Exodus 33:22

"And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by..."

In her broadcast on October 3, Elizabeth Elliott quoted four rules that a missionary by the name of Andrew Murray wrote for himself. These are:

1. "God brought me here. It is by His will that I am in this confined place. In that fact I will rest."
2. "He will keep me here in His love and give me grace to behave as His child."
3. "He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends for me to learn and working in me the grace He means to bestow."
4. "In His good time He can bring me out again. When and how He knows."

The concept of the confined place, mentioned in the first rule, is an interesting one. In Exodus 33, Moses wanted to see God. He was discouraged by the sin of the Israelites. They fell into idolatry (the golden calf) while he was on the mount receiving the Ten Commandments. Afterwards God commanded Moses to continue on the journey to the Promised Land. Before going on, Moses requested a view of God. As God passed by, Moses found himself in a confined space. God put him into the cleft of a rock, and then placed His hand on him. Where could he go? He was in a confined place. At the right time the LORD removed His hand, and Moses saw God. It was from the confined space that Moses received this view.

Rahab heard the trumpets and the shouting of the army. She heard the sound of the falling walls. She had been told to call her family into her house, and that they should stay there. If any of her family or even she herself ventured out of the house as the Israelite army invaded Jericho, that one would have died with the crowd. In that confined space they were safe. And until someone came to let them out, there they were to stay. Jonah was told to preach to Ninevah. He chose to go in the opposite direction. In his flight he found himself in a confined space for three days and three nights. Then he was ready to go in the way God had given him. Joseph had told his brothers of his dreams. In anger they sold him into slavery into Egypt. Two years of his life were spent in prison based on a false accusation. In that confined place he was being prepared to be the prime minister of Egypt. Years later, the Israelites were released from slavery in Egypt. It was a powerful and glorious deliverance. As they crossed the Red Sea, they, too, were in a confined place with water on either side, and the Egyptian army behind them. As they exited this place, the watery walls crashed onto their enemies, and they witnessed the mighty deliverance of God.

In the garden Gethsemane, our LORD Jesus found Himself in a confined place. "If it be possible, let this cup pass. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done", He prays. But there was only one direction He could go. There was no other option, there was no other way to get to God's ends. He was in a confined place. So, onward He went. When He came out of that confined place three days later, God's glorious plan was completed. And then Jesus was again glorified.

Andrew Murray summarized those four points with these shorter ones. He says, "Let me say I am here, number one, by God's appointment, number two, in His keeping, number three, under His training, and number four, for His time." Into what confined place has the LORD brought us? Of what are the walls made? What options lie before us? Each and every case mentioned above resulted in God's deliverance to His glory. Will He not do the same for us? Proverbs 3:5, 6 tell us "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

HJK