Northwestern Bible School - Scroll Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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DEAN HARTILL Which are a shadow of things io come; but the body is of Christ. (Col. 2:17) True it is that where a shadow res ' s th re must be a body and a light to cast that shadow In writing to the church at Colcsse, Paul reminds the believers that the prophecies and ceremonies of the Old Testament were but shadows which preceded substance, until God, the Light, sent forth His Son, Christ, Who is the Body. Here in a brief verse we have another evidence of divine order and planning, fust as we can often distinguish between general and spe- ific design in a shadow, so we find that in gathering together some of the Scriptural references to shadows we have the specific design of God for mankind. We must experimentally start with salvation. REDEMPTION. THE SHADOW OF A GREAT ROCK IN A WEARY LAND. (Isa. 32:2) Christ is the Rock of life. Moses, in the wilderness, struck the rock that it might flow. Christ was smitten for the salvation of others. For thirty-three years He walked in the shadow of the cross. Then came the day when He bare our sins in His own body on the tree. He trudged voluntarily in the shade of the cross and later was nailed to it. As sinners walk in this parched, weary, thirsty, desert world, there looms belore their eyes, through the old story of salvation, the God-smitten Rock Who was wounded for our transgressions. Now all who place themselves in His care can find rest in the shadow of the Rock. Rock of Ages cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee REFUGE. KEEP ME AS THE APPLE OF THE EYE, HIDE ME UNDER THE SHADOW OF THY WINGS. Here the figure is the shadow of a wing. As a hen gathers her chicks under her wings in time of danger, so the redeemed ore gathered under the wings ol the Almighty to sing 1 Under his wings, 0 what precious enjoyment! There will I hide til] life ' s trials are o ' er; Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me; Resting in Jesus, I ' m safe evermore, But he who would be so kept must learn to nestle under the shadow ol His wing. Here is a shielding shade for a fainting heart. Distressing conditions and fear may drive us ihere, but such circumstances lead to faith, confidence, and stillness in One Whose invitation is ever open for those seeking safety and refuge. Hide suggests complete protection. Perhaps this is why the Psalmist writes. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shaft thou trust. REFRESHMENT HE THAT DWELLETH IN THE SECRET PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH SHALL ABIDE UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY ' (Psa 91:1) Three words here are interesting in the light of Hebrew translation Dwclleth means to settle down. Abide gives the thought of lodging for the night. Almighty is Shaddai, the root of which is Shad, the breast, and this is the name of the providing God. Shad is used invariably in Scripture for a womans breast. As a baby is strengthened, nourished, quieted, rested, and satisfied from the mother s breast, so El Shaddai is the Strength Giver and Satisfier Who pours Himself into believing lives. Willingness to empty self will lead to a fullness of El Shaddai, This is the paramount need today—the experience of our insufficiency and Gods ' There is sweet refreshment and abandonment in the shadow of El Shaddai, But to stay irt the shadow means to settle down and lodge near the substance in a life of devotion. Refreshment is the result of such a permanent dwelling. REST. YEA, THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL: FOR THOU ART WITH ME . . .” . What repose and peace, when one goes through the valley of the shadow o: death, to know that the shadow of God is there. It is not as though God were confined in Heaven speaking comfort to His earthly ones. The pronoun in this verse changes from He to Thou. God draws so near in this death shadow that the Psalmist feels His very presence and no longer speaks ABOUT God, as in the previous verses, but TO Hun. This is a hard valley to travel. Night seems to be settling down forever. But at such a time the Saviour is nearest and dearest. ‘ , . , , . , , Through the valley of the shadow of death. . , . Through the shadow into the sunshine . . . through the gloom into the glory . . . through the valley to a vision glorious . . . through darkness into daylight, jar there is no night there. , , Certainly, the shadow here cannot be the same as the object itself. There must be substance where there is a shadow, but the believer in Christ shall never know the substance of death. That was experienced oy One Who is the Resurrection and the Life. The redeemed may experience the stroke of death but not the sting of death. Christ abolished death. The Victim on the cross became the Victor in the resurrection. REWARD EVERY GOOD GIFT AND EVERY PERFECT GIFT IS FROM ABOVE. AND COMETH DOWN FROM THE FATHER OF LIGHTS, WITH WHOM IS NO VARIABLENESS, NEITHER SHADOW OF TURNING. (James 1:17) .... Praise God. there is no shadow of turning with Him! While the worla is groping in uncertainties, we can rejoice that the Lamb, slain before the foundation of the world in the mind of God, is to this hour the Lamb of God that faketh away the sin of the world. The same refuge the Psalmist knew is mine today under the shadow of His wings. Might the experience of these shadows in our lives intensify to the world the glory of the substance of the Lord Jesus Christ,

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■■M HI j K Si, : s Dr. and Mrs Riley, President and Dean of Women