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
He gallops into the clash of arms.
He mocks at fear, and is not frightened;
Nor does he turn back from the sword.
The quiver rattles against him,
The glittering spear and javelin.
He devours the distance with fierceness and rage;
Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded.
At the blast of the trumpet he says, ‘Aha!’
He smells the battle from afar,
The thunder of captains and shouting.†
God assigns majesty, might, courage, perseverance, zeal, and fidelity to this creature.
But how can God see a creature of prey in such a way? Surely, He knows the horse is quick to fright and thus bound to flight. Self-preservation enslaves its ways.
The answer rests in the text, and in God’s ways.
The text does not describe the common horse. Nor does it refer to the wild or feral horse.
The text speaks of the war horse.
Nature does not produce the war horse. Nor does a war horse make itself. A war horse is a horse conformed by another, its master, to assume attributes and characteristics foreign and antithetical to its original nature.
The master selects and consecrates a horse for himself. Training ensues to produce great meekness within the horse, predicated on love and trust for its master. Conquering strength emerges obedient to the master’s voice and leading. By this work, the master successfully conforms the creature, once an animal of prey, into a war horse.
God sees rightly, and ascribes accurately, what he conforms. And if what God creates communicates the majesty of His ways, how much more, then, does what God conforms!
God’s high view of the war horse is akin to His preeminent view of His Son and His conforming work in the Redeemed. How so?
The answer rests in God’s Scriptures, and in God’s ways.
The Scriptures do not state the common man inhabits the Kingdom of God. Nor do they state the religious or moral man enter the Realm of the King.
The Scriptures state only the repentant and believing man—the Redeemed—dwell within the Kingdom of God.
Nature does not produce the Redeemed. Nor do the Redeemed make themselves. The Redeemed are supernaturally conformed by Another, Almighty God, to assume attributes and characteristics foreign and antithetical to their original nature.
By sovereign grace alone, God selects and consecrates men for Himself. Made anew and thus no longer spiritually dead, they have no more cause to fear death. Discipleship ensues to produce great meekness within them, predicated on love and trust for their new Master, the Son of God. Conquering faith emerges obedient to their Master’s voice and leading. By this work, God successfully conforms these men, once enemies of God, into the image of His Son, Christ the King.
This is a staggering thing. Natural man, a born rebel of God and bent upon self-sovereignty, wreaks ruin.
How can God conform such a creature of prey and predation into the image of Christ? Surely, God knows natural man is quick to fright, and thus bound to flight and fight. Self-preservation enslaves all his ways.
The answer rests, once again, in God’s Text and in God’s ways.
God, desiring men to image Him and His ways, established His Kingdom on earth and enthroned His eternal Son as King. He summons men to kiss the Son and to take refuge in Him.
And all that do, the King saves from God’s wrath and redeems from enslavement to sin, death, and the fear of death.
The Redeemed then increasingly possess inner frames endowed with the majesty, might, courage, perseverance, zeal, and fidelity of their King. God’s presence and power confer increasingly within them faithful, enduring love to their King.
God sees rightly, and ascribes accurately, who He redeems. And if what He creates and conforms communicates the majesty of his ways, how much more, then, does he who God redeems:
Have you given the Redeemed their strength?
Have you clothed their souls with thunder?
Can you frighten the Redeemed like a locust?
Their majestic prayers strike terror to darkness.
Though they walk through the valley of the shadow of death, they fear no evil;
In the armor of God and with ardor for Christ, they run for the crown.
Their King derides fear; He was not frightened by physical death;
Nor did He turn back from the Cross.
For sins of His Redeemed, God crushed Him,
God’s searing wrath, and man’s glittering spear struck Him.
The Redeemed devour the distance for their King with fierce love ablaze;
Nor will they come to a halt when the last trumpet has sounded.
At the blast of the last trumpet, the Redeemed shall say, ‘Aha!’
They smell the last battle even now, from afar,
The thunder of Christ, their Captain, shouting.
* Job 39:19
† Job 39:20-25