IN Paradise the earth was not watered by rain from above, but by a mist or vapor, that rose from the earth, and was absorbed again by the earth. For so it reads (Gen. 2:5, 6): “The Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, … but there went up a mist from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.”
But when sin had robbed that Divine Paradise of its glory, the mists drew themselves up higher; formed themselves against heaven into clouds; and so that wondrous rain came down upon the earth, wherewith, according to Jesus’ word, God “rains upon the righteous and unrighteous”.
Significant symbolism of nature!
Stone cold and withering under the curse, the earth lay spread out before the eye of man, and of itself could bring forth nothing but weeds, and thorns, and thistles. But from above the light comes down, from the firmament radiates the heat of the sun, and from God’s heaven drops down all barrenness overcoming, all herbs refreshing, and all earthclods fertile making rain.
And especially that rain speaks.
For sunheat too comes from above, but seems in morning-red rather to come up from behind the earth, and to reach heaven in its zenith. Rain on the other hand you hear come down from heaven. Rain drops with a rushing sound upon the tops of the trees, splashes on the roof of your dwelling, rattles against your streets, and when frozen stiff in hail, it is as though from above there is a knocking with hailstones against your windowpanes.
But even with ordinary rain you hear the rushing sound that comes from above, you see the dropping in sheets pour downwards from above, and feel on hand or face, that the outpouring of that refreshing splashing comes to you from above.
Without exaggeration it may be said, that in nothing so clearly as in that down-splashing rain, God tells us audibly, that He is there above, and as from His habitation sends us the glorious gift of rain, that comes to refresh the earth.
An imagery, difficult to grasp in a land of constant rain, such as the Netherlands is, but one which is drunk in with all the wealth of soul in a land such as the Holy land was.
A land with only two steady rains in the year, and for the rest ever without rain, so that things withered more and more, to look forward breathlessly to the distant day, when to the comfort of men again, the gift of God’s mild, refreshing rain would come down from heaven.
Is it our ingenious invention that puts this metaphorical speech in the rain? Or is this metaphorical, this symbolical significance put into it by God Himself?
To answer this question, call to mind, what the Lord says to Israel (Hosea 10:12): “It is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you,” as though to declare, that all righteousness springing up from man’s will or work withers, and that the true, the saving righteousness can come down upon you, as “a rain from above” from your God alone, Who in Christ gives righteousness to you.
In the sixth chapter Hosea interprets this still more fully: “He Himself, the Lord, shall come to His comfort seeking people, as a rain, as the latter and former rain.” (6:3.)
Already the kingly psalm contained the selfsame thought. Not alone His gift, but “He himself shall come down like rain upon the mown grass; as showers that water the earth.” (72:6.)
So on one hand every “gift that comes down for the comfort of man” is called a “rain from God upon His fainting inheritance”; it is said, that the rain from above “richly waters” His own, and that every Word that goeth forth out of the mouth of God, is comparable with “the rain that cometh down from heaven and watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater” (Is. 55:10, 11). But also on the other hand that rain which as a stream comes down, is the image of God Himself, and with Joel the “Teacher of righteousness” is significantly named or indicated by a word that also means “rain”, and as in one breath is added: “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he shall send you the Teacher of righteousness, and (in Him) shall cause the rain to come down upon you” (2:23, Dutch version).
This allegory of the word has not been understood by many an exegete. More than one even read nothing else in it, than the prophecy of a coming cloudburst.
But the church of God has ever understood it differently and better.
Joel, she confessed on the ground of the apostolic witness, hails prophetically in the image of the pelting rain the outpouring of the Holy Ghost.
Both, pouring rain and outpouring of the Spirit, come from above; both coming down from God; and both gifts offered to us men for our comfort.
And so image and matter could fuse into one, the Teacher of the church, i. e. the Holy Ghost, could Himself be called the Rain of God.
And according as in the image, you observe at one time the single drops, and again the rain as a descending stream, so could that image in turn speak to you of the many gifts of the Spirit, and in turn of that Spirit Himself, Who was given us on Pentecost day.
Scripture even loves to work out this image of the rain.
So in Psalm 65, where it is said, that God first made the land thirsty, burning of thirst and longing, and when it is come to this, God opens His river full of water above, and enriches the land greatly; God waterest the ridges thereof abundantly, and blessest the springing thereof, yea, even the pastures of the wilderness He waterest, and wherever God passes through with His rain, there His paths or footsteps drop fatness.
Isaiah also describes the going down of the rain into the depths of the earth, how it seeks the root of the plant, and waterest the earth, and how as result of the rain, every plant flourishes and buds, and so prepares fruit for sower and eater.
Altogether nature-language, as the speech of God goes forth in nature to all parts of the world, but in the nature-language God Himself unveiling to us the mysteries of His holiness, and because we are body and soul, addressing us in turn with significant images and with clear spiritual speech.
The mists going upward, and fixed on high as clouds, and from those clouds coming down in rain as gift of God to the comfort of men.
And so, our Savior ascended into heaven, and set on high at the right hand of the Father, and from that Savior descending upon us the gift for the comfort of men in the Holy Ghost.
The other image, that the Holy One dwells as in a cloud, joins itself to this.
You remember that “Cloud of glory”, that was seen on the mount of Transfiguration, that filled Solomon’s temple at the time of its consecration, that stood above the Tabernacle; and that at the Red Sea placed itself between Israel and Pharaoh’s host.
A cloud that glowed with inward glistening at night and was therefore called a column or pillar of fire; but which, when the sun arose, was seen as a glowing cloud, and was then called the pillar of cloud.
That same cloud was seen on the mount of Olives, and which at length intercepted the Savior, Who ascended, before the eyes of the disciples.
So the majesty of God in nature braids itself togeher into one majestic whole with His spiritual mightiness, and in us is the extinguishing of soul and stupidness, when year after year we can see the clouds relieve themselves, and can see and hear their rain descend, the whiles our heart is unable to overhear and understand anything of the speech that goes out from all these works of God.
And yet at the outpouring of the Holy Ghost we have such need of that imagery of nature.
In your representation you have no form for the Holy Ghost, in incomprehended mystery the Holy Ghost draws Himself back from before you. And after first having prepared your soul for His fellowship, the Holy Spirit ever ends again with being a name, an incomprehended sound to you, which momentarily passes through your consciousness, and equally quickly evades you.
And here that imagery of the nature-like life comes to your aid, and Scripture itself teaches you how in that speech of imagery you should interpret the workings of the Holy Ghost.
Your soul as the thirsty earth, made desirous after God, and yet lacking the tenderness of the fellowship of God, till the river of spiritual life discloses itself before you, and comes greatly to enrich you.
In the same course of thought in which Jesus said: “If any man thirst let him come and drink the water of life for nought, and it shall become a fountain in him, so that out of him shall flow rivers of living water” (St. John 7:37).
And you see this in the field, rain not only entering into the clods, but when these are satisfied, gathering itself in the furrows to little streams, and flow away to the deeper places, to have water in readiness, when rain-time is past.
And even as rain, so also does the Holy Spirit penetrate to the bottom of your soul, and there seeks out the root of your life, to spray it, water it and to saturate it.
Then that Holy Spirit softens the hard clods in your soul, and that softened and moist earth presents itself to the root of your soul’s life, to be appropriated.
So is your soul simultaneously fed and watered.
The seed germinates. The germ bends itself upwards. At last comes the bud. From that bud the grain is won. And so seed ripens for the sower and bread for the eater. That is to say, your own soul is first fed spiritually, and then the hand of your soul stretches itself out in compassionate love to the fields of the future, ever and always again to sow seed, and ever to cause new growths to bud on God’s spiritual acres, to the praise of His Name.
So you realize how that imagery of the speech of nature comes to your aid.
In the features of this image of rain, you see your soul before you as a barren field; you see the rain of the Spirit come down upon you; you become aware of His watering of your inner life; you perceive that the root within is reached, and you see the fruit of the Spirit bud on your own blades. You feel yourself fed by that Spirit, and enabled by Him, with happy rejoicings to scatter anew the seed upon the field.
And all this you see, perceive and feel, not as coming up from yourself, neither as going out from your soul, but as descending upon your soul.
It is the rain of the Spirit, that on the day of Pentecost came down from above, and now as a river of God spreads itself over the fields of the Spirit.
An unspeakable gift coming to you from your exalted Savior, and given you with God’s saints “to the comfort of men”!
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