How many of you know who Ishmael was? Ishmael was the product of human wisdom and human strength. He was the counterfeit promised son. He pictures what is presently a vast part of Christendom. He portrays Christians today who know that we have a promise of giving birth to the Son through our lives, but who, up to this point, only produced an Ishmael through our lives — something that is not restrained. — something that does not have boundaries. Something that is wild. Do you know what I'm talking about?It is something wild, having no guide lines nor governing.
Genesis 16:11-12 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every mans hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.This is the Ishmael-man, the flesh-man. He shall be a wild man. And in almost every modern translation says, “He shall be a wild ass.” He shall be this creature. That's his nature.How do you redeem one of these wild creatures? With a lamb.
Look at Genesis 22 and we will go right down the line. We’re going to look at the first mention of this animal. We are going to look at several scriptures today, and I want you to get a hold of something in your life.
Let me show you some characteristics of this biblical creature called an “ass.”
Genesis 22:3-5 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.Here is the first mention of this creature. And you see this is the place where Abraham went up and offered his son Isaac. So here's the first principle. The ass doesn't see the Father sacrificing the Son. He doesn't know anything about it. I'm telling you that as long as you don't see it and understand it, there is going to still be an “ass” nature left within us.Look at chapter 49 of Genesis and see this fifth son of Jacob Issachar.
Verse 14-15 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.Notice this is a second mention of this creature and it calls Issachar an ass. It says that he is one that is crouched down between two burdens. What would that be in the light of what we are? The old man, the residue of the flesh, has a problem.Two things weigh him down. One thing is, there are some areas in my life that I need to get rid of. That's the burden on one side.
The burden on the other side is some areas in my life that need to be more like Jesus. That characteristic of this wild ass nature that we need to be redeemed out of is that we are burdened down with these two heavy burdens. One is our desire to be more like something, and the other is our desire to be less like something else.
He said in verse 13 he saw that rest was good. How many of you know that resting in the finished work of Christ is good? That's our objective. To rest in the finished work.
He also said the Lamb was pleasant. What would that speak of? That would speak of the Promised Land.
But notice what this wild man does. He bowed his shoulder to bear. He took upon himself the burden of it. And he became a servant unto tribute.
There is much teaching today in the church that you just have to become more consecrated, try harder and on and on. That's the “Issachar” nature and it's not going to produce what God wants!
You will never be able to say, “I finally got rid of this or that.” That is not what God is after. He is wanting you to say, “Jesus delivered me from that, (Col. 1:13) through growing up into Him in all things.”
Here's a man who was burdened down. I want that. I want to be more like Jesus and less what I used to be. How many of you feel the same?
I see a rest out there. But the worse thing I can do is to take up the burden of that myself. When I do so, I become a servant to it and earn wages and get what I work for. That is what Issachar’s name means.
And when I go to bed and I act half-decent, I can sleep better. But when I don't, I can't sleep at all. That's not Christianity. Christianity is more than that!
Jeremiah 22:19 He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.Jeremiah spoke of Jehoiakim. Here's the third characteristic of this wild creature. The manner in which they buried them was in taking them outside the city to be left them on top of the ground where they just rotted. And the principle is this. This type of creature has no burial.That's the problem. Colossians Chapter 2 says we’re buried together with Him. You will always remain that kind of creature until you find your place of burial. A wild ass is just thrown outside of Jerusalem and devoured.
Look at first Samuel chapter 9.
Here is the story of the introduction of Saul. Saul was the people’s choice for King in Israel.
1-5 Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. And the asses of Kish Sauls father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses. And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not. And when they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and take thought for us.We have four places here listed in our Bibles where you won't find these wild men.He looked in this one place and they weren't there. He went to the other three and there was no wild men there. Wouldn't it be interesting to know what those names mean? What those names mean implies places where you won't find an ass’ nature!
“Ephraim” means “double fruitful.”
Notice he passed through there the land of “Shalisha” which means “three fold.”
Here's the message. You will not find any of this wild ass nature in fruitfulness in the third dimension. That third dimension is going past the stage of being saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. It is growing up and maturing into the fullness.
You can be fruitful in the realm of Passover and in the realm of Pentecost, but if you want to be fruitful in the third dimension you need to get rid of that wild ass nature. The third dimension is the feast of booths. It’s looking back on what was done on the Cross — at what really happened.
Deuteronomy 22:10 Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.The ox nature was the nature of a servant. It was a face on the cherubim. It’s a picture of the nature of Jesus in the church – a servant nature. You can't plow an ox with an ass, it won't work.If you want to do some planting for Jesus, if you want to work in the harvest field of the Lord, you are not to hook up with a wild ass. That's a great principle. Mark the asses and avoid them. Tied to an ass, the ox will end up in the ditch. That wild animal does not go down a straight line.
Remember these wild asses will not be found fruitful in the third dimension.
The second place he looked was in “Shaalim” and that word means “handful.”
The handful speaks of Ephesians 4:11’s prophets, evangelists, pastors/teachers, and apostles.
You won't find any wild man who has committed himself to what a five-fold ministry is doing. Wild asses won't come under the five-fold ministry teaching. They don't like it and won't be found there. They just don't like teaching and preaching and etc.
God puts His hand on people and doors are open to these people who begin to minister and be used of God. And all of a sudden they have an Ishmaelite nature and don't want to submit anywhere. They just want to go everywhere and be a part of everything, and you can't do that. You can't grow that way. You can get pulpit time, but you can't get growth that way.
So people need to find a place that has a hand-ministry — the five-fold ministry has something in it.
Thirdly, he went to the land of the “Benjamites,” whose name means “son of the right hand.” So you will never find any of these types of creatures at the spiritual right hand of the Father. Did you follow that?
Fourth, verse 5 says they were come to the land of “Zuph,” which means “honey.” The land of milk and honey. You won't find any of them there. They will never make it to the Promised Land.
Any part of me that still has that wild nature will never make it to the Promised Land. Any part of me that will not be restrained by the hand of God will never be found at the right hand.
There is an increasing “Isaac” in me and a decreasing “Ishmael.” The only thing that is going into the Promised Land is Isaac.
It helps us understand why the flesh wars against the Spirit. Ishmael is always giving the Spirit trouble. If you are unable to control yourself in certain areas, you need to hear what this message is saying. The flesh is giving your spirit trouble.